2018 Kia Cee’d – New Platform and More Speed


The ongoing Cee’d has been actually released back in 2012, so it is not all that old. It features great engines, a good amount of features and it still looks up to date. However, competition is tough and not that long ago Hyundai released the brand new i30. This features a brand new platform and it is miles above the older model. Because of that the 2018 Kia Cee’d is going to be released by the end of the year which is actually faster than expected. The new car has already been spied testing wearing heavy camouflage and the first news are quite interesting. Like before, the new Cee’d is going to share its chassis and engines with the Hyundai. Despite that it is a well known fact that Kia is trying to depart themselves from their sibling. They did the first step with the Stinger GT and the Cee’d might be the second step.

Kia Cee’d 2018 Review

Because Kia is trying to become something more like an executive car manufacturer, we expect the new Cee’d to be quite a bit better than before. The car will likely come with more features, better materials and more powerful engines. They may even have enough to finally challenge the Audi A3 or the Mercedes A Class which are both some of the best cars in their class. Like we said, the new Cee’d is expected by the end of the year. However, the car may only hit the showroom floor in the early 2018. Its price is definitely going to be influenced by Kia’s decision. If they decide to give the Cee’d a higher end status then expect quite an increase to its price. However, some also suggested that Kia could improve the quality of the car and keep the price roughly on the same level to the one before it. Unfortunately only time will tell which rumor ends up to be true.

Side view of 2018 Kia Ceed 630x354

Source: motor1.com

Exterior Design

The current facelifted model looks on par with the best cars in its class. The good part is that the 2018 Kia Cee’d seems to look even better than before. Kia is definitely taking Audi’s approach with their method because they seem to be doing only mild updates during new model releases. The new model of the Cee’d seems to sport a similar shape to the current generation. However, it is quite clear that the car is larger, wider and lower. On top of that the front end seems to be heavily inspired by that of the Stinger with a new grille and slimmer headlights. The end result will likely be one of the better looking hatchbacks to be released on the European market. A higher end version of the car, likely called the GT, is more than just a possibility at this point.

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2018 Kia Cee’d Interior

Even though the car is still quite a few months away from release, its interior has been seen without any camouflage. The car features an identical steering wheel, instrument cluster and center stack to the Sportage which is actually quite impressive. The only real differences are the infotainment screen, which is smaller on the 2018 Kia Cee’d, the HVAC vents as well as the passenger’s area. The seats on the Cee’d also seem to be quite sporty for this type of car with plenty of side bolsters.

2018 Kia Ceed dashboard 630x354

Source: motor1.com

New Cee’d to get a GT Version?

We are quite sure the 2018 Kia Cee’d is going to share its engines with the new i30. This means that the base car may receive a 1 liter turbocharged inline 3 with up to 120 horsepower. The naturally aspirated 1.4 liter engine and its 100 horsepower might be completely skipped though. Further up the range we should see their new 1.4 liter turbo-four which currently makes 140 horsepower. A 1.6 liter diesel ranging from 95 to 136 horsepower should also be available. All engines will come with either a six speed manual or a seven speed DCT gearbox. The rumored GT model would receive a 2 liter turbocharged engine with north of 260 horsepower. This engine is currently in use on the Sportage and a few of Kia’s other cars. This would easily allow the Cee’d to compete with the Focus ST or the Golf GTI. The only problem would be the suspension setup which could easily be sorted on the new chassis.

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2018 Cee’d Kia Price and Release date

The Japanese manufacturer will most likely present its Golf competitor on 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. This news are accurate at least according to autoevolution.com, but they also suggest that if something, God forbid, goes the wrong way the could postpone the reveal of new Cee’d for 2018 Geneva Motor Show. They have just started the tests on this model so everything should be ready for Frankfurt in October but in worst case scenario Geneva remains an option.

Moving on, regarding the price there should be small changes. The cost of new Cee’d will go up because Kia is trying ta add a bit of that premium feel to this model. They will do that trough design and technology improvements so that the price could be justified. Current Kia Cee’d goes from $18,000 for a base model to $29,000 for GT version.

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