The All-new Kia ProCeed merges stunning design with the space and versatility of a tourer in a five-door shooting brake body.
Carrying the name over from the second-generation pro_cee’d three-door coupé, the Kia ProCeed has been designed, developed and engineered in Europe. A product of Kia’s European design, product development and R&D teams in Frankfurt, Germany, the ProCeed will be manufactured at the brand’s Žilina production facility in Slovakia. It will be built alongside the Kia Ceed and Ceed Sportswagon, introduced last year.
Matching the daring design and engineering which renders it the sportiest iteration of the All-new Ceed model family, the ProCeed will be available exclusively as ‘GT-Line’, ‘GT-Line S’ or high-performance ‘GT’ model.
The Kia ProCeed encapsulates the spirit and athleticism of the second-generation Kia pro_cee’d hatchback. A shooting brake by design, the ProCeed presents an alternative to the traditional three-door hatchback and marries its imposing proportions with a compact footprint that hints at its outright agility. With the DNA of a coupé, the ProCeed is lower and longer than both the Ceed five-door hatchback and Sportswagon. Yet, it combines its striking visual presence with a dash of versatility, giving it a unique raked-back silhouette unlike anything in the family car segment.
The ProCeed takes the Ceed model family in a bold new direction. Where the Ceed Sportswagon majors on practicality, the ProCeed provides couples or young families with the space and versatility of a wagon, combined with an emotive, swept-back design. Where focusing on one of these normally compromises the other, the ProCeed is the first car in the mainstream segment to combine both.
The ProCeed will be available as a ‘GT-Line’, ‘GT-Line S’ or high-performance ‘GT’ model, a brief which enabled Kia’s European design teams to create a confident and sporty design for the halo model of the Ceed family. Low, lean and lithe, its stance and proportions are different, sharing only its bonnet and front wings with the Ceed five-door. With its own individual style and character, every other panel is new. Yet the ProCeed features many of Kia’s now familiar design motifs, and its ‘family face’ is instantly recognisable. With the iconic ‘tiger nose’ grille and wide lower air intake, the castellated windscreen, and the brand’s inimitable mix of taut creases and curvaceous sheet metal, it is every bit the contemporary Kia.
Like the Ceed, the front of the ProCeed is built around precise, linear shapes, with ‘ice cube’ LED daytime running lights as standard, echoing the appearance of earlier Kia ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT’ models.
In profile, the ProCeed is influenced by the design of the 2017 Kia Proceed Concept, mirroring its silhouette with a raked roofline that flows elegantly downwards into the rear shoulders. Taut creases run the length of the car, trailing from the headlamps to the tailgate to extend its visual length. It carries over the window line from the 2017 concept car, including the acutely angled chrome ‘Sharkblade’, emphasising the dramatic roofline. Its steeply raked rear window separates it from its siblings in the Ceed model family, as well as other cars in its class. The rear windscreen of the Ceed Sportswagon is angled at 50.9° off-vertical, while the five-door hatch windscreen sits at 52.4°. A defining element of its coupé-like shape, the rear window on the ProCeed is more horizontal, angled at 64.2° off-vertical.
At 4,605mm long, the Kia ProCeed is 5mm longer than the Ceed Sportswagon, with a longer 885mm front overhang. At 1,422mm in height, its roofline sits 43mm lower than that of the Sportswagon, while ground clearance is reduced by 5mm, to 135mm. Constructed on the same ‘K2’ platform as other Ceed models, the 2,650mm wheelbase and, 1,800mm width remain unchanged.
The rear of the car is what differentiates it significantly from other models in the Ceed range, inspired by the layout of the 2017 Proceed Concept. Combined with its lower overall height, the new wide rear bumper gives the car an assertive, sporty stance, with dual-tip exhausts (dependent on grade) enhancing its sense of dynamism and sportiness. The ProCeed name is spelled out in capitals across the centre of the tailgate, beneath LED tail-lights which span the width of the tailgate, giving the car a unique light signature.
From launch, the ProCeed will be available in a choice of seven paint finishes. The Kia ProCeed ‘GT-Line’ will have 17-inch alloy wheels, while ‘GT-Line S’ and ‘GT’ model feature 18-inch wheels as standard.
Inside the cabin, the ProCeed features the same ergonomic cabin as its Ceed compatriots. The interior is characterised by high-quality soft-touch surfaces, metallic trim, and a horizontal dashboard layout.
Kia’s 8.0-inch ‘floating’ touchscreen infotainment system sits at the centre of the dashboard, with audio and heating and ventilation controls situated below. The dashboard itself is angled slightly towards the driver.
