Kia pro_cee'd GT review

As James May has oft complained, too many hot hatches are set up to achieve a searing Nurburgring lap time, with no thought to how uncomfortable they might be to drive on real, bumpy roads in real, bumpy traffic. Not so the GT. There’s a welcome dose of absorption to its suspension, and enough compliance in the springs that you don’t wince at every impending pothole.

Of course, this means it feels just a little soft when you’re really pushing on hard, but for the other 99 per cent of the time, the GT’s easy-going nature is very welcome. The steering is short on feel, but barely worse than any of the other hot hatch contenders. Unsurprisingly there’s no genuine limited-slip differential here, but the Kia’s software does a fair job at resisting understeer. The engine, though strong throughout its range, is a slight disappointment. Slow to gain and lose revs, it doesn’t offer up much in the way of good noise either.