When we already thought that the Kia Ceed range was complete with the variants of , and , a fourth body arrives to continue giving impetus to what is undoubtedly one of the most important models for the brand. It is called Kia XCeed and responds to the concept of CUV (crossover utility vehicle), located halfway between a car and an SUV.
At Kia they see it as a sporty alternative to traditional large SUVs because it offers comparable interior and cargo space (somewhat less, it must be said), but in a more compact, less bulky body, something that a large part of the public will appreciate. clientele.
In terms of design, the new Kia XCeed is different from the rest of the range. If anything, it could be compared to the 5-door model for its proportions. But even with this variant it hardly shares the front door panels. The rest, that is to say, practically everything, is a new design from the pencils of Gregory Guillaume, Vice President of Design for Kia Europe.
It does have the same battle as the rest of the versions, but wider than, for example, the 5p. Its length and height also grow, which translates into a higher driving position, a greater clearance to the ceiling and a more capable trunk: 426 liters (+31 than Ceed). This places it halfway, for practicality, between a Ceed 5p and a Sportage. And with a dynamic closer to the first than to the second, although we will be able to talk about that when we drive it around the turn of the summer, since this contact has been a static event. In view of these data, it is possible to think of a possible XCeed/Sportage cannibalization. We will see what the sales say when both models coincide in the market.
Technology
This is one of the most interesting sections of the new XCeed, which incorporates innovations such as the 12.3-inch Supervision digital instrumentation, which will later be implemented in other models. Also noteworthy is the Bluetooth multi-connection system -allows the linking of two telephones at the same time- and the UVO Connect telematics system, which connects drivers with their surroundings to provide them with information through the car’s touch screen or their smartphone via a eSIM that collects and updates data in real time while driving.
Among the list of driving assistants are some such as: the blind spot, the frontal collision with pedestrian detection, the parking and lane keeping assistants or the fatigue detector. You can also have level 2 autonomous driving with the LFA system that controls acceleration, brakes and steering.
Gasoline, diesel and ‘mild hybrid’
The first group is made up of three T-GDI gasoline options, with turbo and direct injection: the starting range is the 1.0 three-cylinder (120 CV), followed by the 1.4 four-cylinder (140 CV) and the 1.6 as well. four-cylinder (204 hp) of the GT variant.
In the diesel section, the options to choose from are the two Smartstream 1.6 engines, which are offered in two power levels (115 and 136 hp).
The less powerful gasoline is associated with a 6-speed manual transmission, while the others can also mount a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
At the end of 2019, by the way, a plug-in hybrid version will arrive and at the beginning of 2020, another electrified ‘mild hybrid’. Presumably, the first will get the ‘Zero Emissions’ environmental label and the second, the ‘ECO’ label.
The Kia XCeed will be built at Kia’s European plant in Slovakia, along with the Ceed hatchback, Ceed Tourer and ProCeed sports estate. The latest member of the Ceed family will be on sale in Europe during the third quarter of 2019.
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