THE last Kia cee'd launched in 2012 and was a big step up from the car it replaced.

This was the model that brought Kia almost up to date with the Ford Focus and the Vauxhall Astra, but with a far better warranty than either.

That warranty - seven years or 100,000 miles - is still one of the best you can get, and the cars have proved themselves to be strong, well-built, reliable and long lasting.

The range includes a five door hatch, the Sportswagon or SW estate, and the more sporting GT.

They were designed for the European market, with a strong good looks, family sized interior space and high quality finish.

And that warranty is transferable to subsequent owners - you have to be sure of your products to make an offer like that.

From launch, petrol engines were a 98bhp 1.4 and a 133bhp 1.6, both of which came with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. But the 1.6 was also available with a six-speed dual clutch automatic.

The 1.4 takes a leisurely 13 seconds to accelerate to 60mph, but is capable of 65 miles per gallon, while the 1.6 takes 9.9 seconds and can do 52mpg.

From 2015, two versions of the same 1.0-litre turbo were added, producing 98 and 118bhp, and giving the 60mph sprint in 12.3 and 10.7 seconds, but with improved economy of 57mpg and lower emissions.

The GT has a 1.6 turbo petrol with no less than 201bhp for excellent performance.

There have also been two turbo diesels, a rather puny 1.4 with 89bhp that takes 13.5 seconds to get to 60mph and a very good 1.6 with either 126 or 134bhp (after 2015) that covers it in under 10 seconds.

The 1.6 was also available with a seven-speed version of the twin clutch automatic gearbox.

The 1.4 should be more economical than the 1.6 but this is not the case. It's good for a government figure of 68mpg, while the 1.6 will do a claimed 76mpg, with only 97 grammes per kilometre emissions.

Cee'd handling is still not quite as sharp as a Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf. But the driving dynamics and feel of the car are very good with excellent grip and agility through the corners.

It's let down a little by rather lifeless steering through the twisty bits, except in models fitted with the company's Flex Steer system.

This gives the driver a choice of three steering modes - Comfort, Normal and Sport - which add weight to give more feel.

Comfort is generally very good in my experience and they cope well with rough roads in town while still maintaining that at higher speeds. Tyre noise is low but there is some wind noise.

The seats are decently shaped, but would benefit from a little more side support and the cabin is driver focused and has soft plastics and quality switchgear.

GT models have stiffer more sporting suspension and don't ride as comfortably, but they do handle better and take the corners brilliantly.

The driving position is comfortable for all and the simple, clear dash layout makes all very easy to live with.

There's plenty of space for five with good legroom front and rear and a huge boot.

Safety is excellent, helped by traction control, the stereo has aux in for other devices and other standard equipment includes air conditioning, a cooled glove box, electric front windows, 60/40 split folding rear seats, remote locking, height and reach adjustable steering and wheel-mounted audio controls.

Mid-range 3 models add sat nav, alloys, cruise, lumbar support and parking sensors.

Pay about £7,700 for a '15 15-reg 1.0 turbo ‘3', or £12,800 for a '17 17-reg 1.6 CRDi GT-Line automatic.