"For those who want a family hatch that's stylish as well as practical"

I'm fairly certain Kia won't thank me for reminding them of the fact, but only ten years ago, the company was selling the Kia Pride in the UK. This was not a good car. It was certainly cheap but aside from that it had few points to recommend it. Fast forward to today and Kia is a very different company. In fact, it's probably the most improved car manufacturer it's possible to countenance. The latest pro_cee'd model ratchets the Korean company another couple of notches upmarket.

The third model from the cee'd platform after the cee'd five-door hatch and the cee'd SW estate, the three-door pro_cee'd aims at a tougher market sector; those who want a family hatch that's stylish as well as practical. With rivals like the Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch and the Citroen C4 coupe to contend with, it'll need to bring its A-game.

With the five-door cee'd already doing good business, transplanting the engines into the pro_cee'd has been fairly painless and as such, the three-door car comes to market with a big choice of powerplants. Choose petrol and there's a 104bhp 1.4-litre or a 124bhp 1.6-litre. This bigger engine does need a bit of right boot to access all of its available performance though, with peak power arriving at a rather raucous 6,200rpm and peak torque of 154Nm not making itself felt until the tacho needle hits 4,200rpm. Alternatively, there are gutsier diesel engines available, with a 1.6-litre CRDi available in either 89 or 113bhp guises and the 138bhp 2.0-litre CRDi version marking the top of the range.

Buyers get a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. The mechanicals are shared with the cee'd which means steering that lacks a little of the polish of some of the very best contenders, although we're talking about tiny percentage differences. There's certainly very little in it when it comes to ride quality, the Kia adopting much the same MacPherson strut front suspension as the best of its rivals and a clever independent set-up at the rear that is , in effect, a torsion beam that's articulated in the middle. The pro_cee'd corners well with well-suppressed lateral roll and even when provoked, steadfastly refuses to do anything unexpected. The long wheelbase helps ride quality with only lumpy B-roads showing up any flaws in deportment.

Like its five-door sibling, the pro_cee'd is a car designed by Europeans for Europeans. Built in Slovenia under the auspices of the Frankfurt-based Kia Motors Europe design team, the pro_cee'd features a longer and lower profile than the five-door car, resulting in an edgy, coupe-like shape. The nose is extended by 12mm and the overall height dropped by 30mm to give a more elegant silhouette, the roofline visually extended by a subtle rooftop spoiler. A sharply raised beltline and a sharp crease leading into the rear arches disguise the fact that it rides on the same chassis as the cee'd and features the same windscreen angle. Other than that, only the bonnet and front wings are interchangeable parts.

Sit inside the pro_cee'd and it feels on a par with the mainstream European models in terms of quality. Decent fabrics, doors that 'thunk' shut and thoughtful approach to design make this a landmark Korean car. The rear seat has been redesigned and now has a simpler cushion instead of the forward-folding split system in the cee'd. The 60-40 split seat of the pro_cee'd nevertheless folds flat without having to remove the headrests.

The pro_cee'd value proposition is easy to get a handle on. It's priced at the same level as the five-door cee'd but in return for forgoing a pair of doors, Kia throw in some extra equipment. Trim levels run through pro_cee'd 2, pro_cee'd 3 and pro_cee'd Sport.

Equipment levels are excellent, the entry-level car getting air-conditioning with cooled glovebox, 16-inch alloys, heated and electrically-adjustable door mirrors, remote central locking and an MP3-compatible CD stereo with USB and auxiliary inputs. Go for the pro_cee'd 3 and you'll get 17-inch rims, climate control, a sports pack and cloth/leather seats. The Sport weighs in with full leather, proivacy glass. ESP stability control and electric folding mirrors amongst a welter of additional gear. Compared to direct rivals, this kit list is untouchable, the range-topping pro_cee'd costing almost £1,000 less than a Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch with a mere 99bhp diesel engine and far less toys as standard.

None of the pro_cee'd models will cost a fortune to keep on the road but let's take a look at the figures of what is likely to be the biggest seller, the 1.6-litre petrol engine. This unit does reasonably well at the fuel pumps, returning an average of 44.1mpg. The continuously-variable valve timing helps efficiency and also means that the engine is good on emissions, something that hasn't always been the case with South-East Asian powerplants. At just 152g/km, the pro_cee'd is miles better than, say, a Peugeot 308 1.6 which emits 174g/km.

Used values will doubtless be propped up quite nicely by Kia's excellent warranty arrangement. Buyers get full cover for seven-years or 100,000 miles. It's about as good as the industry can offer and puts mainstream rivals like Ford and Vauxhall in the shade. This promise of trouble free motoring will be enough to tip the balance for many potential customers. Insurance ratings also look very reasonable, predicated upon a low cost of repair and excellent safety provision.

Kia is bullish about the pro_cee'd's prospects and it's easy to see why. Although not drop-dead gorgeous, it's nevertheless a very handsome shape that features none of the jarring design idiosyncrasies that would frequently pop up on Korean cars of old. Factor in the eye-popping prices, strong equipment lists and excellent warranty arrangement and the reasons for not buying a pro_cee'd start to diminish quickly.

The uphill battle the pro-cee'd faces comes courtesy of its badge. Those in the market for a three-door sports hatch will have very clear ideas about style and image and many will still feel the Kia badge remains a drag on their street cred. If you're a little less concerned about the opinions of the ill-informed, the Kia pro_cee'd makes a whole stack of good sense with the best buy looking top be the 1.6-litre petrol pro_cee'd 2. Whichever model you opt for, you'll have landed a screaming deal.

Facts At A Glance

CAR: Kia pro_cee'd range

PRICES: £11,845-£15,525 - on the road

INSURANCE GROUP: 5E-9E

CO2 EMISSIONS: 119-152g/km

PERFORMANCE: [1.6] 0-60mph 10.5s / Max Speed 119mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6] (combined) 44.1mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Six airbags / ISOFIX child seat mounts / active headrests, airbag cutout / ABS with EBD

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height mm 4250/1790/1450mm