COVER Kia Proceed driven
Verdict on 5dr shooting brake Prices from around £21,000
Early taste of cool new five-door shooting brake
KIA’S posh push to become a premium mainstream player continues apace with the arrival of a sleek new Proceed model next year, and Auto Express was invited for a first taste of an early, camouflaged car.
The Proceed follows on from the concept of the same name unveiled a year ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As well as dropping the ungainly underscore and apostrophe from its predecessor’s name, it has transformed from threedoor coupé into five-door shooting brake – comparisons with the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake are unavoidable.
Kia has done a fair bit of numbercrunching to realise people spend more on their CLA Shooting Brakes than regular A-class models. So with the temptation of higher margins, the Proceed will only be available in highspec Gt-line trim with a choice of 118bhp 1.0 and 138bhp 1.4 petrol engines, a 134bhp 1.6 diesel or the 201bhp 1.6 GT model we’ve tested.
Getting into the Proceed, you notice it not only sits lower than the regular Ceed, but the roof is lower, too. You slip comfortably into sports seats, but other than a few bits of red trim, the cabin is just like that of the Ceed hatch – a pretty impressive place to be on the kit and quality front.
Headroom is a little tight, but more of an issue is the letterbox view out of the back throughough the steeply raked rear screen.creen.
That low, sleek shape does look fantastic, though, particularly from the
back where the Proceed’s full-widthth LED lights were hidden under camouflage.
Back inside, and the rear is a bit like stepping into a cold swimming pool – it’s all right once you’re in. That lower, sloping roofline makes getting in and out a bit of a chore for adults.
All that is the price you pay for such style, though, and this is a really goodlooking car that drives well, too. Front and rear springs have been stiffened, with other tweaks to the suspension and electronics to give the car a real GT feel. It rides comfortably for the most part, although you’re still very aware of bumps in the road, while the steering is accurate, if not full of feel.
The 1.6-litre engine provides a decent amount of power, but it’s definitely a GT not a GTI. Throttle response is a little tardy, although we’re told that could still be worked on before the car gets to showrooms in January next year. Our car had an impressively smooth and quick seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission, but a sixspeed manual will also be offered.
There’s a flap in the exhaust and a sound actuator in the car that make an interesting but buzzy exhaust note if you hit the sport button. That also firms up the steering, but the throttle response isn’t sharp enough for our liking.
Prices for the Proceed are expected to start at around £21,000 and rise to £29,000 for this auto GT model – almost as attractive as the car itself.
“This is a goodlooking car that drives well, too – suspension tweaks give it a real GT feel”