Kia Pro_cee'd GT

Kia has hit the ground running with its first performance car. The Pro_cee’d GT’s looks are enhanced by some neat revisions over the standard car, and the chassis feels like it could easily cope with more power. We just wish that there was more feel from the major controls.

Kia first established itself in the UK as a value-for-money brand, but it has since moved upmarket to compete directly with European rivals. Today, the company’s line-up is stylish and family-friendly, but the Pro_cee’d GT aims to inject a dose of excitement into the mix.

• Kia Pro_cee'd review

The GT is the flagship of the Pro_cee’d range, and stands out from lesser models with its sporty styling. There are only three exterior colours to choose from (red, white or black), but the deep front bumper with a mesh grille, red detailing and LED daytime running lights all clearly indicate that the GT is special.

Further back, there are deeper side sills, LED tail-lamps, a rear spoiler, diffuser and gloss-black trim. The 18-inch graphite alloy wheels are unique to the GT, too. It all adds up to a car that’s sure to divide opinion – some will like these styling additions, while others will think the Pro_cee’d GT is trying too hard, veering too much towards the ‘boy racer’ look.

The sporty extras continue inside, where the centre console is angled towards the driver and the suede and leather-finished Recaro sports seats get red stitching. There are red GT logos on the seats and steering wheel, but the dashboard’s mix of gloss black, matt and rough black plastic finishes isn’t as cohesive as the SEAT’s cabin trim.

In addition, the button-heavy steering wheel and dashboard can seem tricky to navigate, and although the central TFT screen can switch between an analogue speedometer or digital gauges, it seems like a bit of a gimmick. The interior is well built, though, and while the seats don’t adjust as low as the Leon’s, there’s plenty of variation, so it’s easy to get comfortable.

The main problem with the Pro_cee’d GT’s cabin is that it feels relentlessly black. There’s a lot of black plastic on display, while the carpets, seats and rooflining are all finished in the same colour, too.It’s not a major issue for those in the front, but while the rear seats in the Pro_cee’d are the most spacious of the three cars, the mixture of sombre colours and small, tinted back windows serves to make them feel claustrophobic.

Boot space is smaller than in either rival here, although the wide-opening tailgate and lowest lip on test compensate for that by making loading far easier. And accessing the underfloor storage boosts capacity from 362 litres to 380 litres.

So the Pro_cee’d GT has the show, but does it have the go? Well, it’s not quite a VW Golf GTI beater. Power comes from the same 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine used in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo, although it’s boosted to 201bhp here.

The GT was the fastest of our trio in-gear, yet there’s a drop off in power as you near the 6,500rpm red line – although it’s worth noting our car had only a handful of miles on the clock. There’s also a stiff step at the top of the throttle pedal’s travel (supposedly to encourage fuel-efficient driving), while the clutch has a spongy action and the gearshift is rather notchy.

These issues take the edge off what is an otherwise great-handling car. There’s plenty of grip from the chassis in corners, and the Kia feels well balanced. It also rides reasonably comfortably, despite its large alloys and low-profile tyres, although we feel the steering needs more feedback.

At £19,995, the GT is the cheapest car here, but it does without some features that only come with the GT Tech model in our pictures. This adds climate control, heated seats and steering wheel, keyless entry and xenon lights – for £2,500 extra. You could easily upgrade the Leon SC to a similar spec for the same money.

The Kia’s 1.6-litre turbocharged engine is also less efficient than the SEAT’s larger 1.8-litre (mainly due to the lack of a stop-start system), so road tax and company car costs will be higher.

Fuel efficiency was poorer than the SEAT’s on test, too, and the Pro_cee’d will lose more money than the Leon when the time comes to sell it on. Countering all this is the seven-year warranty and the fact the Kia is available with fixed-price servicing – although whether that will be enough for the car to take victory in this test remains to be seen.