Looking at the specification included, the Cee’d undercuts its mainstream rivals on list price. Petrol models promise more than 40mpg on average, while diesel owners could see up to 60mpg on a regular basis. The reassuring warranty package, which from January 2010 covers seven years/100,000, is a welcome move and shows Kia’s confidence.

The Cee’d is an environmentally friendly model. In October 2009 the EcoDynamic model was added to the line-up with stop/start technology that produces emissions of just 110g/km of CO2 and impressive economy of 67mpg. The 2.0 CRDi model was also dropped from the line-up helping to reduce the average emissions.

Kia’s warranty currently offers the longest cover for engine and gearbox of any car manufacturer – a good indication of how confident the company is in its reliability. No major problems are expected.