Kia Proceed GT

Kia Proceed GT £28,135

WE SAY: REJOICE! A SWIFT FAMILY CAR THAT’S NOT A FAKE SUV, BUT NOT AS SPORTY AS BILLED EITHER

Abadge you’ve met before fitted to a totally different sort of car. Instead of taking the shape of a chopped 3dr hatch, the new Proceed is a ‘shooting brake’ – modern shorthand for a sleeker estate.

Kia noticed sales of coupes dropping, so now you get five doors and a big boot, wrapped up in a mini Porsche Panamera suit. You can have a tepid 1.4-litre turbo petrol, which gets thrashy when it’s worked hard, a 1.6-litre diesel that’s unremarkable to use but pleasingly quiet, or the 1.6-litre Proceed GT with 201bhp and cosmetic raciness. Whereas the most popular Ceeds are the mid-range Ceed 2 and Ceed 3, the Proceed only comes in various stages of GT-line trim, so you can't ruin the looks with piddly rims. Equipment levels are typically stratospheric across the board.

The GT is the most interesting Proceed, with a 201bhp, 195lb ft 1.6-litre turbo engine. It drives the front wheels only via a standard DCT ’box, allowing 0–62mph in a pacey 7.2secs. The ’box isn’t the crispest DCT out there, and taking manual control won’t help because annoyingly, the ’box auto-upshifts as the red line approaches regardless. Prod the Sport button and a burbly exhaust parp erupts (more bark than bite).

The Proceed GT is 52kg heavier than the Ceed GT, on account of its longer, swoopy body, and with only 201bhp on tap, you notice the more lethargic urge if you’ve stepped from the hatch. The upside? Practicality. Flip the rear seats down, and there’s 1,465 litres to roam around in. You can have luggage dividing guards, lashing points, and there’s a cellar’s worth of underfloor stowage to explore. Mountain bikers, potted plant enthusiasts and pet cemetery owners will find little to fault.

The caveat of such a shapely rump is the letterbox window. Cameras and sensors help when parking, but are of no use at all when you’re on a dark, wet motorway and need to triple-check that middle-lane hogger isn’t lurking in a blind spot. When will carmakers learn?