Put one of these next to an older Kia and you will see just how far the brand has progressed from the days when their cars could only elicit a "Thanks, but no thanks" response from possible owners. Yes, there are a few details about the Pro Cee'd that could be improved, but I find it nice-looking and reasonably well-built. Kia still has years of sheer SU ratings to shake off (and I believe that one day they will be able to shake them all off, the time is just not now), but this one Kia is still a good proposal for anyone who desires a hot-hatch on a level close to the Golf GTI, but cannot quite match the pricetag of a Golf.
As it stands, I'll give it a low cool. In the world where all Golfs look alike, it's always good to have some sort of freshness injection in their segment. And the Kia delivers it, regardless of brand value.