* The new Kia ProCeed - from the side and (below) rear.
Kia ProCeed launch report
by Steve Rogers
KIA has opened its
2019 campaign with a real bobby dazzler.
Meet the new ProCeed,
the range topper that has taken Ceed in a whole new direction with a bold
shooting brake design.
Until now ProCeed -
yes it still has the silly name - has been a three-door hatch. That market is
virtually dead but rather than scrap the hatch it has been reinvented and the
result is stunning.
This is essentially
an estate car, a rival even to the Ceed Sportwagon, but it is lower and longer
than its sibling with a swooping coupe style roof and steeply raked tailgate.
No-one in the sector which is bossed by Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and VW Golf
has anything like it so watching how Proceed develops is going to be
interesting.
Only the bonnet and
front wings have been carried over from Ceed while improved dynamics have
spiced up the handling which becomes evident when driving the GT model with its
201bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine, but more on that later.
There are three
trim levels GT Line, GT Line S and GT powered either by a 1.4 litre turbo
charged petrol or a 1.6 diesel for all but the GT which gets the 1.6 litre
petrol.
Inside it's standard
Ceed fair with the range topping 8-inch touchscreen controlling the majority of
the functions although Kia prefers switches for the radio and heating controls
which are ranged clearly across the central console which is just the way I
like it.
Although Proceed
has a definite sporting edge it is no flaming hot hatch so there is a good
compromise between ride comfort and out and out handling.
Make no mistake the
car will fly around bends faster than will ever be needed on public roads but
at the same time bumps are well cushioned so this is very much a car the family
can enjoy.
Cabin space is good
and a six footer sat comfortably behind my driver's seat, and in spite of the
dipping roofline the 594 litres of boot space is not far behind the 625 litres
for the Sportwagon.
Kias have always
been generously equipped and that is the case here. Even the 6-speed manual GT
Line which opens the range at £23,835 has navigation, heated front seats,
heated steering wheel, auto dipping headlights, electronic parking brake and
that is just a snapshot. Add an S and there is even more with heated outer rear
seats, power adjustment and memory setting for the driver's seat and a powered
tailgate.
If the bank balance
allows it is worth splashing out £1,100 for the seven speed automatic which is
smooth and slick and can be used as a manual either via the gear lever or
steering wheel paddles.
Safety features
have become the norm and there is no shortage here with crash avoidance braking
that includes pedestrians, steering the car within the lane, blind spot
collision warning ... I could go on.
In spite of the
lack of interest in diesel power Kia is offering the 1.6 litre with its fairly
modest 134bhp.
The ProCeed deserves more and you will get it from the more
punchy 138bhp 1.4 turbo charged petrol which is nearly a second quicker to
sixty (9.1secs) but you will lose out heavily on economy - 42.8mpg versus
56.5mpg for the diesel.
Which brings us to
the jewel in the ProCeed crown, the 1.6 T-GDi. For me this is the engine for
this car. There is a spiky rawness to it, growling under acceleration and eager
to respond at low revs. It is the only model where the performance matches the
car's matcho looks. A sprint to sixty takes 7.2 seconds, not as quick as the
hottest Golf or Focus.
The folk at Kia say,
they are unlikely to go for anything bigger on the engine front so they will
not be asking parent company Hyundai for the dazzling 2-litre powering the i30N
let alone the i30N Performance.
At least the 1.6
T-GDi has given an added buzz to the Ceed hatch which has identical performance
to ProCeed GT and handling to match the hike in power. The new Ceed GT model has
hit the showrooms and costs £25,535.
My guess is all
eyes will be on its pretty new sister. Aside from Stinger this is the best
looking Kia ever. It has a feel good factor and looks the business particularly
in profile or from the back. I don't see how it can fail.
* Prices: £23,835 (GT
Line petrol manual) to £28,138 (GT auto). GT Line S £28,685.
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