Kia Cee'd GT hatchback (2015-2018)

The Kia Cee’d GT is a more family-friendly five-door version of the Kia Pro_cee’d GT three-door hot hatchback. It’s intended for people who want the exciting performance and sporty looks of the latter, but need extra practicality to accommodate a family.

The Cee’d has all the same additions as the Pro_cee’d GT, including 18-inch alloy wheels and eye-catching LED daytime running lights. Performance and fuel economy are unchanged from the three-door, too, so there’s no real compromise to be made.

Under the bonnet sits a 1.6-litre, 210bhp turbocharged petrol engine. Despite its relatively modest capacity and the presence of a turbo, it’s not particularly economical for what it is, while also being less potent than the engines powering the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST. Bear in mind, though, that the Kia costs less than both of those models, so as an overall package it can still make sense. The Kia Cee'd also finished 63rd out of the 75 cars ranked in our 2018 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey of cars currently on sale in the UK, with 11.6% of owners reporting an issue in the first year.

There are just two specification levels in the Cee’d GT range – GT and GT Tech. The latter costs around 2,700 more and adds various luxurious and hi-tech extra features.

There’s only one engine available in the Cee’d GT: the same 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol used in the Pro_cee’d GT. Sadly, it’s no more fuel efficient here, returning 38.2mpg and emitting 170g/km of CO2. The Ford Focus ST and VW Golf GTI are both more powerful than the Cee’d GT, as well as returning superior fuel economy, so in this respect the Kia is a bit disappointing. The Cee’d GT does come with Kia’s impressive seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, meaning you won’t face any big repair bills for a while.

The 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine in the Kia Cee'd GT produces 201bhp, so it's less powerful than the basic Volkswagen Golf GTI, which has 227bhp, and the 247bhp Ford Focus ST. Both of those cars are more expensive than the Cee'd GT, though, so you may also want to consider a top-of-the-range Vauxhall Astra, which has 197bhp and is around the same price as the Kia.

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The engine in the Kia is nippy enough and will get the car from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds. It never feels lightening-quick, but this may actually suit a lot of drivers, as it means the car is fun to drive without ever feeling intimidating. The firmer suspension compared to the standard Kia Cee'd means the car handles corners neatly, even if the steering systems in the Golf GTI and Focus ST feel more involving. The Kia’s engine note is also a little muted, but give the GT Mode button a prod and the exhaust sound synthesiser livens things up a bit.

Given that the Cee’d GT is significantly cheaper than its rivals, its interior is pretty good. Soft-touch plastics are prevalent and there are touches of gloss-black trim to make things feel more special than the standard Cee’d. The sporty Recaro seats are supportive and come upholstered in a mixture of faux suede and leather.

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The GT’s suspension is firmer than that of the standard Kia Cee’d, to help improve the car’s handling. However, this means the GT can be a bit uncomfortable at low speeds. When travelling faster, the ride settles down, so the car is comfortable cruising on the motorway.

The two extra rear doors obviously make the Kia Cee’d GT more practical than the three-door Pro-Cee’d GT. There’s plenty of room for passengers in the back and the additional doors not only make the rear seats brighter, but also easier to get into, making this car feel even more spacious than the three-door version.

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The boot offers a very useful 380 litres of luggage space, which is more than what you get in the Ford Focus ST and the same as a Volkswagen Golf GTI. With the back seats folded down, the Cee'd GT offers an extra 93 litres of space compared to the three-door Pro_cee’d GT.

The Cee’d GT comes with Kia’s industry-leading seven-year/100,000-mile warranty – a vote of confidence in the car’s reliability and reassurance for buyers that if something goes wrong, they won’t have to fork out for repairs.

The Kia Cee'd was rated highly for reliability in our 2017 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey of cars currently on sale in the UK. Of the owners who responded, 7.3% reported experiencing a problem with their car at least once.

Safety-wise, the standard Cee’d achieved a five-star safety rating in Euro NCAP crash-testing, so the GT should perform well if you’re ever involved in a crash.

The Kia Cee'd GT comes in two different trim levels, GT and GT Tech. The basic GT spec offers a very generous amount of equipment, including 18-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, LED daytime running lights, sports seats, air-conditioning, cruise control, and a six-speaker stereo with USB connection.

The GT Tech trim adds a seven-inch touchscreen sat-nav system, a camera to help with reversing, xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and push-button start.

Considering the GT is cheaper than a number of its rivals, the amount of kit you get is impressive, helping to make this car excellent value for money.