IT takes a brave manufacturer indeed to be bold enough to take on the establishment at their own game.

But it takes an awful lot more guts for one to throw out the rule book and write themselves a brand new one.

Well that's exactly what Kia did when they launched their new cee'd five-door hatchback.

Okay, possibly a bit of a funny name, but there certainly was nothing funny about this family-sized cracker ... or the unrivalled seven-year warranty that came with every model.

For that was just how much confidence the Korean marque had in their family hatchback that was designed in Germany and built in Slovakia exclusively for the European market.

Taking on the likes of the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Vauxhall Astra and the rest at their own game was no mean feat, but to come up with such a stonker meant that even back in 2007, Kia really did see themselves becoming a serious player in the global car market place.

And who could blame them, for the cee'd did the business on every front. First, there was a little matter of driving dynamics and quality of ride.

Well there's not much of a tougher test than taking to the mountain roads linking the villages around the famous perfume town of Grasse in the hills of Provence high above the French Riveria.

With bends that would make the once infamous Devil's Elbow on the Braemar-Blairgowrie road in Scotland look like nothing more than a slight kink, Kia picked themselves a pretty tough proving ground in which to introduce the car to the world's press.

And the cee'd took everything those hairpin-littered roads could throw at it without resorting to anything more than a slight whimper in protest.

The secret lay in the fact that the cee'd, with its long wheelbase and wide track, has fully independent rear suspension which provides a truly outstanding ride with masses of grip for crisp, sure-footed handling.

Not only that, but Kia worked closely with Michelin to help develop a tyre that cut rolling resistance, helping increase fuel economy while also reducing harmful emissions.

Kia also made the cee'd one of the safest cars in the sector. Twin front, side and curtain airbags were standard, as were intelligent active headrests to minimise the risk of whiplash injuries in a rear-end shunt. ABS with electronic brake force distribution were also part of the cee'd package.

Then there's that unique seven-year warranty. The entire drivetrain is covered for seven years or 100,000-miles and it's even transferable, making a used cee'd a really great buy.

Initially, the cee'd consisted of two 1.6-litre turbodiesels which pumped out 90bhp and 115bhp. There was also the choice of the proven 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol units which were good for 105-brake and 122bhp respectively.

However, it has to be the oil-burner for me. Even in 90bhp guise it proved silky smooth, quiet and with bags of grunt for safe overtaking, well worth the little extra you'll have to pay in comparison with its petrol-engined siblings.

Expect to pay around £4,500 for a nice 2007 07-plate 1.6-litre CRDi 115bhp diesel model in top-of-the-range LS trim with around 60,000 miles on the clock, while a similar 1.6-litre petrol model should come in at a reasonable £3,500.

You should be able to source a newer 2010/10-plate CRDi example with 30,000 miles on the clock for around £7,500, while £5,800 should get you a really well-looked-after low-mileage petrol version.