71 replies to this topic

[catch]

Good feed back jeeb,

and like they say on Top Gear it sounds like it's a decent car. You cannot knock the mpg your getting really. Just got to say Bank Holiday Monday, I reset the trip comp on the Focus, I'd just left the town I live in heading for one 15 miles away, but with one just up the road 9 miles away we had to pass through. Its a queue job at the best of times getting through that place, never mind Bank Holiday Mondays. Anyway driving like a granny on a country A road, and until I hit the tail back entering that town, I achieved 55 mpg, !Removed! amazed I was. Mind you I have that BK44 injector cleaner in the tank right now, so maybe that has something to do with it.

And the Ceed sounds nippy enough considering it's not a turbo diesel or petrol for that matter. Yes the boot is a let down, mind you it's a let down in the new Mk3 Focus as well. So considering the seven year transferable warranty on the Kia, for peeps thinking of buying a Mk3 Focus petrol [non turbo] it may well be worth seriously looking at the Kia Ceed as well, and letting them slug it out.

[jeebowhite]

55MPG is amazing for a petrol (I see that on ocassion, but that is true granny style driving on a motorway!) but the cleaner does seem to be doing you some good!

And I would definately agree that the Cee'd can be some very good competition to the MK3, I appreciate this is a FORD owners club, but I think with the amount of people who have to pop back and say "I have another issue" its worth showing that their is some good competition out there, for a great deal of value for money (sadly I think FORD now lacks this!)

If anyone is interested, I will keep this thread updated (I wont take over the entire forum making it a kia house lol!) But after seeing the poll previously and the interest in other vehicles, I think its worth keeping some information flowing freely

[Marky04]

When we were looking for a new car the Cee'd was on our list but after driving the Cee'd then driving the Focus there was no competition

[jeebowhite]

Fair point Marky, out of curiosity, What was it on the drive that did sway you to the focus? would you say you were feelin bias towards the focus at all?

[catch]

What do I miss?
So Far, I miss the turbo as it was always fun to have it kick in, but the power of the engine is an extra 9 bhp, so other than losing a bit of torque, there isn’t much loss of power. (Also I was hoping to up the power, but without a diesel you can’t really use a tune box over a remap, so there are fewer options for upping power at a lower price!)

A couple of years down the line you will be able to get one of these mate,

And I dare say being a turbo, I reckon you can slap a tuning box on it if you want to

I do miss the big boot, may need a roof box when we take the little one away on holiday, or if we go with the in – laws, we might have to get them to turn there hatchback into an estate with the seats down, and load them up!

Well then you will not really miss the 20% loss of boot space in the Mk3, when you come back to a Focus

[Marky04]

I found the drive very comfortable, all the controls just where I need them and it’s a very easy car to drive. My wife did not like the car when we first looked at it but after the test drive said we should buy it.
This is our second Focus we had a 2ltr diesel Zetec 57 plate which we had trouble with the DPF filter which was finally sorted by ford which is why we looked at other cars but when the new Focus came out we just had to try it and so far we are very happy with it

[catch]

Marky petrol or TDCi? Is it a 1.6 or a 2.0L I believe the 2.0TDCi has a CDPF, that does not need replacing or additive tops, is that right?

[jeebowhite]

Catch, are you a focus salesman by any chance you seem to be pulling out all the stops trying to get me behind a focus again lol.

And it will be interesting to see if these DPF's are maintenance free!

I guess that Focus must be a test drive car with the low mileage, either that or some daft sod's buying, driving, and getting bored of their car very quickly lol

[btmaldon]

I was looking at a Cee'd this morning as you dont see these often around our area. I dont really see the comparison with the new Focus, but it does sit well on the road and certainly the frontal aspect of the car looks quite appealing. The grill shape and lights work well together and the compact shape gives the appearance of a car that can handle the bends well.

[jeebowhite]

It really does handle very well. I can see some styling comparisons, that are familiar traits between the two, granted they arent twins...

But I really dont "miss the focus" like I suspected I might (even though the little blighter irritated the hell out of me for some time). The handling in the Cee'd is very good and sits well alongside the focus, Marky preferred the Focus over the Cee'd, and I can understand that, but then again probably paid more for the focus than the Cee'd would have cost for similar spec?

In all honesty, I was bias when leaving Ford. my aim was "with my luck in cars, I need something that will not cost me an arm and a leg daily, and something I can trust". If Kia trusted their cars so much they would offer 7 years warranty, I had to take it. I did look at the likes of the Astra, but the warranty was appalling (non transferrable other than three years, and the amount of exclusions outweighs the amount of covered items). I was tempted by the Hyundai i40, but with no local dealers I knew of, and a higher price to be paid to buy it, I settled with the Cee'd, I got almost my old focus, in a new shell with 6 years warranty left! overall it works for me!

I changed my avatar pic to the front end, I think it is quite appealing. If anyone wants to take a look at the ceed, from a few outside perspectives, take a look at mine http://www.fordowner...album&album=587

[Marky04]

Our Focus is the 1.6 petrol.

