The 2020 Kia XCeed has been revealed with the sporty looking crossover exclusively available for European buyers only, meaning SUV-mad Australia misses out.
Despite Australia’s love affair with crossover/SUVs showing no sign of dying anytime soon, Kia has made the decision to offer its XCeed crossover/SUV as a Europe-only proposition. Kia describes it as combining “compact SUV practicality with the sporty packaging and engaging handling of a hatchback”. That said, the XCeed will go on-sale in the UK, meaning it’ll be available as a right-hand drive vehicle and thus, you would imagine, potentially available for Australia (Practical Motoring has reached out to Kia Australia for a comment and will update this article when we hear back).
On paper, the Kia XCeed seems like it would make a lot of sense Down Under slotting in below the Sportage. With a total length of 4395mm, the Kia XCeed is 85mm longer than the Ceed five-door hatchback and 90mm more compact than the Sportage. Its maximum roof height of 1490mm also means it stands 43mm above the Ceed and 155mm below the Sportage, offering a lower centre of gravity than the Sportage but a more elevated driving position than the Ceed. Ground clearance is a claimed 174mm on 16-inch wheels and 184mm on 18-inch wheels.
And Kia is claiming the XCeed offers plenty of room inside. With the hip point for each seat raised by up to 42 mm over the Ceed, it is easier for occupants to step in or out. Meanwhile, “the half-moon-shaped glass area and fastback roofline provide rear passengers with a brighter, airier ambience and more headroom than other rivals in the compact crossover class,” Kia said.
With the car’s longer rear overhang creating a longer boot, luggage capacity for the Kia XCeed is rated at 426 litres, 31 litres more than the Ceed. With the rear seats folded down, luggage capacity grows to 1378 litres. The back seats are 40:20:40 split-folding, there’s a powered tailgate, and two-step boot floor that can be moved up or down to provide either more space or a hidden underfloor storage compartment.
Kia is offering the XCeed with three engines, a 1.0-litre, 1.4-litre and a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol. The transmission choices are a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch. “As with other models in the brand’s product portfolio, low-emissions electrified powertrains, including 48V mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, will be launched into the Kia XCeed range later in early 2020,” Kia said.
Seems Kia in Europe has taken a leaf out of the work done by the Australian outfit with the brand claiming the new XCeed has been subjected to testing across a wider range of driving surfaces than any other previous European-developed Kia. While the suspension and steering hardware remains identical to the Kia Ceed, “Kia’s engineers have softened the front and rear spring rates by seven per cent and four per cent respectively to deliver greater comfort and stability in all conditions”.
35 Baldwin Avenue. Love to see the new XCeed here in Oz. Looks cool to me.