MOTORS: Kia’s new XCeed does better than expectations
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Kia continue to surprise with the quality and styling of every new model. But, if you pardon the pun, they’ve exceeded themselves with their latest production, writes Alan Douglas.
The XCeed is a sporty alternative to traditional compact crossovers and the new version should have no trouble keeping the model in its place as their third best-selling car behind the Sportage and Niro, accounting for almost 10 per cent of all Kia’s sales in the UK.
Externally, there’s been a lot of cosmetic work with new LED headlamps with integrated fog lamps, a revised grille, front bumper and air intake design while at the back there are advanced LED tail-lights and a new diffuser with a black skid plate. The car maintains much the same profile with a sloping roof-line to the steeply angled fastback tailgate for a coupé-like appearance.
On the inside there are new graphics around the horizontal sculptural dashboard with a 10.25-inch touchscreen on the higher spec versions.
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The instrument cluster panel has been redesigned, with touch-sensitive buttons, dials and switches for audio volume, heating, and ventilation. That’s a welcome move designed to let drivers make quick changes without having to take their eyes off the road to navigate a menu screen.
The quality of the build and the materials used are first-class, as we’ve come to expect from Kia and the range of soft-touch materials projects a sense of refinement.
There are four models – 2, 3 and new ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ versions which replace the previous ‘4’ trim.
Across the range there’s an efficient 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine, but I was really impressed with the latest plug-in hybrid option which combines a 44.5kW electric motor with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol unit paired with a six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.
The PHEV provides bags of power and torque to the front wheels and a potential all-electric range of around 36 miles of city driving. This should allow most daily drives and short commutes solely on electric power and recharging the battery pack using a 3.3kW charger should take just over two hours.
You can opt for one of a range of modes from hybrid or electric only or leave it in auto where the car will select the most efficient setting for the conditions.
Like other hybrids, regenerative braking technology harvests kinetic energy to recharge the battery packs while coasting or braking.
Both engine versions are superbly capable and whatever the power unit under the bonnet, the car has excellent road manners but I found the PHEV particularly well-behaved. That’s down to the weight of the 8.9kWh battery pack alongside the 37-litre fuel tank under the rear bench, which helps provide great stability when driven enthusiastically.
By tucking it under the seats, it doesn’t encroach on valuable cargo capacity in the boot, where there’s a pretty useful 291 litres of luggage space or 1243 litres with the split-fold rear seats folded down. There is a small space under the boot floor to store the charging cable. Unusually for plug-in hybrids, there’s a towing pack fitted as standard allowing for a braked trailer of up to 1300kg.
There’s all the usual safety features we’ve come to expect with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone compatibility fitted as standard and Kia Connected Services with TomTom Live on the top versions versions, free for the first seven years as well as an eight-speaker JBL premium sound system and wireless smartphone charger. A reversing camera is standard across the range.
Kia may be Korean, but the XCeed is very much a European car, designed at Kia Europe’s Frankfurt studio, built in Slovakia and tested extensively on European roads.
During 2021, Kia sold more than 90,000 cars and almost a third of them were electrified vehicles. They clearly see that growing – and the XCeed PHEV will give that a big boost.
