Kia XCeed review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

The XCeed is spacious enough for a car in this class, offering marginal improvements over the Ceed hatch on which it’s based. The XCeed is 85mm longer than the Ceed and so passenger and boot space has increased slightly – but Ceed owners won’t notice a massive difference. Elsewhere, the familiar platform means that the driving position is good, while all-round visibility is acceptable despite the sleek roofline. 

The cabin is fairly practical with good-sized door bins, a mobile phone cubby ahead of the gear lever and two cupholders in the centre console. A larger cubby is located under the centre armrest. Other nods to increased practicality include luggage hooks in the boot, a roof-mounted sunglasses holder and – in top-spec GT-Line S cars – 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats.

Size

The XCeed measures in at 1,495mm tall, 1,575mm wide (or 1,826mm including mirrors) and 4,395mm long. It’s about the same size as the Mercedes GLA and exactly the same length as the Mazda CX-30, though its Japanese rival is wider at 1,795mm, minus mirrors.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

Despite its SUV-alike looks, the difference in passenger space front and rear between the XCeed and Ceed is marginal to the point of being imperceivable. Space is still respectable though, with plenty of space for four adults to sit in comfort, or five at a slight squeeze. Comfort in all seats is good, with plenty of support and adjustability, especially in higher-spec models. Isofix points feature on the outer rears, while these are also heated in top-spec GT-Line S versions.

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Boot

The XCeed’s increase in length over the Ceed hatch is evidenced most inside by the increase in load volume – an increase of 31 litres brings the boot to 426 litres. Fold down the rear seats (60:40 as standard, 40:20:40 on the GT-Line S) and this increases to a total of 1,378 litres. For comparison, the Mazda CX-30 has 430 litres with the seats up and 1,406 litres with them folded – although these figures include underfloor storage.

Towing

XCeed models fitted with the (now discontinued) 1.0-litre petrol or either of the 1.6-litre diesels can tow a braked trailer weighing up to 1,200kg. The 158bhp 1.5-litre petrol offers a little more capacity at 1,410kg, while the PHEV has a 1,300kg limit.