The long awaited and highly anticipated new Kia pro_cee’d three-door model originally made its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show on 11 September 2007.
Based closely on the earlier pro_cee’d concept car shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, the new production model was developed by Kia Motors’ design team in Europe under the guidance of Gregory Guillaume, Kia Motors European Chief Designer. Styling for the pro_cee’d comes from a dedicated multinational Kia design team in Germany (assisted by a design team in Korea), after which it was introduced to the market under direction of Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.
The name “cee’d” is an acronym: “ce” denotes “Community of Europe,” while “ed” represents “European Design.” The word “pro” emphasizes the forward looking concept and expert handling. Manufactured in Zilina – a €1-billion operation in Slovakia – the pro_cee’d is the third member of the Kia cee’d family, joining the popular cee’d five-door and the Sporty Wagon five-door (neither of these models is available in South Africa).
They are the first-ever Kia cars designed and manufactured in Europe and are already introducing a qualitative revolution for the brand. Not forgetting the unbelievable value for money Kia Motors offers, it is no wonder that Kia and its sister company are now the fifth biggest manufacturer of vehicles in the world.
The Kia pro_cee’d will appeal to consumers who would not have considered buying a five-door hatchback, and who would not have considered buying a Kia until the availability of this new model. The Kia Motors’ design teams have created the pro_cee’d to ‘satisfy all senses’. Adapting the cee’d core theme of sensuality, the designers are convinced that the pro_cee’d is indeed especially attractive to look at and even greater fun to drive.
“The Kia brand has undergone a major transformation to compete in the international arena. This brand of car, previously perceived to be mediocre, has now transformed to exCEED all expectations from a Korean brand. There is no doubt in my mind that the esthetics of this car will set it apart from the previous designs from Kia Motor Corporation. The pro_cee’d will change the way potential customers perceive the Kia brand in future,” says Ray Levin, CEO of Kia Motors South Africa.
The Kia Motors slogan “The Power to SurpriseTM” represents the company’s global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through international accomplishments, design, safety, quality and industry leading warranties.
Winning eight international ‘Car of the Year’ style awards, receiving numerous other international magazine awards and ranking first in more than 30 international comparative road tests to date, the Kia cee’d model range is the most decorated Korean-brand car ever in European automotive history, according to Kia Motors Corporation.
Styling & Structure
Longer, lower and lighter than its sister car, the five-door cee’d, the three-door pro_cee’d (sports coupè version of the five-door cee’d) brings sensationally stylish looks and much more sportiness to the C-segment marketplace.
“Like its family siblings, pro_cee’d has a similar ‘tough but not rough’ appearance, combining strongly solid forms with sensitive, flowing lines, jewel-like detailing and a broad stance” says Gregory Guillaume, Kia Motors Europe Chief Designer. Embodying the self-confident, adventurous and young-at-heart spirit of today’s Kia, the pro_cee’d is all that the vibrant South African seeks in a car.
The sporty three-door version of the popular cee’d hatchback is sure to embed the dynamic and exciting image of Kia in the minds of today’s most active South African generation. With its aggressive and sleek silhouette, the car is not only attractive but also fun to drive. “With the pro_cee’d production car we have communicated sportiness mostly through the car’s exterior design,” concludes Guillaume.
A sporty rear spoiler, stylish fog lamps, and a bold, circular muffler give the pro_cee’d an undeniably energetic and youthful aura. “I think pro_cee’d with its dynamic new looks will attract an audience of potential buyers that, in the past, never would have considered a Kia” says Ray Levin, CEO of Kia Motors South Africa.
Interior
The clean, modern, sporty and elegant design theme that characterises the exterior of the pro_cee’d is replicated throughout the interior. The interior of the pro_cee’d has been designed and developed to the highest standards to fully demonstrate the brand’s growing ‘power to surpriseTM‘ and to produce cars which are perfectly in tune with consumers’ tastes and needs.
The new pro_cee’d three-door model offers the following interior space:
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Head room 990 mm (front) 940 mm (rear)
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Leg room 1,105 mm (front) 900 mm (rear)
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Shoulder room 1,410 mm (front) 1,360 mm (rear)
To heighten practicality in the three-door pro_cee’d, Kia Motors’ designers engineered the 60/40 split backrest so that it is easy to release and simply folds down onto the fixed rear seat cushion with no need to remove the head restraints. The resulting load floor extension is step-less.
