At A Glance - Kia Pro_Cee'd GT-Line

What have we here, then?

We have the Kia Pro_Cee'd. And, preposterous punctuation aside, I think it shapes up rather well.

Chrome detailing and LED running lights sharpen up
 the Pro_Cee'd's looks in GT-Line trim

This particular car shows off Kia's GT-Line trim, which adds Porsche-aping quad-LED running lights and various other styling cues, which add a sporty silhouette to the car. Think of it as Kia's answer to Audi S-Line, or Ford's Zetec S brand.

Sounds punderful. But how does it propose to move forward, as the name suggests?

At the top of the range there's a 1.6 turbo petrol Pro_Cee'd GT hot hatch, but the GT-Line package is essentially just a styling upgrade, aimed at people who maybe want the flasher looks of the sporty model, but can do without the extra punch in their day-to-day.

GT-Line cars are offered up with just two engine options - there's a 1.6 CDRi diesel which puts out 134bhp and 206 lbs/ft through either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch auto box - or the car I drove, which follows the industry wide fashion for down-sizing with a tiny 1-litre petrol.

A 1-litre? I thought this was supposed to be a sporty car?

Don't be fooled by the miniscule capacity. The engine has been breathed on by Kia's engineers, and turbocharging gives this 3-cylinder unit longer legs than you might expect. The T-GDi tech helps push this engine up to 118bhp and 126 lb/ft. Not exactly world-beating figures, but it makes the car feel quicker than it probably is.

0-60 in 10.7 seconds is respectable, too, and the small yet adequate power plant should aid efficiency, with Kia claiming emissions of 115g/km and miles per gallon in the high-50s.

Up close, you can really tell Kia have put effort into the details,
subtle side skirts and spoiler ape the GT-Line's hot hatch sibling

How is it to drive, then?

I was struck initially by the smoothness - something smaller-capacity cars can struggle with. Proceeding in the, er, Pro_Cee'd is fairly effortless, and the manual 'box adds to the confident feel in the cabin. 6 gears helps keep the engine on the power, too, so it's responsive.

It handles well too. It's fairly firmly sprung, and keeps itself level even in high-speed turns. Turn in is sharp, and whilst it's not quite up to the high mark set by the Focus, it provides enough to keep you entertained when you're feeling a bit helms-smithy.

Visibility is fantastic behind the wheel, something which struck me as soon as I sat down. It feels like you're tilted slightly forward, encased in some sort of futuristic floating capsule speeding towards your destination. Anyone who's played G-Police on the Playstation 1 will know what I mean.

So it's nippy and you can see out of it. Anything else?

Handy and very clear - reversing cameras come as standard
 on GT-Line Pro_Cee'ds

Well, the interior quality is fantastic. The seats are very supportive, adding to the space-capsule feel, yet you wouldn't hold a grudge to them after a longer journey. And, whilst I didn't have much time to get to grips with the infotainment on offer, the car I drove did come with sat-nav and reversing cameras on the central 7" touch screen - both of which are standard on the GT-Line.

It runs its rivals very close, then. While £20k might sound like a lot for a 1.0 Kia, the Pro_Ceed GT-Line turns out to provide much more than it initially may sound as a prospect. It also gets Kia's 7-year/100,000 mile warranty that comes with all their cars. As an investment, the Pro_Cee'd looks likely to go on for years to come.