In Russia, they traditionally do not like squat station wagons, preferring crossovers that are more practical in our latitudes with bad roads. You can’t get into the mud in your right mind on this, but you can safely overcome the broken-down parking lot next to the house.

But not always when buying, everything is decided by the mind. The first time I saw the Kia ProCeed GT live was when I went to pick up the car at the press park. And he was stunned when he saw her charming ass. Well, it looks very, very nice.

I understand perfectly well that the classic “shed” with straight chopped forms is more understandable and practical, but take a look at these graceful contours. The car looks airy, elegant, and for the design you can put a five with a plus.

What is inside

In the photos, the interior looks nicer than in real life: glossy black plastic on the steering wheel, door panels, in my opinion, is not very practical and collects dust, but you don’t have to choose. In the cabin there are a lot of decorative silver inserts for aluminum, it’s a pity that there was no place for the original.

But the driver is waiting for an excellent comfortable steering wheel with an abundance of auxiliary buttons and a seat trimmed with genuine leather and suede with a sports profile and electric adjustments. The front passenger has mechanical adjustments, saving.

The rear window is very narrow, so when maneuvering, you are more guided by the side mirrors, and when parking, a regular camera helps. But there is no camera in front, there are only sensors. There is a system to simplify parking: the car itself will stand in the right place. I tried it, the impressions are strange, it’s easier for me to park on my own.

In general, in terms of electronics, the ProCeed GT is perfectly equipped: heated windshield and steering wheel, front and rear seats, pleasant JBL music, support for Android Auto and CarPlay, a bunch of USB connectors and drawers for storing small things. There is also wireless charging, adaptive cruise control, the car warns with sound and blinking in the mirrors when it thinks it is dangerous to change lanes. Ceed also knows how to keep the lane, following the markings. Almost an autopilot, but so that the driver does not fall asleep on the road, the system periodically requires you to put both hands on the steering wheel.

Driving

The character of the car is peculiar, no matter what mode you choose to move around the city: sports or normal, by pressing the large button next to the control handle of the 7-speed robot with two clutches. In any case, the car rides hard, the suspension is not distinguished by loyalty to passengers and lets you know about all the bumps on the road. Yes, the control is precise and sharp, pleasant, but not at the same price.

On top of that, the sports exhaust also starts to tire, the rumbling gets annoying at times and you want silence, but it’s not here. As an option, install additional sound insulation after purchase, otherwise family trips with a child in the back seat will end with a baby crying, who cannot fall asleep on the road to the roar.

The declared dynamics is as follows: seven and a half seconds to the cherished hundred for a car weighing one and a half tons and a motor with a capacity of two hundred horsepower. But there is no hurricane speed, the Kia ProCeed GT accelerates not as cheerfully as you expect from it. Gas to the floor, the car thinks, and then starts to catch up. From a car with sporting ambitions, I expected a more balanced approach and confident traction from forty kilometers, and here it comes closer to eighty.

The declared consumption is 9.5 liters in the city, the regular computer showed me a little more: about 11 liters. On the highway, of course, it turns out much less, the picture above shows that it turned out to be 6.4 liters per hundred.

After talking with friends from the world of motors, they told me that I should have asked for a ProCeed GT Line test. It is less powerful, but just the same more pleasant and better suited to my needs. And it costs almost half a million rubles less.

Trunk

The electric lid opens with a key, so you don’t have to lean over to the car and try to blindly grope for the treasured button, risking smearing it with your hand in winter. It also closes by pressing the button next to the handle – everything is as convenient as possible.

There are several compartments for storing small things, even a separator is present and all kinds of hooks for bags. But you will find the wheels in the trunk, there is no place left for it, there is not even a stowaway.

Of course, the Kia ProCeed is such a compromise between practicality and the desire to pack a sporty spirit into a family car. Because a conventional Ceed station wagon will have a more practical space, and then you have to adapt to the spirit of the car.

For example, we have planned a trip with a child. I dismantled the baby carriage into two halves and put it in the trunk, but that was where all the free space ended. Yes, the stroller is not small, it’s big, but it’s just a case of life when you seem to have a station wagon, but not versatile enough to take everything at once. However, if you live without children or do not plan to have them at all, then why not. Then there will be plenty of space, especially since the rear seats fold in convenient proportions of 40-20-40, if you suddenly feel like transporting something voluminous.

What is the price

The test top version costs about 2 million rubles in the only and maximum configuration. There really aren’t many options for that kind of money. There are few sports station wagons in Russia, but this is due to the fact that we have a small demand for such cars.

If there are daredevils who are ready to get along with the character of the car, then welcome to visit the dealer. But I really, really advise you to drive a car before buying, and only then make a decision on the choice, so that there is no painfully painful moment later with the search for a new owner for your impulse purchase.

I want to try the “simple” Ceed even if it’s in a simpler package, but it’s interesting to see how well the regular version turned out. Kia does not know how to play sports.