Xceedingly good

Well-priced, attractive Kia is a winner

First, a spot of revision work. The Kia Xceed is essentially a Ceed hatchback that’s been given some window dressing and had its suspension raised by 44mm for that faux off-roader look that’s so liked by a huge number of buyers.

Size-wise in the Kia range it sits under the larger Sportage and just above the Ceed hatchback.

And although the Xceed has the same wheelbase as the hatchback, the body is slightly longer.

It’s similar in size to the Stonic and Niro but its swoopier roofline sets it apart from those two quite different cars. Right, having got that straight, let’s proceed (which is a Kia-themed pun as the hot version of the Ceed is called the Proceed).

We’re driving the recently facelifted Xceed which, visually, is barely distinguishable from the first generation car.

Just a tweak to the front bumper, lights and some similarly gentle fiddling around the rear which gets new LED tail lights and a diffuser with a gloss black skid plate.

A far more dramatic change for the 2023 Xceed is the choice of powertrains. Kia launched the car with an array of units that went from a 1.0-litre three-cylinder to a more powerful 1.4-litre motor plus a couple of diesels.

Now the options are down to two: a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 158bhp and a 1.6-litre engine with 139bhp.

Eh, a bigger engine with less power? The answer is that the 1.6, which is part of a PHEV powertrain, is not turbocharged hence the lower power output.

It’s the PHEV version that we’re testing this week in ‘3’ trim – at a reasonably priced £32,995 – because that’s the only level in which the plug-in hybrid is offered.

An electric motor contributes to that 139bhp and it’s fed by a 8.9kwh battery. Quite small for even a PHEV but it’ll still provide a maximum of 29.8 miles on electric power and, besides, the more kwh capacity, the more the car’s price goes up.

Kia quotes a WLTP fuel consumption of 201.7mpg which is fairly meaningless but the car is essentially economical because even if you’ve run out of electric power you’ll still manage around the mid-fifties to the gallon. The Xceed PHEV’S powertrain is smooth and the six-speed doubleclutch transmission works well.

You wouldn’t call it fast and Kia quotes a 0-60mph time rather than the normal 0-62mph to make it seem a little brisker that it really is, although 10.6sec to 60mph is still distinctly average.

We’ve got used to all electrified cars, whether BEVS or PHEVS, going like stink. But for everyday family use this car is fast enough.

Inside, Kia has updated the infotainment system and this, like all the Xceed’s systems, is blissfully simple to operate. Smartphone

mirroring is standard, as are reversing cameras and parking sensors.

There’s plenty of room in the front but the headroom in the back is slightly compromised due to the car’s coupe-like styling.

The battery slotted in the back hasn’t robbed any luggage space as the boot holds 291 litres which is the same as the NON-PHEV car.

Well priced, good looking and easy to operate, the facelifted Xceed is likely to continue to be one of Kia’s best-selling models.