I never imagined wanting to drive a Kia. I was 22 when the Pride arrived on these shores and, to be honest, I hardly noticed it. Mind you, that’s not surprising as only 1,786 found buyers and, according to something I read somewhere, sometime, there has to be 10,000 of a particular vehicle on the roads before you spot one.

It wasn’t until 2003’s Picanto that Kia really started to catch my eye but – and you can call me narrow-minded – even though it was clear they were really starting to raise their game, it still wasn’t enough to tease me away from more established rivals.

However, unperturbed by my apparent indifference in 2007 Korean company launched the cee’d. If you’re curious about the name, the CE indicates that the car is made in the European community and the ED that it’s a European design. Trust me, it could have been worse but in 1980 the world wasn’t quite ready for the Bongo.

The second generation arrived in 2012 and was quickly followed by the pro_cee’d GT, Kia’s first hot hatch. The sharp styling is indicative of Kia’s growing confidence and the low-slung, rakish three-door styling certainly stands out from the crowd.

Red brake calipers sit behind the handsome 18in alloys which fill the arches and, along with the aggressive front bumper and twin exhausts help convey real purpose. The wide lower air intake, underscored by a red trim line, isn’t just for show, it supplies cooling for the turbocharged engine. I’m not convinced by the “Ice Cube’ quad LED runnning lights at the corners of the front bumper, nor the twin sets of reversing lights/reflectors slashed into the rear. I would have preferred a much simpler arrangement but, overall, I think Kia’s designers have done an excellent job of creating a car that, while strikingly individual, also fulfils the brief for what a hot hatch should look like.

Climb inside and it’s clear that Kia have been working hard on the quality of the materials as well as the fit and finish. There are some hard plastics but they’re mostly reserved for areas that you’ll rarely come into contact with, otherwise there’s lots of soft fabrics, leather and shiny bits to please the eye and the fingertips.

The Recaro seats are snug, supportive and very difficult to climb into or out of while preserving your dignity unless, I imagine, you’re a lot sprightlier than I am. Once you’re firmly ensconced, however, the driving position is excellent.

There’s lots of kit, too, particularly in the GT Tech version that I drove. A large TFT display dominates the instrument binnacle. It can either be used as a standard speedometer or, with a press of the GT button on the steering wheel, display performance data such as turbo boost and torque. Either side is an analogue rev counter and fuel gauge.

The centre console houses a seven-inch touchscreen for the sat nav and audio controls. Pairing my phone using Bluetooth for handsfree calling and music playback was a straightforward and intuitive process although, disappointingly, the audio playback lacked a little depth and richness.

Dual zone air con and heated seats make for a very cosy driving environment, particularly at this time of the year, and there are lots of steering-wheel mounted controls for audio, handsfree and cruise control. Perhaps too many.

I’m going to put my fussy hat on again because there’s a small, and in my opinion, unnecessary, supplementary display set high in the dashboard that shows the date, time and temperature. There’s nothing wrong with the design – it’s seamlessly integrated into the top of the dashboard – but I would rather see all the information a driver might need in one place. It means that you’ll have more time to focus on the road in front of you, which as nice as all the bells and whistles in the cabin are, is where you’ll want your attention to be because the pro-cee’d GT is actually a rather good steer.

Powering the GT is an uprated version of Kia’s 1.6-litre direct injection petrol engine. Fitted with a turbocharger the unit produces 201bhp and 195lbft of torque which is enough to propel it to 60mph in 7.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 143mph. Those figures, impressive as they are, are a little way off rivals from Ford and VW but, in the real world, those differences are largely irrelevant because it’s not what you’ve got, it’s how much of it you can use.

On that score the GT can certainly hold its own. Maximum torque is available between 1,750rpm and 4,500rpm ensuring plenty of low-down urgency with a punchy mid range. It’s a beautifully flexible engine. Where it does let itself down is its running costsand its sub 40mpg fuel consumption and emissions of 171g/km might be enough to dissuade people from jumping in.

The suspension has been retuned with stiffer springs and increased damper rates coupled with bigger brakes, a larger rear anti-roll bar and stickier tyres all help to keep the additional power in check. And a good job they all do to. Turn in is positive and the steering direct and communicative thanks, in no small part, to the removal of the Flex Steer function which, in other versions of the pro-cee’d allows drivers to select from three levels of power assistance. The low-speed ride can be a little jittery but the GT regains its composure at speed and ably absorbs some of the bigger bumps.

There was quite a bit of travel in the brake pedal which did give me a moment or two of panic. There’s plenty of strong, consistent, stopping power, you just have to dig a little deeper to find it.

Rear passengers are surprisingly well catered for, with a decent amount of head and leg room while the boot will swallow a decent 380 litres of your luggage with the rear seats in place.

It’s true, I never imagined wanting to drive a Kia, but that was before the GT arrived on my doorstep. Not only is it one of the sharpest-looking hatchbacks on the market, it’s also one of the best to drive and great value too. Running costs are, perhaps, the GT’s Achilles’ heel – for comparison the Golf GTi returns 47.1mpg and 139g/km while hitting 60mpg in 6.5 seconds – but it undercuts its rivals by as much as £5,000 and you get Kia’s legendary seven-year warranty thrown in too. Kia have come a long way since 1992 and the quality of their cars has been improving rapidly but the fact is that the pro_cee’d GT - and it’s five-door sibling - have been enriched with several tablespoonsful of a key ingredient: Desirability.

Kia pro_cee’d GT Tech

Price: £22,900

Engine: 1.6-litre T-GDi

Transmission: Six-speed manual

Power: 201 bhp

Peak torque: 195lbft (1,750 - 4,500rpm)

Acceleration (0-60mph): 7.4sec

Maximum speed: 143mph

Urban: 29.1mpg

Extra urban: 46.3mpg

Combined: 38.2mpg

Emissions (C02): 171g/km

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