Experiencing two probables from Kia’s European portfolio

Kia Motors’ European design centre in the heart of Frankfurt city is a tall, glass and steel structure located on the edge of the business district. The building is representative of Kia’s design philosophy “the simplicity of the straight line”, and despite its use of rather predictable materials, still manages to stand out from the rest of the neighbourhood. The design centre is unique in that it is Kia’s first design centre that is independent of sister company Hyundai’s global network of studios located in Namyang, Korea and Irvine, California.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit this high-tech design centre with its state-of-the-art facilities that include a clay-modelling studio and digital projection studio. Though this studio is focussed on creating new vehicles that are positioned for the European market, a number of design inputs for Kia models sold globally originate from the Frankfurt centre. After checking out a line-up of concepts and the Stinger, Kia’s top of the line sports coupe, in the studio gallery, I headed out on two Kia models specifically created for the European market. Here are my initial impressions of the Ceed Sportswagon and the Stonic.

Ceed Sportswagon/ ProCeed

The Cee’d was one of the first cars that was designed at the European Design Studio in Frankfurt specifically for that market and with a special emphasis on styling and performance. After two generations, its apostrophe dropped from the brand name, with the new corporate ‘Tiger Nose‘ grille design and after, market preferences led to, a change to its current five-door (instead of three-door) hatchback body style, the third generation Ceed has become a stylish, confident and mature car that is at home in the heart of the German automotive market.

Introduced at the Paris Motor Show last year, the ProCeed, is the suave, shooting brake version that has really caught the fancy of Kia fans thanks to the alluring design and sophisticated, very German, cabin created by Peter Schreyer and his team. The ProCeed’s design stands out as being very modern and different from most other Kia vehicles, though there are bits like the connected LED tail-lamps, which seem to have been inspired by Porsche’s design. It has classic shooting brake proportions with the longer rear overhang, and the symmetrical roof and window line.

The Sportswagon/ProCeed has some really prominent design signatures at the front such as the twin-layered Tiger Nose grille and the sportier, wider air intakes in the fender. Also new are the ‘ice cube’ LED DRLs in the headlamp. The peeled back design of the headlamp also adds some more perspective to the shooting brake body style of the ProCeed. What you get then is a very unique night time light signature in this Kia. Built on the same platform as the Hyundai Elantra, the Kia ProCeed’s exterior design is a very likeable combination of a coupe and station wagon.

The cabin is even more impressive with a very high level of perceived quality. There are acres of plastic, but of very good quality, with a lightly soft, textured finish. The German-spec GT Line Sportswagon I was driving featured red contrast stitching and a mix of chrome and other sporty touches like the flat-bottomed steering wheel. The black/dark grey colour scheme for the cabin is very European, as is the very driver-oriented layout of all the controls and switches. The finish quality is excellent, and room in the cabin is very good, and the boot offers nearly 600-litres of luggage space.

With an eye on Shooting Brakes from other premium brands like the Mercedes-Benz CLA, the Kia Sportswagon/ProCeed is also performance focussed. My test mule featured a 1.4-litre T-GDi (turbocharged, direct injection) petrol engine. Capable of delivering about 138 bhp, and paired with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, the Sportswagon feels lithe and agile despite its 4.6-metre length and considerable heft. Though the Ceed Sportswagon didn’t feature any hybrid tech, it did sport an intelligent start-stop system and a whole host of active and passive safety systems.

Stonic

The other car that I managed to sample in Frankfurt, right after the visit to the design centre was the Kia Stonic. Some of the most popular vehicles from this young South Korean brand are sports utilities like the Sportage and the Sorento; the smallest and one of the youngest is the Stonic. Built on the same platform as the Hyundai Kona and the Kia Rio, the Stonic is just over 4.1-metres in length, and looks like it will be competition for the likes of the Hyundai Creta and the Suzuki Vitara Brezza.

The Stonic’s design is part compact crossover and part upright hatch, with a very unique contrast paint scheme that highlights the roof, roofline and A-pillar. Without making it look like the now overplayed floating roof finish, the Stonic looks young with some really vibrant colours on offer. The compact, black high-gloss Tiger Nose grille with the satin chrome surround, the bi-function projector headlamps and the large front fender with faux air vents give the Stonic a modern SUV face, though in terms of proportions it is only just a bit larger than a B-segment hatch. Flared wheel arches, 17-inch rims and faux underbody protectors add to that image.

The Stonic shares a lot of its interior parts and features with the Kia Rio. The cabin has metallic trim inserts sporting the same exterior contrast body colour. The trim quality and finish has a sporty, young feel to it. The D-cut steering wheel and the sports seats with faux leather are similarly constructed to offer a very performance-oriented experience. My test mule was a yellow Stonic Mixx variant, which also sported a seven-inch touchscreen navigation system.

In most markets in Europe, the Stonic is offered with three engines — two petrol and one diesel. The one I was driving sported a one-litre, turbocharged T-GDi petrol engine. This three-cylinder engine is surprisingly peppy and refined. Delivering about 118 bhp of power and about 170 Nm of torque, this engine offers a lot of shove for a vehicle this size. Handling and dynamics though are not as tight and precise as the Ceed Sportswagon. With the optional safety features, however, the Stonic has scored a five-star rating from EuroNCAP. It is still a young, engaging and fun compact SUV to experience on city roads and on sweeping highways.

Bottom Line

With Kia poised to launch its first vehicle for the Indian market in April this year, there is a lot of anticipation from this brand. It is a younger and more vibrant brand and there is lot of promise going by the touch and feel of their vehicles, including the ones I experienced in Frankfurt.

Kia officials say that the India portfolio will grow rapidly and may include imports within the next few years. Estates and Station wagons haven’t worked here, though a high quality Shooting Brake should find takers. The ProCeed and the Stonic may well be considered for India. I certainly hope so; given the potential for vehicles in their respective segments.

COMMENT NOW