Kia XCeed (Kia Ceed-based CUV) makes Indian debut

The Kia XCeed has made its Indian debut just months after being unveiled in July last year. It is a crossover based on the Kia Ceed compact hatchback.

C-segment hatchbacks don’t stand a chance in our SUV-dominated market in the INR 10 lakh+ price segments. The Kia XCeed is comparatively a better model to strike a chord with Indian customers because of being a crossover. However, there's no plan to launch this CUV in India at the moment.

Designed in Frankfurt, Germany, the Kia XCeed carries over only the body panels from the Kia Ceed. The overhangs are 25 mm longer at the front (905 mm) and 60 mm at the rear (840 mm). The crossover version is 85 mm longer (4,395 mm), 26 mm wider (1,826 mm) and 48 mm higher (1,495 mm). It’s a good 150 mm lower than the Kia Sportage, though, providing the drivers with a lower centre of gravity. The CUV offers 31 litres extra boot space (426 litres) compared to the hatchback. On folding down the rear seats, 1,378 litres of luggage space becomes available.

The Kia XCeed has a more assertive face with a more prominent grille and larger lower intake. The headlamps also are in a new design, with the familiar 'ice cube' LED light signature packaged carrying a more angular shape, topped by a slim turn indicator that flows back over the wheel arches.

The wheel arch cladding, side cladding and silver roof rails lead to a more SUV-like profile. The ground clearance is 172 mm if specified with 16-inch wheels and 184 mm if specified with 18-inch wheels. The display model is fitted with the latter. At the rear, the Kia XCeed features new tail lights that emit such an LED light signature which, when seen from specific angles, appears to spear forward into the vehicle's shoulders. Kia also offers a unique Quantum Yellow to reflect the CUV’s exclusivity.

The interior of the Kia XCeed is barely any different from that of the hatchback. However, this is the first Kia model to feature a fully digital instrument cluster, which happens to be a 12.3-inch 1920 x 720-pixel display.

While the rest of the design is the same, customers can specify their CUV with a unique yellow colour pack that consists of black upholstery with contrasting yellow stitching for the seats and doors, yellow seat piping, and a mix of gloss black and metallic yellow highlights. The hip point for each seat raised by up to 44 mm allows easier ingress and egress. The half-moon-shaped glass area and fastback roofline lead to a brighter, airier ambience and more headroom than rivals, Kia claims.

10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with TomTom navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charger, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated steering wheel and heated front seats with 2-way power (driver)/manual (front passenger) lumbar support are some of the other key features of the Kia XCeed.