THERE are people who cannot see past a good estate car – the long sweeping lines, the great luggage space, the comfort.
Now Kia have bought into this and produced what is ostensibly an estate car but with the kind of performance more related to a hot hatch. It’s the old wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing story.
The four-door ProCeed replaces the three door pro_cee’d, a name that defied grammarians and caused no end of bother among motoring writers unsure where to put that darn apostrophe and underscore – or was there one there at all?
So, finally, the Korean company resolved our pain and got rid of both and, at the same time, gave us a couple more doors – for which all those with chronic back problems will be eternally grateful.
The ProCeed is an estate car but one that has been designed to be sporty, good-looking, fast and different from the Ceed Sportswagon, Kia’s other, more traditional estate. It is sleek, with lines sloping back to the coupe rear and it exudes an elegant and composed presence on the road.
The deep Kia grille has been narrowed and there are splashes of high gloss black and chrome on the car with the tinted windows outlined in chrome. There are twin exhaust pipes at the rear, with an integrated spoiler and the overall feeling is one of a decidedly sporty car.
The ProCeed is kept separate from the Ceed Sportswagon with the limited option of top-of-the-range trims. I was driving the GT-Line, which features faux leather, with heated front seats, dual-zone air con, steering wheel-mounted controls and an automatic defog system.
The car sits low on the ground, so that you get the impression of sitting in it rather than on it and this adds to the spirited feel of the ProCeed when you drive. With a 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel engine, this shooting brake gives you the best of both worlds.
You get great performance with the 134bhp it delivers, low CO2 and extremely good fuel economy – an average of 56.5mpg.
I had not driven the ProCeed for some time and it came as a welcome reminder when I got behind the wheel of just how responsive and smooth it is. The six-speed manual gearbox is lovely and the bite as you put your foot down is very satisfying.
Like most Kia vehicles, it comes very well-equipped, with lane keep assist, high beam assist, driver attention warning and forward collision avoidance.
There’s DAB, MP3 capability, USB and aux-in ports for charging devices, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and sat nav on an eight-inch touchscreen.
It has, not surprisingly, got plenty of storage options as well as that extra room at the rear and the seats split 40/60 for extra convenience.
The Kia ProCeed has, at last, come of age in all manner of ways. And while some people may regret the demise of the hot hatch, many more will greet the appearance of this rather more elegant car with a great deal of enjoyment.
Factfile:
- Model: Kia ProCeed GT-Line 1.6 CRDi manual
- Engine: 1.6-litre diesel
- Power: 134bhp
- Top speed: 124mph
- 0-60mph: 10 seconds
- Average mpg: 56.5
- CO2 emissions:114g/km
- Warranty: Seven years/100,000 miles
- Price: £25,140
