Kia XCeed review

It’s not easy to stand out among family cars, but the Kia XCeed has found a way to distance itself from the herd: by being a mash-up of a hatchback and an SUV.

So while the XCeed is based on the regular Kia Ceed, it’s slightly longer, sits on tweaked suspension that’s 44mm higher and looks bulkier, courtesy of some smart plastic wheelarches, heftier bumpers and a stout set of roof rails.

Is this coming together of worlds just a gimmick or can it help the XCeed compete with rivals ranging from the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla to the Audi A3 and VW Golf?

Read on to find out how we rate the Kia XCeed against the best family cars...

The Kia XCeed was for a time available as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) but that engine has been dropped from the range, leaving just one option: the 1.5 T-GDi petrol.

With 138bhp, it gives you more than enough performance for everyday driving, getting off the line quickly and up to motorway speeds with ease. Officially, it will get from 0-62mph in a perfectly sufficient 8.7 seconds with a six-speed manual gearbox or 8.9 seconds if you upgrade to the slightly hesitant automatic gearbox.

That's quicker than an entry-level Ford Focus or VW Golf but a manual Skoda Kamiq 1.5 TSI 150 will cover the same sprint in 8.3 seconds and is more flexible than the XCeed, especially from low revs.

The XCeed’s suspension has been revised and softened compared with the regular Kia Ceed. The result is that it's just as settled on motorways but is more compliant over large soft-edged obstacles.

Even so, it fails to iron out sharper pockmarks and ridges as effectively as the best-riding family cars – the Toyota Corolla and VW Golf for example – or smaller SUVs, including the Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Roc.

The XCeed steers fluently and grips reassuringly, but without the precision and agility of the best-handling family hatchbacks, including the Ford Focus and Seat Leon. It leans more in corners than a Kia Ceed but we wouldn't call it wallowy.

The XCeed is not available with four-wheel drive – every version has front-wheel drive. If you live up a muddy lane and want the extra reassurance of 4x4, you could consider versions of the Skoda Karoq.

At low revs and around town, the XCeed’s engine is pretty quiet, but it gets a little thrashy when pushed hard. It's certainly not as refined as a Karoq with a 1.5-litre petrol engine.

The standard manual box is light and feels good to use, but it has a vague clutch pedal so setting off from stationary takes some getting used to. The automatic is good enough, but on a hill it tends to hang on to gears for as long as possible then changes down multiple gears, sending the engine revs soaring.

All versions have strong and progressive brakes. At motorway speeds, the XCeed has a bit more road roar than a Ford Focus or VW Golf but not too much wind or suspension noise.

“The automatic gearbox is good enough to use over a long motorway journey but I’d stick with the manual if you’re going to spend most of your time around town or in traffic. It makes life far easier, even if the clutch could do with a little more feel.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

We reckon you should be able to get comfortable easily enough in the Kia XCeed. You can move the steering wheel up, down, fore and aft by a good amount, and the driver’s seat is comfortable on a long trip. It adjusts for height on all versions, and only the entry-level 2 trim misses out on adjustable lumbar support. Top GT-Line S trim gets electric height adjustment with memory settings.

The analogue speedo and rev counter are simple to read and supplemented by a 4.2in digital screen, which adds additional information, including the trip data. Top-spec GT-Line S gets a 12.3in digital driver's display that’s bright and clear, but doesn't really offer many advantages over the normal dials. 

We like that you get physical buttons for the air-con because they makes it far easier to adjust settings on the move. In contrast, the touchscreen-operated system in the Ford Focus and the touch-sensitive pads in the VW Golf are distracting and frustrating to use.

Thanks to its narrow front window pillars, you get good visibility out of the front of the XCeed, meaning you won’t struggle when pulling out of junctions. It’s not so good when you look over your shoulder, with the thick rear pillars reducing what you can see.

For that reason, you’ll be glad that every version comes with a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors to help with manoeuvring. Upgrading to GT-Line S trim makes things even easier, with the addition of front parking sensors.

Even when the sun sets, you’ll be able to see well in the dark thanks to the standard-fit LED headlights, which deliver a bright white light to help you see more clearly.

No matter which XCeed you go for, you’ll find a 10.3in infotainment touchscreen on the dashboard. The screen is clear, the system reasonably responsive to your prods and the menus intuitive. You can even split the screen three ways, meaning that, for example, you can use the radio, sat-nav and vehicle settings all at the same time. 

Speaking of which, the XCeed’s infotainment system comes with plenty of useful features, including sat-nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

A good seven-speaker sound system comes as standard, but if you want to upgrade, you’ll need GT-Line S trim with its eight-speaker JBL system. That also adds wireless phone-charging.

