Review: Kia XCeed

When a bright green Kia XCeed landed on the drive, to borrow the words from a 1990s advertising campaign for a popular cider brand, I couldn’t help but exclaim: ‘That makes a refreshing change’.

There seem to be fewer manufacturers opting for bright colours and it’s a shame.

Not everyone appreciates something that stands out from the crowd, colour-wise, but I much prefer a vehicle that is not in the ubiquitous grey, white, black or blue, prevalent on our roads.

The colour wasn’t the only thing I liked about the Kia XCeed

It’s the best-selling model of the Ceed family. It is built in Zilina, Slovakia, exclusively for Europe, it comes in four trim levels: 2, GT-Line, 3 and GT-Line S but only one powertrain. It’s the same 1.5 T-GD which is found across the Ceed family and is available mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT depending on which trim you opt for.

XCeed is marketed as being a bit ‘sportier’ than your average SUV with a more ‘aggressive’ front end and rear diffuser. That’s as may be, but don’t expect sportscar-like handling and turn of speed. There’s no denying it looks good though, even if it isn’t particularly SUV-like. The plastic wheel arches and the slightly taller stance give it a touch of SUV styling though

Only the front doors are carried over from the Ceed so it has its own personality. Nothing flash, just straightforward, inoffensive styling. It has a higher roofline than the Ceed hatchback which translates to more headroom for the driver and all passengers.

Inside, all models get a 10.25in touchscreen for the infotainment system which responds well and has supplementary dials and old-school switches for the most important functions.

It will appeal to those who despair of having to scroll through countless menus to perform even the most basic of tasks.

That’s not to say the XCeed is devoid of technology. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice control and seven years’ worth of Kia Connect across the board.

There are two USBs in the front and one in the back and also Bluetooth connectivity.

Other goodies include rear parking sensors and reversing camera, smart cruise control and loads of other bits of active safety kit - some you might appreciate, others not so much. There is driver attention warning, lane keeping assist and forward collision avoidance.

With 138bhp and an acceleration from 0-60 of 9.7 seconds through the seven-speed DCT of our test car in GT-Line trim, the XCeed is sprightly enough for day-to-day driving. It’s comfortable enough at motorway speeds too and holds its own when overtaking.

Kia continues to offer its excellent seven-year 100,000-mile warranty and one-year roadside assistance on all new cars which is not to be sniffed at.

Kias are not the cheap and cheerful cars they once were but the XCeed represents good value for money.

The on-the-road price of our test car is £26,915 with the entry-model 2 coming in at £24,340.

Kia Ceed

Price: £26,915

Engine: 1.5 T-GD

Power: 138bhp

Torque: 186lb/ft

Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch

Top speed: 129mph

0-62mph: 9.7 seconds

Economy: 44.8mpg

CO 2 emissions:142g/km