![]() ![]() The Kia’s strength is that rear head room isn’t noticeably compromised by the coupé-esque roofline and middle-seat passengers with longer legs will benefit from the almost perfectly flat floor. Space along the rear bench is less impressive, and the difference in leg room between the Xceed and the class’s larger hatchbacks, such as the Skoda Scala, is observable long before any road test tape measure need be deployed. Satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto preparation, DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity are all present and correct, while First Edition cars also gain an uprated JBL sound system and a new 12.3in digital instrument cluster. Standard equipment is typically comprehensive. Generally, it operates in a slick, seamless manner, though it can take a while to properly boot up when you first turn the car on. The graphics are largely the same, if a touch sharper, while the operating system itself remains as intuitive and easy to use as ever. ![]() Uppermost 3 and First Edition specification Xceeds also get Kia’s new 10.25in touchscreen infotainment system as standard, while lower-rung models make do with the 8in unit that appears elsewhere in the Kia range.ĭespite the new screen, the software itself will be immediately recognisable to those already familiar with Kia’s products. So far, so Ceed – though the Xceed does come with the option of a new 12.3in TFT instrument binnacle which does its bit to lift the ambience. And while the Xceed has a drive-mode selector that can adjust steering weight, throttle response and gearshift characteristics, it goes without the electronics-based traction-enhancing systems found in some rivals. There is no option for four-wheel drive, power and torque being delivered only to the summer-tyre-shod front wheels via an open differential. Predictably, the driveline is somewhat more ordinary than the Xceed’s wider body, chunky roof rails and utilitarian cladding for wheel arches and sills purport. Meanwhile, the Xceed plug-in hybrid will use an 8.9kWh lithium ion battery and 44.5kW electric motor alongside Kia’s 1.6-litre naturally aspirated Kappa engine. For long-distance drivers, a 1.6-litre ‘Smartstream’ turbodiesel with a combined fuel economy of 57.4mpg is available, and engines will be paired with either Kia’s in-house seven-speed dual-clutch automatic or six-speed manual transmissions. In the UK, the Xceed will be offered with 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre turbocharged T-GDi petrol engines. The powertrain line-up is also recognisable from that of the Ceed. And in the same vein, Kia has increased the assisted level of the electric power steering, with the aim of making the Xceed easier to drive in town. The front struts are now also fitted with hydraulic bump-stops, which have allowed the spring rates to be lowered for further improvements in ride comfort. The Xceed therefore benefits from independent rear suspension, albeit with a new ‘dynamic damper’ for the crossmember said to improve rolling refinement. More generous body proportions beyond the rear axle mean the Xceed is 85mm longer than the Ceed and has a larger boot, but both cars are underpinned by Kia’s recently developed K2 platform. In fact, the difference is only around 40mm, but because only the front door skins are carried over from the Ceed and even the headlights are new, the Xceed feels like an entirely fresh product. Kia describes the Xceed as a ‘crossover utility vehicle’, which is a term that has a vagueness to it bordering on tautology and hints that the increase in ground clearance over the standard Kia Ceed hatchback is at best modest.
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