Lifestyle

Car review: Kia XCeed



The Kia XCeed might have one of the daftest model names in recent history, but that shouldn’t put you off it.

Kia describes the car as having the look of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) without all of the four-wheel-drive features. Actually, this handsome car has an almost coupe-like profile, vaguely reminiscent of the Mazda 3, and lacks the steroidal, pumped-up vulgarity of some SUVs.

This sure-footed aesthetic continues inside. The cabin uses good quality materials and is nicely detailed, with controls and instruments that are well laid out and easy to use. The car has soft, comfortable seats and is genuinely spacious, with the rear seat area being particularly commodious, and the boot a decent size too.

There are currently three engines, a 1-litre, three-cylinder petrol, a 1.4 four cylinder and 1.6 diesel (a petrol/electric hybrid should arrive next year). All three are quiet and refined. The little engine is more than capable of punting this Golf sized vehicle without thrashing hysteria. Only when setting off from rest does it require a bit of gear lever rowing to get things moving. 

(Kia)

The diesel is the most easy going, and the 1.4 petrol is somewhere in between. The XCeed handles adroitly, with light, direct steering, aided by independent rear suspension. The ride is firm-ish, but comfortable, and the XCeed is a thoroughly pleasant car to drive.

Some rivals roll a little less in bends or have slightly more positive gear changes (the manual XCeed has six gears, and there’s also an eight-speed self-shifting transmission), but so what?

This is a good-looking, accomplished car, not an especially cheap one – as prices range for £20,045 to £29,195 – but given the amount of people buying cars using monthly personal contract purchase plans these days, this probably won’t get in its way.

The XCeed is the fourth member of Kia’s Ceed line up and the company reckons it will take 50 per cent of the range’s sales. On first acquaintance with the car this seems entirely credible.

Kia XCeed T-GDI 2 ADAP

Price: £21,045

Top Speed: 115mph

0-60: 10.5 seconds

46.5mpg combined

Emissions: 124g/km CO2



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