The Only Thing Stopping Me From Really Loving Kia's Pro Cee'd GT

Much has already been said about our longtermer Kia Pro Cee’d; from a video review comparing it to what Arnold Schwarzenegger would call a ‘vegetarian’, to a behind-the-scenes look at how it holds up as a Car Throttle crew car.

But while I’ve been impressed by the looks, the interior, the ride and the reaction of passers-by when they realise a Korean hot hatch has just passed them by, there’s one thing stopping me from falling head-over-heels in love with the GT.

That fuel economy…

“But this is Car Throttle, Adnan, not Tree Huggers Weekly” you’re probably squealing.

Well, you’re only half right. Because while we love bigging up 0-62mph times and top speeds, and care about chassis dynamics on those challenging B-roads, there’s still one thing I, along with the rest of the world’s petrolheads, detest. And that’s filling up a tank. Cars which put that much of a dent in your wallet tend to be that much more painful to drive on a daily basis (there are obvious exceptions - the new C7 Stingray will likely wipe your bank account, but won’t be able to wipe that smirk off your face).

And that’s a shame because there are things which the Kia Pro Cee’d does extremely well. First, it has one of the best side profiles I’ve seen on a hot hatch, and that’s lumping it next to esteemed rivals like the Golf GTI and Megane 265. The GT package you get for £20,000 comes with reversing sensors, Bluetooth connectivity and semi-leather-semi-Recaro seats which also happen to be comfortable and supportive for when you do want to fling the Pro Cee’d round a bend.

The performance is also surprising for a manufacturer with no hot hatch heritage. This is Kia’s first vehicle in the UK to be sold with a turbocharged petrol engine, in fact. And while the Fords of this world have been creating hot hatches since the phrase ‘hot hatch’ was first uttered, Kia has managed to make a car that’s actually fun to drive, despite the company being new to this part of the market.

Trying to break into the thirties has been as hard as completing Candy Crush. With one hand.

Mash the throttle, watch the boost build on the ‘GT’ gauge, and you’ll feel a discernible punch. It’s not Focus ST levels of excitement, but the fact that the Pro Cee’d is able to lay most of its 201bhp down on the road (something which the furious Ford cannot) is praise enough. There’s little in the way of torque steer (cough Focus ST cough) and rowing through the gears is basic, if a little dull.

But despite all these charms, the Kia still has one large character flaw - it can never seem to return more than an average of 30 miles per gallon. In the time I’ve spent with the car, trying to break into the thirties has been as hard as completing Candy Crush. With an iPhone 3GS. With one hand.

It just ain’t gonna happen.

And when you come around to the fact that more potent hatches like the Focus ST, with 247bhp, return exactly the same fuel economy, you start to wonder what the point is of purchasing an admittedly cheaper car that still requires the same TLC from the petrol pump. And for those of you wondering why I’m not attempting to hypermile the Pro Cee’d, well, you can forget it.

You see there’s a reason why hot hatches are so popular in Europe. They’re marketed as fun, spacious, fit-for-a-family and, above all, practical. But when you have to fill up your car one too many times a week, it detracts from the joys of running one as your permanent long-termer.

So, Kia, I applaud you for your first crack at the warm hatch market. Honestly, the Pro Cee’d GT is a beautiful car with a cracking little motor, but if you can do something about that below average fuel economy, I promise I’ll love it that little bit more.

And so will my wallet.