Kia Proceed

• P11D Value: £25,465
• BIK band 2018/19: 27%
• 5-door shooting brake
• 1.4-litre T-GDi diesel 138bhp/242Nm
• Performance: 9.1secs/127mph
• Economy (combined)/CO2: 42.8 miles/133g/km

What is it?

A very good question. Proceed isn’t a hatchback, it isn’t a wagon, it isn’t an SUV, it isn’t a crossover – it’s a shooting brake according to Kia although the Korean carmaker is keen to point out that although it isn’t designed as a pure load lugger, it still provides more luggage space than some wagons in the segment above.

It isn’t meant to be a sensible two-box passenger car but it still has the flexibility of an extra set of doors that the previous three-door pro_cee’d didn’t have, neither does it have those odd punctuations. It doesn’t look like a regular C-segment family car either – but Kia tells us it wasn’t meant to.

That’s a lot of isn’ts: What it definitely is, is a sporty version of the All-new Ceed model family, the ProCeed will be available exclusively as ‘GT-Line’, ‘GT-Line S’ or high-performance ‘GT’ model.

Why would you want to drive a Proceed?

• Looks: ProCeed merges smart design with the space and versatility of a tourer in a five-door shooting brake body. Carrying the name over from the second-generation pro_cee’d three-door coupé, the Kia ProCeed has been designed, developed and engineered in Europe
• It’s kind of an estate, and with much of the space you would expect, without actually being one. Where the range’s ‘proper’ estate, the Ceed Sportswagon, majors on practicality, the ProCeed provides the space and versatility of a wagon, combined with an emotive, swept-back design. Where focusing on one of these normally compromises the other, the ProCeed doesn’t.
• At 4,605mm long, the Kia ProCeed is 5mm longer than the Ceed Sportswagon, with a longer 885mm front overhang. At 1,422mm in height, its roofline sits 43mm lower than that of the Sportswagon, while ground clearance is reduced by 5mm, to 135mm. The 2,650mm wheelbase and, 1,800mm width remain unchanged.

• There is more luggage capacity than many conventional compact family estate cars – and even many tourers from classes above. With a capacity of 594 litres (VDA), the ProCeed’s boot is 50% more capacious than that of the Ceed five-door hatchback. With no boot lip and a lower ride height than the Sportswagon, the low lift-over height of the Shooting Brake tailgate also makes it remarkably easy to load and unload.
• That seven-year Kia warranty!

What might put you off a Proceed?

• A shrinking market for three-door hatchbacks? These are going out of favour and this is precisely what the Proceed’s predecessor was: Does having five doors change this view?
• Residual value. While these might look good on paper, that shrinking market for hatchbacks in favour of SUVs might affect the car’s appeal when you come to sell on.
• On the face of it there does seem to be a lot of space, but the sloping of the roof line rearwards may affect taller passengers in the rear seats in terms of headroom, as well as some of the usable luggage space right at the back.
• Identity crisis: The Proceed is a model which doesn’t seem sure of whether it is a hatchback, estate or sporty tourer. It is what it is, however, and ultimately that may well be its appeal. Time will tell.

Verdict on the Kia Proceed

If you are looking for something that will stand out in an increasingly crowded SUV market then the Proceed is worth a look.

Kia has managed to give this model a smart, sporty appearance, most definitely Kia at the front but with almost -Porsche-like lines at the rear which is inspired by the layout of the 2017 Proceed Concept.

There is a sportier look to the cabin as well ambience to the cabin with nice touches such as metallic scuff plates on the door sills, a D-shaped leather-trimmed steering wheel as standard, and on the model we tried with Kia’s dual-clutch auto transmission, you can change gear with metal alloy steering wheel paddles.