- P11D Value, £25,345
- 5-door Crossover
- Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel
- Power/torque: 134hp/207Nm
- Economy/CO2: 53.2mpg/116g/km
- Performance: 0-62/mph, 10.2 secs/122mph
What is it?
It’s based on Kia’s European designed and built Ceed and it’s the latest crossover version …… sort of.
Unlike most other manufacturers, Kia has not simply jacked the Ceed up with a taller body, the company has managed to get the XCeed to rock the look while maintaining a classy, almost fast back style.
This was important otherwise this car would start to clash with the Ceed hatch on the one hand and the Sportage on the other.
It falls somewhere in between.
In terms of make-up, the XCeed shares its front doors with the hatchback along with the underpinnings, suspension, powertrains, and nearly all of the dashboard.
Engines range from 1-litre petrol to 1.6 diesel and there is a hybrid on the way as well.
Prices go from £20,795 to the range topping £29,195 First Edition 1.4 T-GDi 7-speed auto DCT ISG
Why would you want a Kia XCeed
- Design – it has the looks but not the feel of a crossover
- It is slightly taller than Ceed saloon so a more commanding driving position.
- ….. and this also means the XCeed is slightly easier to get into and out of, especially for those of a certain age!
- Versatility – take a look at our picture, you can pack a lot into this car if the need arises.
- Seven year warranty
What might put you off a Kia XCeed?
- There’s not a huge amount of feel through the steering wheel
- Suspension feels a tad hard when measured against a lot of its rivals
- The badge? It matters to some people
- Top spec models close in on £30K and that’s German premium country
Our verdict on the Kia XCeed
It feels very much like the Ceed hatchback to drive – not least because the dashboard layout is exactly the same although you are sitting a little higher.
The XCeed handles the motorway run with ease while you can swish your way through the country s-bends comfortably although, as already mentioned, some more feel through the steering wheel would be welcome.
Our test model was the 1.6-litre CRDi Diesel with manual six-speed transmission.
The engine is responsive enough without being the smoothest around. Particularly pleasing was fuel consumption which came out at 53.2mpg over the 350 miles we covered during our time with the car.
This involved town, country and motorway driving and just 0.1 of an mpg short of what Kia says on the tin for the combined figure.
The diesel has a power output of 134hp and a CO2 figure of 116g/km.
Inside the XCeed demonstrates perfectly how far the South Korean carmakers have come in terms of refinement.
There’s soft-touch stitched materials that make you feel just that bit ‘premium’ and all models have Apple CarPlay with recently improved in iOS13 and Android Auto.
There’s a good amount of space back and front and the rear seats fold to provide a cavernous cargo area as displayed in our picture.
Packed in the back there are 40 flat packed cardboard boxes – plus a couple of made up full ones (we have just moved house!) – a mound of tissue packing paper, bubble wrap, two suit cases and some hanging garments for evening wear.
So, everything you need for a regular night away.