Everything seemed to indicate that 2021 would be the year in which car sales would recover. But the semiconductor crisis arrived and manufacturers saw it and wanted to overcome it. Kia (and Hyundai) know how to do it. Hence the share of 6.7% and fourth place in total sales at the end of the year.
It is the most sold brand to individuals, where it has 10.2% of the market. A juicier pie that should increase in 2022 with the arrival of the Kia Ceed 2022, the update of the third generation of the compact, launched in 2018.
The new Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV is designed and built for Europe. Sold exclusively in our market, it was the model that the Slovenian factory debuted at the time. In Spain, it accounts for 14.6 percent of Kia’s sales (to add that of the Xceed a whopping 29.7%).
The renewal comes to the three bodies. The compact 5-door is our favorite on the market, with 77% of sales. The well-known Kia Ceed Tourer (20%) and the Kia Proceed (a shooting brake that takes up 3% of registrations) are also being renewed. We drive the compact for half a day with the new petrol engine.
Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV Review
Exterior
The compact segment is vital for mainstream brands in Europe, due to the sales volume it represents (it is holding up well to the SUV boom). Design is one of the most important pillars.
On the front we see that the new logo of the brand is premiering. It is the first volume model it has, after the EV6, although it will soon be seen in the new Sportage. And there is a new grill.
It’s not the only novelty at the front, as there’s a new light signature of the Tech trim: three vertical bars are the daytime running lights (and turn signals). Among them are the LED fog lights, towards the interior, and the position and road lighting.
The bumpers have also been changed. Both in the base variants and in the GT-Line that we have in front of us, which is the most aggressive and sporty, along with the GT which is sold only with the most powerful engine.
The side view shows new trim and 17-inch wheel designs on this GT-Line trim. There are also 12 colors to choose from, four of which are new: Machined Bronze, Splash Lemon, Experience Green Yes Yuca steel grey.
The dimensions do not differ in mm: 4.325mm length, with 1,800mm wide and 1,442mm high in the slightly longer and lower GT-Line versions. The wheelbase of 2,650 mm.
Seen from behind, it has a surface treatment on the Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV decal in addition to the new logo. Unique to the five-door body is the lower part of the bumper. And in the GT-Line trim, it has a very different LED taillights with sequential turn signals.
Inside
The interior of the Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV 5-door does not change in terms of available space what we found in our in-depth test of the 2018 Ceed. Nor does the general arrangement of the elements.
There is news, yes. Like the 12.3-inch digital instruments. It has exclusive graphics for each driving mode and customizable themes.
In the middle of the dashboard we find the multimedia system, in this case with a 10.25-inch screen. It should be noted that it now has OTA (Over the Air, Remote) updates for both software and browser maps. 
It also launches the connection with multiple devices of Bluetoth at the same time, both to play music and to make calls. And, as with the brand’s latest launches, various Kia Connect services. He has speech recognition, but is not yet very good at understanding natural language. What I liked the most (I couldn’t test the above) is that it increases the resolution of the rear view camera by one megapixel. 
Interesting is the charging point in the lower part of the console, wireless, as well as the USB connection for the rear seats, which is still quite comfortable for a few adults (narrow for a third, common in cars of this size).
Trunk
The 2022 Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV uses the same base as the model launched in 2018, but the trunk of this unit is cubed 357 liters, behind its 395 liters.
The reason is that it loses some of the bottom under the floor because it is the mild hybrid variant and that is where the batteries that power the 48v system are hidden. It obviously also disadvantages the figure with the rear seat backs folded down. Stays inside 1,253 litres, when they were 1,291 before that.
For the rest, it keeps the regular shapes of the chest, which can be accessed by saving a small step. There are hangers and hooks to secure the load and, on the side closest to the gate, a small hole under the floor to carry the tire repair kit and anything else.
Equipment
The Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV 2022 range is built around five trim levels. From the simplest Concept, through the Drive and the Tech, or the sportier GT-Line and GT.
