Kia ProCeed Review

Kia will be hoping prospective buyers for its new ProCeed shooting brake (a type of style-focused sporty estate car) will be looking for a cool design above all else when they compare it with the numerous estate car alternatives on the market.

These include the company’s own Ceed Sportswagon, the Hyundai i30 estate, Volkswagen Golf Estate, Ford Focus Estate, Vauxhall Astra Sport Tourer, Skoda Octavia and Renault Mégane Sport Tourer.

The ProCeed certainly looks considerably more sporty than its rivals The rakishly sloped rear is a dead giveaway to its stylish intentions. From behind, and without having to squint too hard, there are some definite echoes of a number of cars in the current Porsche line-up, with lights that wrap around the boot from one side of the car to the other. That sloping roof makes the side profile slick and sleek – and reminiscent of Mercedes’ desirable CLS Shooting Brake – while the front of the car, with Kia’s ‘tiger nose’ grille above a honeycomb diffuser completing the racy look.

The cabin is equally smart, with good quality materials throughout. Much has been made of Kia’s increasingly upmarket interiors over the last decade or so, and it is very apparent in the ProCeed. The gap between this and the likes of the Volkswagen Golf is still there, just about, but it's closing rapidly. And much as we like the Mégane Sport Tourer, the ProCeed has it beaten in terms of cabin quality.

The interior is also well equipped, with lots of equipment fitted as standard, including an eight-inch touchscreen media system, which includes sat-nav, DAB and smartphone integration (including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay mirroring functions).

The interior is generally very comfortable, but space can be an issue – not the best news in an estate car. Models with a sunroof have restricted headroom; even if you’re below six-feet tall, your head is brushing the roof. It's a similar story in the rear seats, where the sloping roof reduces the available headroom – and over-the-shoulder visibility for the driver.

The good news is that the boot is actually pretty large still. It can’t quite match the boxier Ceed Sportswagon’s 625 litres with the seats in place (despite the Proceed actually being longer), or the Skoda Octavia’s 610 litres. But, at 594 litres, it’s still bigger than the new Ford Focus Estate (575 litres) and Mégane Sport Tourer boots (580 litres). And with the rear seats folded down (on GT-Line and GT trim levels, these are 60:40 split, while the GT-Line S has 40:20:40 split), there’s up to 1,545 litres - down from 1,694 on the Ceed Sportswagon, but still there’s plenty of room for luggage or larger items such as flat-pack furniture.

The ProCeed isn’t as sporty to drive as it looks, but it’s very decent indeed, with consistent-feeling steering, and good levels of grip and balance. It’s not perhaps as engaging as the Golf and Focus but it’s close. The ride is similarly sporty, but not overly firm.

There are only three engines – a diesel and two petrol units – but these cover all the necessary bases, offering varying blends of economy and performance.

Kia’s commitment to packing its cars with standard equipment also extends to safety, so there’s a bewildering array of acronyms, all of which help keep drivers and passengers safe.

So is the ProCeed a triumph of style over substance? The answer has to be no, because while it is indeed very stylish, there’s also a lot of substance. There’s more standard kit than a Golf, more bootspace than a Focus, and it rides and handles as well as most of its rivals.

The cost for this style isn’t insignificant, though. It's more expensive than its Renault, Skoda and Vauxhall rivals. The days of Kia selling budget cars are well and truly over, but the ProCeed does offer eye-catching style, lots of equipment, good levels of quality and safety kit to warrant the price.

Key facts

Boot size	594-litres
Width	1800mm
Length	4605mm
Height	1442mm
Tax	£170-£210 in the first year, £145 thereafter

Best Kia ProCeed for...

Best for Economy – Kia ProCeed GT Line 1.6 CRDi 6-speed manual

The diesel-powered ProCeed delivers a decent 54.3-56.5mpg, but don’t expect scintillating performance- the 0-60mph sprint takes around a leisurely 10 seconds.

Best for Families – Kia ProCeed GT Line 1.4 T-GDi 6-speed manual

Although the diesel engine in the new ProCeed is as clean as they get, anyone worried about emissions – especially if you have young children – might feel more comfortable plumping for the lower-powered petrol option.

Best for Performance – Kia ProCeed GT 1.6 T-GDi DCT 7-speed auto

The 204hp GT is the clear choice here. Its performance won’t set the world alight, but it is fast enough to feel fun on an empty road.

History

Understanding Kia ProCeed names

Engine 1.4 T-GDI

The 1.4 T-GDi is the lowest-powered of the three engine options – there are two petrol options and one diesel

Trim GT Line

The only trims available are the sporty GT Line and GT Line S variants and the performance-focused GT model.

Gearbox 6-speed manual

Two different gearboxes options are available – a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Kia ProCeed Engines

Kia ProCeed Trims

Kia ProCeed Reliability and warranty

Used Kia ProCeed