UNVEILED last year, the Kia cee'd GT Line became the first UK model in the Korean company's stable to featured its downsized 1.0-litre T-GDi turbocharged petrol engine.

With the sporty looks of the high-performance Kia cee'd GT and pro_cee'd GT and the versatility of the conventional cee'd model family, this is a car for those who want the look but not the grunt and accompanying larger fuel and insurance bills.

The exterior of the GT Line evolves the design language of the cee'd GT, with those gorgeous ice-cube LED daytime running lights and deeper bumpers surrounding Kia's hallmark tiger-nose grille. At the rear there's a wider GT bumper and twin exhausts and rear LED light units.

Note the stylish 17-inch alloy wheels, too, plus the rear spoiler and the privacy glass.

The interior of the cee'd GT Line has also been uprated with a higher quality, sportier ambience. It boasts a classy, grey, white and black upholstery with grey stitching, a series of GT Line logos and the same piano black and leather steering wheel and aluminium alloy pedals fitted to Kia's GT models. The dashboard is also equipped with a new aluminium start-stop button, GT-inspired centre fascia design, illumination for the USB and aux-in ports and new chrome trim around the air vents and power window switches.

The 1.0-litre engine - matched with six-speed manual transmission -is perhaps best described as willing and able, rather than exciting. It was engineered to improve fuel consumption and emissions , and while it has an official combined mpg figure of 57.6 and emits only 115g/km, its 0 to 60mph time of 10.7 seconds tells its own story.

Not so long ago Kia was on the fringes of the automotive world. Its cars weren’t hugely attractive and it was hardly at the cutting edge of technology.

What a difference a few years make. Since the launch of the cee’d, Kia has gone from strength to strength.

To say that the cee’d has been a success is something of an understatement. Designed and built in Europe – the factory was all-new too – for European buyers, the car made respectable family motoring affordable again and gave traditional European car makers something to think about.

The same should be true of Kia’s decision to be more generous with standard equipment. Although never lacking in this department, there’s been a general improvement for the current car. Airbags aplenty, electric windows, keyless start, a six-speaker audio unit and music player compatibility plus parking sensors, hill start assist, air-conditioning and high gloss trim all feature on the GT Line.

Delivering a more sophisticated driving experience, the cee’d is now comfortably on a par with its more established mainstream rivals. It’s also a more enjoyable car to drive and, while not designed to thrill the keenest of keen drivers, it’s a willing companion over a stretch of flowing country road and more than capable of dealing with potholed city streets.

Out on the open road, the cee’d shows its refinement with little wind and road noise. The steering avoids being too light or too heavy at parking speeds, even if it can’t match the higher level of feedback found in the Focus.

Space is also important in a family car, and the five-door cee’d offers enough for both front and rear occupants. At the rear the car’s boot is a good size, which bodes well for family or company car duties.

That the cee’d is so close to the best of the competition in so many areas is impressive, and combined with a high-value package it makes a tempting proposition. The GT Line sprinkles some gold dust on a very capable and appealing car.