Kia Cee'd - Pictures

The Kia is a comfortable cruiser, but is also fun on twisting roads. It offers more steering feel than the Bravo, while good body control means it doesn’t wallow in bends like the C4. However, the ride isn’t as comfortable.

This really shows how far Kia has come. While the cabin finish is no match for the likes of VW, it’s better than in its rivals here. Everything feels really well screwed together, plus all-round visibility is the best on test.

For practicality, the Kia fares very well. True, its capacity can’t match the Fiat’s, but the boot is the widest, and has a good shape and a low lip. You don’t have to remove the headrests to fold the seatbacks, eithe

USB connector: this is particularly useful. You can’t control your MP3 player through the stereo as the USB port is simply an auxiliary input, but you can charge the unit or plug in a memory stick.

Our test car was one of the first to roll out of Kia’s new Zilina plant in Slovakia, so its indicator stalks are still the ‘wrong’ way round. But all new right-hand-drive cars will have them corrected so that the indi