The car offers excellent luggage capacity for this class of vehicle – a total of 340 litres with the rear seats upright, including 55 litres of storage in moulded trays beneath the floor (fitted as standard), and 1210 litres with the rear seats folded.
Good access to the rear is aided by new front seats with a handle on top of the backrest which can be used to tilt the backrest forwards and slide the seat forward in one smooth operation.
These multi-adjustable front seats also have wide cushions and backrests to offer superior support, with generous proportions to accommodate drivers and passengers of all shapes and sizes. Adjustable lumbar support is available on both driver and passenger seats.
The pro_cee’d driver will also enjoy the feeling of a ‘compact and sporty’ cockpit. All the controls are ergonomically designed to place them within easy reach of the driver’s hands and the overall layout has true elegance.
The instrument cluster has a ‘high-tech’ appearance, with the large central speedometer flanked by a rev-counter (to the left) and water temperature and fuel gauges to the right. The dial graphics are detailed, precise and clear, while the use of red-orange illumination for the dials, audio equipment and switch gear enhance the ‘high-tech’ look.
To ensure that the pro-cee’d will be great fun for passengers and driver alike, the pro_cee’d has as standard a purpose-built RDS (Radio Display System) radio with an in-dash six CD disc changer (standard on the pro_cee’d Sport), MP3 compatibility, six audio speakers, plus audio controls on the steering wheel.
The Kia cee’d family of cars was the brand’s first to be fitted with a purpose-built, top-quality audio entertainment system, specifically tailored to fit the new centre console design.
The stylish centre stack is a key visual feature of the interior. The centre stack sweeps down to meet the floor console which houses an oddments tray (with USB (Universal Serial Bus) and Auxiliary connections, an iPod cable (standard on the pro_cee’d Sport), and a 12V power supply (for charging e.g. cellular telephones or GPS units), as well as twin cup-holders and a large-capacity storage box.
Kia Motors’ senior executives and its many dealers know that when customers first step into a pro_cee’d, they are going to be deeply impressed by its style, execution, quality, materials, fit and finish.
Performance
Consumers will ravish the top of the range, 2.0-litre DOHC CVVT (Continuously Variable Valve Timing) petrol, manual transmission model with its 17-inch wheels (standard on the pro_cee’d Sport). This combination perfectly matches the sporty character of the pro_cee’d.
Top speeds are estimated at 206 kph. The pro_cee’d accelerates rapidly, delivering acceleration times (to 100 kph) in 10.3 seconds. Fuel consumption figures vary between 9.7 Litres/100 km (urban), 5.9 Litres/100 km (extra urban) and 7.3 litres/100km (combined), depending on driving conditions. The CO2 figures emission level is 174 g/km.
Kia pro_cee’d 2.0-litre powertrain:
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Power Torque Transmission 105.2 kW @ 6 000 rpm 186.3Nm @ 4600 rpm 5-speed Manual
Trims & Options
The pro_cee’d is available in two options: a pro_cee’d 2.0-litre CVVT and a pro_cee’d 2.0-litre CVVT Sport. The difference between the two models lies in the specification levels offered to the customer. These differences are clearly highlighted in the Specifications section of this document.
Safety
While developing the three-door pro_cee’d, Kia Motors’ engineers worked hard to ensure that the new pro_cee’d model is one of the safest cars in the C-segment. It has the highest levels of active and passive safety, to fully satisfy the ever-increasing consumer expectations of modern car design. The pro_cee’d has also been awarded a 5-star safety rating in the latest Euro NCAP crash test results.
The pro_cee’d is fully equipped to avoid potential accident situations and handle the hazards of everyday motoring. Proven technology in accident avoidance is ESP (Electronic Stability Program). This system comes with TCS (Traction Control System) and BAS (Brake Assistance System).
ESP is fully automatic and operates at all times, while offering a multitude of benefits. It improves stability under heavy braking, restores directional control during a potential skid, enhances grip in wet conditions, and ensures superior traction during hard acceleration.
The pro_cee’d has a powerful all-disc braking system featuring ABS (Anti-lock Breaking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution). This system brings the pro_cee’d to a complete stop in 39.5 metres from a speed of 100 kph – matching the very best braking performance in the C-segment.
