2016 Kia cee’d facelift – 1.0L T-GDi across the range

The 2016 Kia cee’d facelift range has been revealed prior to its European market debut next month. On the surface, things look rather familiar save for the inclusion of a restyled, wider front bumper with chrome trim around the fog lamp assemblies. Elsewhere, a new oval-shaped grille mesh element has been added along with restyled 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels.

At the rear, updates are just as minute. A reworked bumper with “sporty-looking” reflectors and LED taillights complete the list of changes – the new look is said to help update “the cee’d’s night-time light signature.” On the inside, Kia claims that NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels have been significantly reduced with the help of added sound-deadening materials in the construction of the floor mats and ventilation system.

Kia has also resulted to using twice as much anti-vibration foam in the dashboard panel while diesel variants benefit from additional sound-absorbing material in the oil pan and even the diesel particulate filter. As for actual layout of the interior itself, much has been retained over the pre-facelift variant.

Dashes of chrome appear to have been applied across the instrument binnacle, air-con vents, the base of the shifter, door handles and climate control dials. Also, the centre console now features a “high-quality, anti-scratch” gloss black surface for a more premium look while owners can opt for the ‘Brown Pack’ that adds on brown upholstery along portions of the doors and seats.

Under the bonnet, changes are more significant with the entire engine range now upgraded to comply with Euro 6 emission standards. For 2016, Kia will be introducing its new turbocharged 1.0 litre three-cylinder T-GDi petrol engine across the range – said mill was first introduced on the Kia cee’d GT Line.

The new T-GDi mill be offered in two states of tune – 100 PS and 120 PS. Torque output is rated at 172 Nm on both variants, produced between 1,500 to 4,000 rpm. Aside from that, the cee’d will also be offered with a 1.6 litre GDI and 1.4 litre MPI petrol engine, with power outputs rated at 128 PS and 100 PS, respectively.

On the oil-burning side of things, the 2016 Kia cee’d facelift will be featured with a 1.6 litre CRDi engine pumping out either 110 PS or 136 PS/285 Nm of torque. Also, a 1.4 litre CRDi engine is made available. Transmission options across the range include a six-speed manual, six-speed (only on the 1.6 GDI) and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox – the latter paired only to the 136 PS 1.6 litre CRDi diesel mill.

Moving up the range, the sportier cee’d and pro_cee’d GT models get refreshed with the addition of new 18-inch alloy wheels while inside, the pair receive a squared-off steering wheel, aluminium start-stop button and added chrome accents. Also, both GT models get a new electronic sound generator that “synthesises” the noise from the turbocharged 1.6 litre T-GDi engine – hit the new ‘GT Mode’ button to turn it on.

Speaking of the engine, the reengineered 1.6 litre mill gets a new turbocharger system to produce 204 PS and 265 Nm of torque. The 0-100 km/h sprint, as a result, has been slashed by a tenth of a second to 7.6 seconds. Braking performance also gets elevated with optional larger front brake discs that measure 320 mm, up from 300 mm.

In terms of standard equipment, the 2016 Kia cee’d facelift comes with seven-inch AVN (audio-visual navigation) system and Kia’s Connected Services platform. For added convenience, Smart Parking Assist System (SPAS) will allow the car to effectively steer its way into a parking spot. Optional safety kit include Speed Limit Information Function (SLIF), Blind Spot Detection (BSD) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).

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