In the visionary mind of the late Arthur C Clarke mankind, should by now be reaching for the outer solar system.
Instead Star Trek- the Next Generation is stuck on Facebook talking to Darren with the spots or surfing YouTube for footage of people riding mountain bikes off the top of old age pensioners.
In the home reason has it that this far into the second millennium one shouted command into the kitchen would start the washing machine, which would go on to cook the evening meal, vacuum the children and iron the dog.
The grim reality is we can’t even build household goods deemed worthy of better than a one year guarantee. Is this reasonable? Only in the Bob Mugabe sense.
And arguably neither is just three years for a £20,000 motorcar.
Something not lost on Kia buyers.
Latest addition to benefit from its famed seven year waranty is the pro_cee’d.
Now, there are silly names and then there are exercises in finding your way around a computer keyboard. This is a touch-typists’s nightmare. Even Kia reverts to simply calling it Cee’d on the boot badge. And so shall I.
The point of putting the pro bit on the front is to show that this is the sporting member of the Cee’d club.
Which means it has a lowered, raked roofline, shallower windows, a rooftop spoiler and body styling kit. All very attractive but the result looking in the rear-view mirror is the same as watching a Cinemascope film on a portable TV.
Overall, though, a charge of impersonating a Vauxhall Astra would not be unreasonable.
Across the range equipment levels are high, with all nouveau punctuation models having air conditioning, an MP3/iPod-compatible stereo with CD player and steering wheel-mounted controls, adjustable driver's seat, alloy wheels, front electric windows, front fog lamps and a selection box of consoles, storage ideas, door pockets and cupholders - all you'd want in a much more expensive three door hatchback really. Making the leather trim, tinted glass, ESP and follow- me-home lights on the £15,595 Sport a bonus.
On the road? Well it’s not what you would call fast at 10.1 seconds to 60mph for the Sport 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel CDRi but the six-speed gearbox is precise and there is a lot of torque. 50.4 mpg and 120g/km is alsoworth a Bklue Peter badge. Although steering is on the lighter side and handling is competent. Do I sound reluctant? Well look, this is no hot hatch but there is the option of further tuning without scribbling all over the warranty.
And in these Brownwellian times of crunched credits, a competent, economical well, equipped car which stands by its engineering for seven years is going to sell well. Its not rocket science
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