XCeedingly good Kia
A FOURTH model is joining Kia’s Ceed family of cars with the arrival of the XCeed crossover.
Sitting almost two-inches higher than the regular Ceed hatchback the XCeed comes with its own SUV-like styling which includes extra body cladding around the wheel arches and side sills.
A new nose, LED lights front and rear and a diffuser at the back complete the effect and the XCeed comes with a 426 litre boot – a suitcase more than the hatch.
There’s also a good array of technology with all but the entry level XCeed having Kia’s UVO Connect telematics system which offers a triple split view on a 10.25-inch widescreen display and is fully smartphone compatible.
The XCeed is priced from £20,795 for a 1.0-litre petrol turbo to £29,115 for a 1.4-litre model in high specification First Edition trim with a seven-speed DCT automatic transmission.
A 1.6-litre diesel is also included in the line up with 114bhp on tap from £22,045 and 134bhp from £25,345.
That puts the XCeed up against the likes of the Mercedes GLS, the Nissan Qashqai and Peugeot’s 2008 in an increasingly popular part of the car market.
On the road the XCeed is a polished all-rounder at the top end of the scale.
We have just tried two versions – the higher powered diesel and the 1.4 petrol fitted with the DCT box and both impressed.
The handling is out of the top drawer and for an SUV-like vehicle is quite sporty with a 0 to 60 time of 9.5 seconds for the 1.4 and 10.6 for the diesel. Top speeds are 125mph and 122 respectively.
On the fuel front we managed an average of 41mpg from the diesel and 34 from the petrol – acceptable but some way off the official best figures of 50mpg with emissions of 130g/km for the 1.4 and 66mpg (112g/km) for the diesel.
However, that was with some sporty driving involved and the XCeed handles in impeccable fashion – the pick of the bunch in what is already an impressive Ceed line up of hatchback, estate and the ProCeed fastback.
The increased ride height has not troubled its characteristics at all and is hardly noticeable. Overall it is some three inches longer than the hatch but the wheelbase is unchanged.
The interior is nicely roomy and well trimmed – the dash is exceptionally different with the XCeed having not only the new display screen but also a new digitised instrument panel which is not only stylish but very comprehensive and easy to read.
Cabin space is good all round, there’s a fair amount of onboard storage space and the rear seats can take three adults – at a pinch. Maximum boot space is 1,378 litres and the boot is easy to load under a tailgate that can be power operated.
There is little to fault the all round demeanour of the XCeed and its looks are a breath of fresh air among a batch of cars that have become increasingly samey.
With its coupe-like lines, mesh grille with splitters running into the front air vents and classy rear the XCeed is nicely distinctive, while First Edition models are available in an exclusive Quantum Yellow finish and come with a panoramic sunroof as standard.
On the safety front all models have the option of a switchable lane-keeping assist system and front collision avoidance while in top range versions there is blind spot detection and a tyre pressure monitoring system.
The XCeed is built at Kia’s European factory in Slovakia alongside the Ceed hatch, estate and the ProCeed sports tourer and like all models from the Korean car maker has a seven year, 100,000 mile warranty.