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2016 Kia Cee'd Facelift Testing at Nurburgring With Downsized Engines and Twin-Clutch

After the launch of the i30 facelift earlier this year, Kia is following their example by releasing a mid-life facelift for the Cee'd family hatchback. Quite a few prototypes with different setups were filmed by our car spies this week and what they saw is quite impressive.
2016 Kia Cee'd Facelift 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
The first prototype we saw has a roll cage and Recaro seats. Yet it doesn't have the aggressive styling or twin exhaust of the Cee'd GT model. Could this be a way to disguise their work or a new sports model that fits in the middle of the range?

The changes made to the Cee'd coupe, hatch and wagon will mirror those of the Hyundai i30. A new 3-cylinder, 1.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine rated at 120 PS and 172 Nm (127 lb-ft) has already been made available, but it should spread across the model range.

Kia is also working on a 1.2-liter turbo expected to produce 140 PS and replace the 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine within a year.

For those looking to buy a compact car with a premium feel and an automatic gearbox, Kia will offer a cheaper alternative to the Volkswagen DSG twin-clutch. This has been designed in Korea and will deliver 5% faster shift times, reduced fuel consumption, and a sportier feel. The unit equipped to the Cee'd GT will have seven speeds while all the other models will have only six.

Cosmetically, we expect minute changes to be made. A slightly tweaked grille will create the impression of a wider fascia while new wheel designs and body colors will spruce up the Korean hatch.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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