More than a hatch, not quite an SUV.
With SUVs being all the rage and carmakers trying to capitalise on it as quickly (and cheaply) as possible, there are a number of cars either on the way or already-here that blur the lines between ‘hatch’ and ‘SUV.’ And while that’s slowly becoming commonplace, some examples do so more convincingly than others.
An example comes in the form of the Ford Focus Active, which as far as we can tell, is merely a taller version of the Focus hatch with no other obvious benefits. On the other hand, the Volkswagen T-Cross is basically a Polo on stilts, but we wouldn’t hesitate in calling it an SUV. Then there’s this, Kia’s Ceed-based crossover which to us at least, looks more Focus Active than T-Cross. Ugh.
Based on this sole image obtained by L’argus, the ‘XCeed’ will certainly bear the usual hallmarks of a jacked-up hatch. Bigger wheels, slightly-flared arches, and an aggressive butt make it look like the crossover it wishes it could be, but its driveline is expected to stay firmly front-driven. The French magazine also suggests that it’ll be the first of the Ceed family to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain, with a suggested power figure of 150kW thereabouts.
Spyshots of the XCeed (which we can’t publish) show off a few features, too. There’s a digital instrument cluster, a massive 10.25-inch central infotainment screen, and a lightly-redesigned dashboard. These features are expected to debut on the XCeed but be adopted by the rest of the Ceed family of cars in the future.
The XCeed is rumoured to be making a Frankfurt motor show debut in September, so there’s plenty of time to gather publishable spy shots & jab Kia whenever we can about more specifics. Would you rather a proper Kia SUV like the Stonic or Sportage, or does this odd half-step fit you better?
For the best deals on a new Kia, check out our Showroom.
