It’s a busy time for the folks at Kia, who are busy differentiating the company’s global lineup from their siblings in North America. While we are offered the Forte compact range in North America, Europe is set to receive an updated cee’d.
The new cee’d keeps the same wheelbase as the outgoing model, but it is longer, wider, and lower, giving it a sleek and modern profile. It is based on the same platform as the Hyundai i30, which in turn is related to the Forte, but it takes an incredibly well-trained eye to notice that.
Design-wise, the 2012 cee’d is a huge step forward compared to the current model. Its sculpted hood and rakish headlights make for an aggressive stance. Kia’s signature “tiger-nose” grille is incorporated into the bumper, and the car wears a new Kia emblem that is expected to gradually adorn every member of the automaker’s lineup.
Kia says that it designed the interior to be like a cockpit, which is driver-oriented and better finished than the interior of the outgoing model. This creates a premium look and feel that should help the cee’d compete against well-established class heavyweights such as the Peugeot 308 and the Renault Mégane.
Three gas engines will be on offer, as well as two diesels. The gas range starts with a 99-horsepower 1.4-liter unit and climbs to a 128-horsepower 1.6, but the biggest volume model is expected to be a 126-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder. A dual-clutch automatic will be optionally available later in the model year, but most cee’ds will be motivated by manual gearboxes.
