Kia Ceed

The passenger compartment of the Ceed remained stable in the frontal offset test. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of the driver and passenger. Kia showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions. There was insufficient pressure in the driver's airbag to prevent the head from flattening out the airbag and, in effect, making contact with the steering wheel. Although dummy readings did not reveal critical injury values, the score was penalised and protection of this body area reduced to 'adequate'. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of all body areas was good or adequate for both the driver and rear passenger. In the side barrier impact, protection of all critical parts of the body was good and the Ceed scored full points in this test. However, in the more severe side pole test, readings of shoulder force indicated that this part of the dummy had taken much of the load that would otherwise have been on the ribs. As a result, the score for the chest was heavily penalised and its protection was rated as poor. Protection of other body areas was good. Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision. A geometric assessment of the rear seats indicated marginal whiplash protection. The Ceed has, as standard, and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system. As part of the optional 'Advanced Driving Assistance Pack', a system is available with enhanced capability. In tests of its performance at the low speeds at which many whiplash injuries occur, this system performed well.