Kia Ceed review

As long as you avoid First Edition or GT-Line S trim, even tall drivers will be able to get comfortable, thanks to a seat that goes back a long way, good head room and plenty of room in the footwell.

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What’s the problem with the poshest trims? Well, these models come as standard with an electrically adjustable driver’s seat that can’t go as low as the manual seat and, even more limiting, a sunroof that eats into head room. 

Elsewhere, the door bins are a reasonable size, plus there’s storage under the front armrest, a couple of cupholders and useful cubbies for wallets and phones.

As detailed above, avoid GT-Line S or First Edition trim and there's enough head room for a couple of six-footers in the back. Leg room is merely average, though, and tighter than in rivals such as the Ford Focus and Skoda Octavia.

The rear seat itself is well shaped and comfortable, while an almost-flat floor (there’s a very small central floor tunnel) makes life sweeter for someone in the middle seat than most rivals can manage. Rear storage is limited, with small door bins on both doors, although access to the rear is good, thanks to decent-sized door openings.

The Ceed has 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks as standard, but that’s about it. If you’re hoping for a fold-flat passenger seat (which some versions of the Skoda Octavia get to help you load really long items) or a sliding and reclining rear bench, forget it.

Meanwhile, front passenger seat height adjustment is standard on all but entry-level 2 trim, although electric seat movement is available only for the driver.

The boot has a reasonably low lip and is impressively deep, with a usefully uniform shape. It offers 395 litres of space – a little more than you'll find in the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus and enough for the Ceed to accommodate five carry-on suitcases under its parcel shelf. That's good but no match for the Skoda Octavia, which is in a league of its own, swallowing 11 cases. 

Usefully, though, the Ceed comes with a height-adjustable boot floor as standard on all models. With the rear seats folded, you get a smooth and mostly flat extended load bay right up to the back of its front seats.