The United Kingdom is the next stop for Kia’s brand-new, second generation Cee’d hatchback, after its world premiere at the Geneva Salon earlier this year. The five-door model goes on sale in the UK on 1 June with on the road prices starting from £14,395 and topping out at £23,795.

There is a choice of four engines including a 1.4-liter petrol rated at 98hp, a 1.6-liter petrol with 133hp, a 1.4-liter turbo diesel delivering 89hp and a 1.6-liter turbo diesel producing 126hp.

All engines are offered with a standard six-speed manual gearbox while the 1.6-liter petrol unit is optionally available with a new dual-clutch automated transmission developed in-house by Kia.

The South Korean automaker offers the new Cee’d in four trim grades, aptly named ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’ and ‘4 Tech’.

All Cee’ds come equipped with standard heated door mirrors, air conditioning, steering wheel-mounted controls, front electric windows, daytime running lights, cooled glovebox, flat-folding 60:40 split rear seat, iPod-compatible audio system with radio and CD player, USB port and Bluetooth connectivity, ESP and VSM, HAC (Hill-start Assist Control), six airbags and speed-sensitive auto door locking.

The second grade adds several amenities such as 16-inch alloy wheels, cornering lights, LED daytime running lights and rear combination lamps, electrically folding and heated door mirrors, leather trim on the steering wheel, gearshifter and handbrake, plus all-round electric windows and cruise control.

The ‘3’ adds automatic headlights, rain-sensing front wipers, a height-adjustable front passenger’s seat, electric lumbar support on both front seats, dual-zone automatic air conditioning and a seven-inch touchscreen satellite navigation with a built-in colour reversing camera system.

Moving up to the ‘4’ will get you 17-inch alloys, exterior illumination on the front door handles, black leather front seats with contrasting grey inserts and three-stage heating, a heated steering wheel, electronic parking brake, a stop/start button, rear air ventilation system, and a TFT LCD multi-function high-definition colour display.

At the top end of the range we find the ‘4 Tech’, which brings a panoramic sunroof, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory, Parallel Parking Assist System, Lane Departure Warning System and Xenon front lights.

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