The Kia ProCeed diverges from other models in the Ceed family line-up with a series of changes designed to introduce a sportier ambience to the cabin. The grey roof lining of the Ceed and Sportswagon is replaced with black cloth to envelop and cocoon occupants, and the door sills feature metallic scuff plates. It is fitted with a D-shaped leather-trimmed steering wheel as standard, and – for models equipped with Kia’s dual-clutch auto transmission – drivers can change gear with new metal alloy steering wheel paddles.
The ProCeed has different front seats, depending on specification. For the ProCeed ‘GT-Line’, the standard seats feature black cloth and light grey faux leather. In the ‘GT-Line S’ the standard seats feature larger side bolsters than those found in the conventional Ceed and Sportswagon and are trimmed in black leather and faux suede with grey stitching. The seats in the ‘GT’ model have the same side supports as the ‘GT-Line S’ and are finished in black leather and faux suede with red stitching and a ‘GT’ logo.
The Kia ProCeed’s platform supports the car’s efficient packaging, creating ample space for occupants in the front and rear. For rear passengers, the lower hip-point (compared to Ceed and Sportswagon models) offsets the effects of the ProCeed’s lower roofline, creating head and leg room aplenty.
The ProCeed offers more luggage capacity than many conventional compact family estate cars – and even many tourers from classes above. With a capacity of 594 litres (VDA), the ProCeed’s boot is 50 per cent more capacious than that of the Ceed five-door hatchback. With no boot lip and a lower ride height than the Sportswagon, the low lift-over height of the Shooting Brake tailgate also makes it remarkably easy to load and unload.
While the Ceed Sportswagon’s boot is marginally larger, at 625 litres, the Kia ProCeed offers identical versatility features, making it one of the most usable cars in its class. On ‘GT-Line S’ grades this includes 40:20:40 split-fold rear seats, folded with a single touch from a lever just inside the tailgate. On ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT’ versions, 60:40 split-fold rear seats feature. An underfloor storage area can stow smaller items and the boot features a bag hook to prevent groceries and other items rolling around the load bay. The Smart Power Tailgate on the ‘GT-Line S’ model opens automatically when it detects the ProCeed’s smart key in close proximity to the tailgate, for occasions when users’ hands are full with heavy cargo. The ‘GT-Line S’ grade has a luggage floor rail system as well.
The ProCeed line-up features three engines, to meet the powertrain expectations of European buyers who are increasingly familiar with fast-revving, highly efficient turbocharged engines that offer immediate acceleration and a broad spread of torque.
The ProCeed ‘GT-Line’ is available with a choice of two engines. The petrol option is the brand’s all-new ‘Kappa’ 1.4-litre T-GDi power unit, which produces 138bhp. The engine’s turbocharger ensures its 242Nm torque output is available over a wide 1,500 to 3,200rpm band, making it responsive in a wide range of driving conditions. It is fitted with a gasoline particulate filter to reduce tailpipe emissions, ensuring the Kia ProCeed goes beyond the requirements of the Euro 6d TEMP emissions standards. Offered with a six-speed manual transmission as standard, there is the option of Kia’s seven-speed auto Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT).
The diesel option available is the all-new ‘Smartstream’ 1.6-litre CRDi (Common-Rail Direct injection) diesel engine. Kia’s Smartstream powertrain philosophy seeks to enhance fuel efficiency and performance with reduced emissions. The Smartstream engine has been developed with an optimised powertrain structure and design, compact and lightweight components, and enhanced combustion technology, maximising fuel efficiency and driving performance. The 1.6-litre diesel engine in the ProCeed is the first Smartstream diesel engine from Kia.
With a power output of 134bhp, the 1.6-litre Smartstream engine can be paired with a six-speed manual or seven-speed auto Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT). It produces 280Nm when paired with the manual transmission, and 320Nm with the seven-speed auto Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT). Designed to go beyond the stricter limits laid down by the latest Euro 6d TEMP emissions standard, the Smartstream engine uses Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) active emissions control technology to regulate emissions.
The ProCeed ‘GT-Line S’ is only available with the 1.4 T-GDi engine and is paired with the seven-speed auto Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT).
Marking the return of Kia’s high-performance ‘GT’ model, the ProCeed ‘GT’ is powered by a 1.6-litre T-GDi engine, identical to that found in the Ceed ‘GT’. Producing 201bhp and 265Nm, it is the most powerful engine in the line-up. The ProCeed ‘GT’ sees the introduction of Kia’s seven-speed auto Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) for the first time, enabling quick-fire gear shifts via the metal alloy steering wheel paddles.
Prices start from £23,835 and On sale in the UK from 21st January 2019
