Reversing camera even at 180 km/h, the tailgate opens automatically when your hands are full.
This is what the facelift of the Kia XCeed offers.
SUV, SUV - hooray!
Checkout is made here.
They are called VW T-Roc, Nissan Juke, Mazda CX-30, Skoda Karoq, Renault Captur or Mini Countryman.
A total of 61 models compete for customers in the so-called C-SUV segment.
This year alone, three million of these vehicles will be making their way to customers across Europe.
Including the Kia XCeed, which is now available as a facelift.
Facelift means in this case: a lot of cosmetics.
Because this Ceed, which is pronounced like the English seed (for seed), was not really reoperated.
But that has nothing to do with it, but consists of the abbreviations CE for Communauté Européene and ED for European Design.
The compact car family was designed in Europe for Europe.
It was not until 2019 that the crossover SUV with the X in the name joined and immediately took first place with a sales share of 40 percent.
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The instrument cluster behind the steering wheel has a new, stylish layout.
The state of charge of the PHEV battery is currently being displayed here.
©Kia
New folds in the bodywork make XCeed sportier
Never change a winning team!
Maybe that's why the changes have been so gentle.
Here and there a new fold in the bodywork: revised grille and other air intakes, new LED headlights, a diffuser at the rear.
All in all, the XCeed looks a bit sportier.
Perhaps the biggest innovation - the compact SUV is now also available in the even faster GT line and with 18-inch tires.
The honeycomb brake lights, which form an X when actuated, are striking here.
In the interior, the redesign of the instrument cluster catches the eye, perforated leather applications (e.g. in the gear lever) and the flattened GT steering wheel.
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Honeycomb LEDs are in the new rear lights of the Kia XCeed.
When used, form an X.
©Kia
Is the larger petrol engine with 204 hp worth it?
There is no big surprise when it comes to the engines either.
From the narrow three-cylinder with 120 hp to the 1.5-liter four-cylinder with 160 to the 204 hp top unit in the 1.6 T-GDI, all petrol engines are back.
There is also diesel, but hardly anyone buys it anymore.
Ten cars with internal combustion engines that we will miss
Ten cars with internal combustion engines that we will miss
And the plug-in hybrid, which has a 45 percent share this year, is likely to go downhill sharply next year due to the end of financial support.
Kia estimates that the 1.5-liter petrol engine will then become a bestseller.
That's why we chose this drive for the test drives and compared it with the more powerful unit.
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The Kia XCeed is also crisp and strong on the road from behind.
No wonder he's number 1 in the Ceed family.
©Kia
Prices have also gone up at Kia
To make it short.
From the trigger you can save around 2,000 euros extra, the difference from 0 to 100 is 1.7 seconds on paper, it feels like only a few tenths of a second.
But he also swallows at least one liter of petrol more.
Customers also have to swallow more.
Because even at Kia, the prices have risen.
The entry-level model with the 1.0-liter petrol engine (Edition 7) from 21,690 to 23,990 euros.
But he also has more equipment, it says at Kia.
The 1.5 T-GDI (160 hp, automatic, Spirit) cost 28,990, now 32,190.
Here, too, more assistance systems are on board.
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Quilted leather seams, flattened GT steering wheel.
The new cockpit of the XCeed differs only marginally from its predecessor.
© Fred Roschki / Kia
Plug-in hybrid: Does Kia step in with the subsidy?
As always with Kia, the handling of the XCeed is really fun.
The chassis is tight, the steering direct, but the consumption is not exactly low at 7.8 liters.
We mainly drove on country roads and motorways with speed limits.
The hybrid model should get by with 1.2 liters of petrol and 10.7 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers.
The basic requirement is, of course, a fully charged battery, with which you can travel up to 58 kilometers purely electrically.
At 11.0 seconds from 0 to 100, the PHEV is the sluggish of the trio.
Without funding, it costs 36,890 euros - that's significantly more than the 150 hp petrol engine.
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426 liters normally fit into the trunk of the XCeed.
With the plug-in hybrid, the volume shrinks to 291 liters because of the additional technology.
©Kia
In order to keep sales reasonably on course despite the abolition of the state bonus, Kia is said to be coming up with a manufacturer solution next year.
One can only speculate how high that will be.
What else you need to know about the plug-in hybrid: The trunk shrinks from 426 liters to 291 liters because the battery and power electronics need space.
That's almost a third less.
Three features we particularly like about the XCeed
Back to the test drive: Above all, it's the many small details that please the XCeed.
For example, that you can quickly switch off the sometimes annoying lane departure warning system with a button on the left below the steering wheel instead of having to search for it in the submenu of the infotainment system.
The fact that the reversing camera can also be conjured up on the screen at any time by pressing a button, even without engaging reverse gear, is a nice gimmick.
Maybe you want to take a closer look at the angry face of the man behind you who is closing in on you.
We are enthusiastic about the automatic opening of the tailgate.
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The new Kia XCeed comes up with daring colors - here in Celadon Green metallic.
Splash Lemon is likely to draw similar attention.
© Fred Roschki/Kia
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Other manufacturers have them too, but you usually have to put your foot under the body without losing your balance.
Often looks a bit like hopping one-legged marabou.
Kia has solved the problem smarter.
You approach the vehicle with the car key in your pants or handbag and stand behind it.
The XCeed blinks three times and if you don't move then it says "Open Kia".
Completely without using your hands - the purchases are stowed away in no time.
How do you say it so beautifully in Bavaria?
Who can can.
Similarly, our conclusion after the test drive with the XCeed.
Kia can do it.
Rudolph Boegel
List of rubrics: © Fred Roschki/Kia
