It appears that the motoring world has gone full circle, and hatchbacks with an off-road, SUV kick are now cool again.
Following in the footsteps of the Ford Focus Active, Kia have unveiled their new XCeed compact crossover overnight in Europe. It's the second small SUV or crossover that Kia has unveiled in as many weeks, following the reveal of the Seltos late last week.
The model is based on the Ceed, which is badged in New Zealand as a Cerato.
While on the surface it might look like Kia has just slapped some cladding on their standard hatchback model, there's actually a surprising amount of work in here. Every panel, apart from the front doors, is completely new. That makes for a vehicle that looks quite different to its standard counterpart.
Front and rear overhands grow by 25mm and 60mm respectively, and it gains 42mm of ground clearance versus the standard European-spec Ceed hatch.
The other big mechanical changes include a softer set of front and rear springs (7 per cent softer up front and 4 per cent softer at the rear, Kia claims). These are combined with new hydraulic rebound stoppers and a new dynamic damper at the rear. Unsurprisingly, the XCeed remains solely front-wheel driven.
A total of five engine variants will be available from launch; three petrol, two diesel. The smallest engine is a 1.0-litre three popper making 88kW, with 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines making 103kW and 150kW also available (the latter being the same engine from what Kiwis know as the Cerato GT). On the diesel side, there's two versions of the same 1.6-litre unit; one that makes 85kW and another that makes 100kW.
But that isn't all. Two hybrid powertrains are set to join the line-up; a 48V mild hybrid and a plug-in hybrid.
The XCeed's cabin has also received a few nice tweeks. These include contrast-stitching and piping on the seats and door cards, plus contrast panels along the dash to break up all the greys and blacks.
Nifty features include a 12.3-inch digital cluster, lane-following assist, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen.
While it hasn't been explicitly confirmed, the XCeed is unlikely to hit New Zealand. Kia's European arm has said that the model will be exclusively sold in Europe. We're much more likely to see the Seltos in our line-up, underneath the Sportage and alongside the Niro and Sorento.