To be honest when we priced the Cee'd against the Focus there was very little in it and we were almost signing the deal on the Cee'd when we took the focus out for a good run and that's what made up our mind.

The appeal for the 7 year warranty did not sway us because we only keep our cars for between 2 - 3 yrs.

Only time will tell if the Focus holds together, but to quote my wife "It's the best car I've ever driven" and I'm not going to argue with her lol

[jeebowhite]

lol Good answer! Goes to show though that the Cee'd is increasing popularity, if you were about to sign the deal! had you swapped 6 months earlier, it could have been a different story?

[jeebowhite]

lol Good answer! Goes to show though that the Cee'd is increasing popularity, if you were about to sign the deal! had you swapped 6 months earlier, it could have been a different story?

[Marky04]

Yes, 6 months earlier, it could have been a different story but i would be kicking myself very hard lol

[jeebowhite]

Well - For anyone who is interested, as I can see that there are some more contemplations of leaving the blue oval! I have had the car now for 7 weeks tomorrow. In that time I have now racked up a nice little 2500 miles or so!

Well, I can honestly say I am baffled by this car. I have yet to sit behind the wheel and say "oh... im not in the focus..." on the contrary, almost every day I have been thankful it wasnt the focus. not one thing has rattled, or blipped, not even a false whisper from it! for the first time in quite a long time, I havent wondered what on earth is going to go wrong next, and when I think of the car, I dont immediately ask "whats it going to cost".

So my overall review so far.

Performance, is excellent! 123 BHP with a light nimble car allows it to pick up pace. for the first time since I got the car I decided to really thrash it, and what fun!! I have managed to get up quite a steep incline (for local Kent folk it was Blue Bell Hill!) Third gear, flying up the revs, I managed to reach a very good speed very quickly, so no lack of performance there then. On an empty roundabout, I decided to floor it from a standstill round the roundabout and down the carraigeway. A very respectable 10 seconds from 0-60 even round a roundabout, so I was very impressed indeed. It was nimble enough, and has been thrown into roundabouts hamilton style on more than enough ocassions, and has come flying out the other side in good stead. as far as this car performs, I am inside the focus, but its a little more fun!

Other than my review in previous posts, I only had a couple of concerns, one of which was the boot. Well I have managed to take the wife shopping, with the little one and his buggy. After piling up a debt of £90 on my credit card, along with a lot of carriers, I had no problem getting everything into the boot, so I am really not too disheartened by the lost boot space.

As for missing the turbo - well I really find that the right gear with the right amount of dead weight behind the gas pedal combats that one

Economy is still al ittle less than I would have liked. Diesel used to last 10 days, even with an enthusiastic right foot, now it lasts me 6 or 7 depending on how enthusiastic I am. This tank I will have managed to get out of it 350 miles, and that is with no economical driving at all, so I expect roughly an average of 34-36MPG - compared to the 42 on the diesel I was getting before trading in...

So, there you have it, the Cee'd may not be as high brow popular as the Focus, but IMHO, its a !Removed! good car, for a brilliant price, and the piece of mind I have with such a new vehicle / warranty also is second to none! I really have no problems with it at all. This car really is a Focus in a smaller shell, just without the expensive price tag, the extra value for money, and the loss of irritating bills and the feeling of "whats going to go pop next"!

On a showing off front... - The Cee'd has more intelligence than Ford. I ask you this - How often have you gotten out of the car and left the lights on? I have done this, and I dont have to worry anymore. I can get out of my car with the switches set for all lights on, I can switch the ignition off, and the lights remain on, but as soon as I open my door, all lights are cut out completely! Brilliant - Other cars bong, or the Focus if you put park lights on will just sit there and run you out of juice, but the Kia really is cleverly designed. To switch on parklights, you need to remove the key, open the door, and reset your lights to on - so the only way you can run your battery down is if your a pleb - Clever thinking I would have expected from Ford...

Only one thing I really do miss on the focus - On Board Diagnostics. I do not have this on the Kia and would have loved it to be present, but nothing a good OBD reader wont resolve. I do however miss the speed / revs etc in digital format should I so wish!

I really dont regret the move, I couldnt be happier with my Cee'd, and I suggest if you are looking at a new car, definately take out the new Cee'd for a test drive. if it has the front end that my avatar does, its the MK2, which is better all round than the MK1, I really really suggest take it for a test drive, and see what you think!

If anyone would like any other info just ask, and I will answer. like I have mentioned before, I know this isnt a Kia forum, but this thread is my boasting topic , I know people are looking at alternatives, so I think its always good to have a balance of opinions on alternatives!

EDIT: Well I just recieved a call from Kia customer service... They advise that my car has 5 minor repair campaigns, all to be done free of charge, at my convenience! So I called up Kia, and arrange it, got a courtesy car booked in, and my car to be dropped off, they will have it all done in half a day! no questions asked, no problems, otherwise it would have been pulling gold teeth from Ford! I am impressed with their service so far!