Two additional features will boost active safety even further for pro_cee’d owners. The pro_cee’d’s rear parking assist system has four sensors which enhances safety during low-speed parking manoeuvres by alerting the driver to an obstruction with an audible alarm while reversing.
A TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) will trigger the instrument cluster display, indicating if the pressure in a tyre is low or if it is punctured. (Both features are standard on the pro_cee’d Sport).
If a collision is unavoidable, the new pro_cee’d is engineered to safeguard the occupants with a range of passive safety measures as standard – starting with a robust bodyshell. State-of-the-art computer-aided design was employed by Kia engineers, together with ‘closed loop’ engineering techniques, to create the pro_cee’d three-door bodyshell structure.
Featuring high-strength steel in key areas, the bodyshell is designed to offer occupants good protection in front, side, rear and roll-over accidents.
Every pro_cee’d model will be equipped with an integrated Safety Restraint System (SRS) consisting of dual front airbags, front side airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and belt load-limiters. In addition, the pro_cee’d features full-length curtain airbags, protecting the occupants in both seat rows.
All the safety systems work together to provide full passenger protection. If an impact is detected, a signal is relayed to all the airbags and to the seatbelt pretensioners, activating them if appropriate.
The passenger side front airbag features an on-off switch so it can be deactivated if small children in a safety-seat occupy that position in the car. Both front seats are equipped with an integrated ‘active’ head restraint. This head restraint moves forwards and upwards during a rear impact collision to protect the seat occupant from whiplash injuries.
All pro_cee’d models are fitted with two ISOFIX anchor points on the rear seat for the attachment of appropriate child safety seats and restraints.
Vehicle security is important for personal safety and each new pro_cee’d is comprehensively equipped to deter and resist thieves. Central locking is standard on all models, with speed-sensing automatic locking @40km/h. Keyless entry and an antitheft alarm and dash-top security lamp are standard.
Every pro_cee’d engine is fitted with an advanced electronic immobiliser that was developed in tandem with Thatcham Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in the UK, and targets a top-level anti-theft protection rating. Every model has a ‘battery saver’ to prevent draining of the battery.
The new pro_cee’d is fitted with fully independent, subframe-mounted, front and rear suspension systems, engineered by Kia Motors’ chassis specialists in Germany and designed to deliver crisp, responsive handling and a supple, comfortable ride – even when fully laden.
For the pro_cee’d, spring and damper rates in the MacPherson Strut (front) and ‘in-wheel multi-link’ (rear) suspension are fine-tuned to accommodate the three-door derivative’s specific weight.
The McPherson Strut front suspension features a broad-based lower arm and a negative camber angle (0.5 degrees) for greater cornering stability under all conditions. The multi-link rear suspension employs 1.0 degrees of negative camber and is mounted on a compact transverse subframe, with the shock absorbers and coil springs mounted separately for improved ride quality and minimal intrusion into the trunk.
To save fuel and deliver responsive handling in everyday driving, the pro_cee’d also has Kia’s latest MDPS (Motor-Driven Power Steering) system. This electric power-assisted system has relatively high gearing, with just 2.69 turns of the steering wheel lock-to-lock and is fine-tuned to deliver good ‘feel’ under all driving conditions in the three-door cee’d.
The pro_cee’d is fitted with 17-inch wheels (standard on the pro_cee’d Sport) and geared for 2.58 turns of the steering wheel lock-to-lock. Kia’s MDPS system in the pro_cee’d gives a fuel saving of 3% compared with conventional hydraulic assistance.
Quality
Kia Motors is demonstrating its commitment to maximum customer satisfaction by offering this vehicle standard with a 5-year/100 000km warranty, as well as a 3-year/60 000km maintenance plan.
Kia views this warranty as an important long-term customer relations measure, and will be transferable to subsequent owners. There is also a 3-year unlimited kilometre Roadside Assistance Programme in case of an emergency breakdown situation.
Conclusion
“Combining real style and genuine practicality, our new sporty three-door pro_cee’d will ensure that our customers will be as excited as I was when I first test-drove this vehicle. Once you have experienced the ride and drive of the pro_cee’d, you will recognise the dynamic change that has taken place at Kia. It is definitely worth a test drive, even if it is only for the exhilarating experience,” concluded Ray Levin, CEO of Kia Motors South Africa.