The GT-Line we have in hand has distinctive elements on the outside that have already been analyzed. Inside, sports pedals and steering wheel, electric parking brake, signal reader, keyless access and start button, sunroof, digital instruments, as well as the blind spot monitor or the automatic parking system with front sensors.
The five-door range starts (with all discounts applied) from €14,300 for a 100 CV Ceed 1.0 with Concept finish to 27,000 for a Ceed GT. The tested unit, with the 1.5 MHEV automatic transmission and GT-Line closure, goes to the 24,919 euros.
It is a very interesting price if we take into account everything that is in it. We remind you that you can find offers from Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV in our new car section, published by official dealers of the brand. We also have tools to finance the car that can be interesting if you want to pay it month by month.
Engine
The five-door body is the most varied in terms of engines. There is a choice with four petrol and one diesel engine (still good for 16% of the turnover). The last one is the 1.6 CRDi of 136 hp MHEV with micro-hybridization and can be associated with the intelligent manual transmission of six relations or the automatic of seven.
For petrol, the offer starts with the 1.0 T-GDI 100 hp, with manual gearbox. There is a second variant of this three-cylinder engine, the 1.0 T-GDI 120 hp MHEV, coupled to the dual-clutch automatic transmission and with an ECO label.
The 1.6 T-GDI 204 hp and automatic switching. And just before that, a four-cylinder from the Smartstream family and the great novelty, the 1.5 T-GDI MHEV of 160 CV which replaces the previous 1.4 140 hp. 
It has Mild Hybrid technology and is associated with the transmission of the range. It certifies a consumption of between 5.7 and 5.8 l/100 km, lower than that of the block it replaces and corresponding to CO2 emissions of 129-130 g/km. If you opt for the Proceed, you only have petrol versions and in the Tourer you do not have the GT variant or the 100 hp variant … but you do have a plug-in hybrid.
Behaviour
I had tested the 1.4 T-GDI engine in the Kia Ceed (I also tested it in the Kia Xceed) and it was quite a satisfying engine. On this first contact, it seemed to me that the new engine seemed more refined.
The main drawback was that it was a block with a significantly higher consumption than its rivals. It was not difficult to go with 7 l/100 km. While this test didn’t last too long, I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that the 1.5 MHEV 160 hp improves on it. 
In mixed use with some city, highway, secondary road at high rates and a large traffic jam included, it remained at 5.8 l/100 km. We’ll have to get more reliable measurements on our regular trips, but first impressions are good.
For the rest, it is a car that bets on comfort, with a reasonably well soundproofed cabin. That doesn’t mean it can’t move animatedly in turns, as it is handled quite safely in them, with fairly quick support changes. Not as good at this battle as a Ford Focus or a Seat Leon, all is said. 
This unit featured riding modes that varied throttle response or shift management. The transition from Echo to the normal, but more in the Sports mode, without the car being radical, far from it. The automatic transmission is also quite fast, although it is not as refined as a torque converter automatic, something you especially appreciate when parking manoeuvres.
The Kia Ceed 1.5MHEV 160 CV remains a product that offers a lot for what they ask for, and after all that is what many people look for in their car: stretching the euros, which are not little, as much as possible.
I loved the aesthetic evolution. Conservative, because it was not an ugly car at all, but with details such as the optics (especially in the GT-Line finishes) that give it modernity. The same thing happens inside. It was well resolved and technology wins not to lose the rope.
In March it was in equilibrium and it still is. A big plus is this hybrid engine, which after this first contact seems to improve the consumption of the previous one, in addition to the refinement. There are many occasions when it surprises you while sailing under sail. The only downside is the trunk loss, although it is not as drastic as with a plug-in hybrid.
In short, recommended because you can get few disadvantages from it. And it is in that balance that the success of the compact segment has always been based, in which Kia no longer plays exactly to be a company.
