Kia Proceed - Is this 2019 shooting brake one to consider?

If you're torn between a coupe and a hatch and prioritise style in a compact family car, Kia's Proceed could fit the bill. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review
Once a small coupe, Kia's Proceed is now a small estate - but a very stylish one. The brand has chosen to supplement its existing Ceed SW station wagon with this swoopier Proceed 'shooting brake' model to create a 'Fastback' look with that 'want one' factor. The brand promises that the drive dynamics will match the aesthetic promise too.

Background
Kia calls this Proceed a 'Shooting Brake'. Isn't that just another word for an 'estate car'? Well no, not really. A Shooting Brake, in contrast, is more of an occasional and much more stylised load-lugger, loved by sportsman - and especially shooting parties (hence the name) - from the 1950s and 1960s, particularly here in Britain. A kind of 'estate coupe' if you like, which is why virtually all 'shooting brake' designs from the last century had only three doors. Princess Anne's Reliant Scimitar GTE from the Seventies was one of these, with similar cars like the Lancia Beta HPE, the Jaguar XJS Lynx Eventer and the Volvo 1800ES dating from the same era.

In more recent times, the 'Shooting Brake' concept has made a comeback with designs like Ferrari's FF. But you'll know it better perhaps from two Mercedes models, 'Shooting Brake' versions of that Stuttgart brand's CLS and CLA models. It was the CLA Shooting Brake that prompted Kia to produce this stylish Ceed derivative.

Driving Experience
Gone are the days when Kia was content to merely try and reach a minimum class standard when it comes to drive dynamics. Ex-BMW M-Chief Albert Biermann, Kia's Head of handling development, spent six months with his team fine-tuning this Proceed and the brand promises that you'll feel the difference, even on a very short test drive. There are three engine choices - a 134bhp 1.6 CRDi diesel and a couple of T-GDi petrol units, a 138bhp 1.4 and a 201bhp 1.6. Engine noise is enhanced by a soundtrack emphasised through flaps in the exhaust and delivered into the cabin through the stereo speakers.

There are firmer shocks and springs for the all-independent suspension than you'd get on a mere ordinary Ceed. But the roadway demeanour's kept from being too brittle by the adoption of softer anti-roll bars than you'd get on that shopping rocket variant. Transmission-wise, there's a choice of either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT dual-clutch auto with alloy paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. You have to have that DCT 'box with the top petrol engine.

Design and Build
If you're going to sell on style, you have to make an effort and, sure enough, the Proceed shares only the front wings and bonnet with other Ceed body styles. The roofline is 43mm lower than on an ordinary Ceed SW estate and 5mm longer, plus the windscreen is 1.5-degrees more steeply-raked and the rear window is slanted 65-degrees off the vertical. There's more aggressive styling to the front bumper than you'd see on any ordinary Ceed. And what the designers call a 'coast to coast' look for the rear that unites the LED tail lamps with the double exhaust pipes. There are 17-inch wheels with 'GT-Line' trim - or 18-inches with the GT model.

Inside, it actually feels quite special, especially in a top 'GT' model, which features leather and Alcantara sports seats with red-stitching and GT badging. There's a sporty flat-bottomed steering wheel and black roof lining. Unfortunately, rear vision out of the sloping rear window isn't great though. Rear legroom is much as you'd find it on a more ordinary Ceed model. Headroom though, as you might expect from a 'Fastback coupe', is slightly more limited. There's a 594-litre boot, which is just 31-litres less than you'd get in the ordinary Ceed SW estate.

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