Despite being cheaper than many rivals – from the Ford Focus to the Seat Ateca – the XCeed feels solidly made and features a good mix of soft-touch surfaces and gloss-black trims to lift its look.

That said, the Mazda 3 Hatchback has a near-identical price tag and is plusher. The best family cars for interior quality include the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series but they also cost a lot more.

“As someone who enjoys their music on a long commute, I found the eight-speaker JBL system on the GT-Line S pretty impressive. Even with the volume set reasonable high, the quality is still good.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

If you or your passenger stand at more than six feet tall, no problem: you'll fit in the front of a Kia XCeed just fine. Head and leg room are generous, and the space on offer is similar to what you’ll find in a Ford Focus or VW Golf. 

When it comes to storage, the front door bins are a reasonable size, plus it has a couple of cupholders and some useful cubbies for wallets and phones, including a decent-sized one below the standard front armrest. If you go for GT-Line or higher, the armrest slides so you can adjust it for comfort.

Rear leg room is average while head room is unexceptional – going on tight with the panoramic sunroof fitted on GT-Line S. It’s a lot less roomy in the back than a Ford Focus or Skoda Scala.

It’s not all bad. Getting in and out through the fairly wide door openings is easy, and the rear seat is well shaped and comfy. The near-flat floor (there’s a very small central floor hump) means there’s plenty of foot space for the middle passenger.

There are storage nets on the backs of the front seats, a door cubby large enough for a bottle and two cupholders integrated into the fold-down centre armrest.

Ordering the top-spec GT-Line S trim is the only way to get 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats in the XCeed, an arrangement that makes it far easier to load long items into the boot while still having two usable rear seats. The rest of the trim levels – and most family hatchbacks – provide a less useful 60/40 arrangement.

You can’t get sliding or reclining rear seats in the XCeed. Those features are available on some family SUVs, including the Skoda Karoq and VW Tiguan.

This is perhaps the biggest difference between a Kia Ceed and the XCeed we're reviewing here. You see, the XCeed has 31 litres more boot space and offers a total of 426 litres.

That's more than you get in most family car rivals, including the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla (but not the vast Skoda Octavia). It's plenty for a buggy or a couple of large suitcases.

You get a height-adjustable boot floor as standard with every XCeed. When it’s raised, it irons out the step that’s created when you fold down the rear seats. It also reduces the load lip and the effort of lifting heavy items in or out.

“Rear head room really isn’t very impressive in the XCeed and six-footers won’t enjoy a long drive sat back there. My friends found out the hard way!” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

If you stick to the entry-level Kia XCeed, the cash price is very competitive. It sits slightly above the regular Kia Ceed at almost the same level as the Mazda 3 Hatchback and Skoda Kamiq. It undercuts most other rivals with equivalent petrol engines, including the Seat Ateca and VW Golf. 

The XCeed is predicted to lose its value at a similar rate to most of those rivals, helping to keep PCP finance payments competitive. It's worth noting that the regular Kia Ceed is likely to hold its value slightly better. As ever, it's worth keeping an eye on the best prices on our New Car Deals pages.

On 16in wheels you can expect the XCeed to average around 46mpg and keep CO2 emissions to 137g/km. That’s certainly not bad, but if you're looking for a company car you'll pay much less BIK tax if you choose an electric car or a plug-in hybrid.

If you buy an XCeed, we’d recommend sticking with entry-level 2 trim, which is reasonably well equipped and keeps costs down. You get touchscreen infotainment and parking aids, 16in alloy wheels, keyless entry, automatic lights, air-con and cruise control.

Next up is GT-Line, which adds 18in wheels, electrically folding and heated door mirrors, sportier styling, heated front seats with adjustable lumbar support, dual-zone climate control and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

The 3 trim gets all the same kit but has different styling and a more sophisticated key fob that lets your start the engine remotely.

Top-spec GT-Line S adds electrically adjustable leather seats with a memory function, 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats, wireless phone-charging, an upgraded stereo and more. It’s too expensive to recommend though.

Kia has a good reliability record, and finished eighth out of the 32 manufacturers featured in our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey. That's only just behind Hyundai, better than Skoda and a long way ahead of Ford and Volkswagen.

The XCeed itself didn’t fare quite as well in the survey, finishing in the lower half of the family car class, below the standard Kia Ceed and the Mazda 3 Hatchback but above the Ford Focus and VW Golf.

Even if you do have a problem, Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile warranty is one of the longest available as standard on a new car, and is beaten only by Toyota’s 10-year warranty (if you regularly service at an approved dealer).

The XCeed has a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP. All versions have automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, a driver attention alert system and traffic-sign recognition. The top GT-Line S trim gets blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic assist.

“I think it’s a shame Kia has dropped the plug-in hybrid version of the XCeed because it made a lot more sense for company car drivers than the petrol version.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

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