Three-door Pro-ceed shows Kia's sporty side

Longer, lower and lighter than its five-door hatchback sister car, the three-door Kia Pro-ceed, which made its Malta debut last week, brings more style and more sportiness to the C-segment and is destined to broaden the appeal of the Ceed to a new group of European consumers.

Despite its sporty appearance and lower roofline, the 4,250 mm-long Pro-ceed has an unusually long wheelbase and offers class-leading passenger and luggage space, competitive levels of equipment and state-of-the-art active and passive safety.

The final look of the production Pro-ceed was developed from European designs in Kia's world-class full-size aero-acoustic wind tunnel at the Namyang Research and Development Centre in Korea. The Pro-ceed has a smooth exterior, with elegant detailing and no unnecessary features, which results in significantly improved aerodynamics.

It is 15 mm longer than the five-door, with 10 mm greater overhang at the front and five mm at the rear, has highly competitive drag and lift co-efficients.

Beneath its stylish exterior, the Pro-ceed benefits from a bodyshell that has been engineered to achieve exceptionally high torsional (twisting) stiffness, which delivers a host of benefits in terms of handling, ride quality, durability, refinement and safety.

The all-new bodyshell that Kia has engineered for the Pro-ceed uses a high percentage of high tensile-strength steel (67 per cent) for structurally critical components (to save weight and to increase torsional stiffness), while more than 87 per cent of the bodyshell is made from anti-corrosion steel.

The Pro-ceed driver will enjoy the feeling of a 'compact and sporty' cockpit with its shallower windscreen, thick-rimmed, three-spoke steering wheel, sporty three-dial instrument cluster beneath a tightly curved cowling and centre stack angled towards the driver.

The stylish centre stack is a key visual feature of the interior design and can be ordered with one of five different finishes. Designed so that it appears to 'float' beside the driver, it features a tailor-made RDS audio system, and unusually it is flanked by four large air vents - rather than the more commonly-found two.

The centre stack sweeps down to meet the floor console which houses an oddments tray (with USB, AUX and iPod connections on EX and TX trims), gear selector and hand-brake lever, twin cup-holders and large-capacity storage box.

Standard equipment on the LX models include front, side and curtain airbags, speed-sensing automatic door locks, head restraints and three-point seat belts for all five occupants, central locking, electric front windows, four-speaker audio system with audio controls on the steering wheel and integrated information cluster with trip computer.

The EX models come with black bezel headlamps, electric door mirrors, projection front fog lamps, manual air-conditioning, keyless entry and anti-theft alarm, integrated 'active' head restraints for the front seats plus adjustable lumbar support.

The TX models will feature ESP and BAS, fully automatic air-conditioning, electrically adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors and optional leather pack interior and sports pack.

The Sports Pack comprises 17-inch alloy wheels with 225/45 R17 tyres, stiffer dampers, sport-concept interior trim with 'tyre-track' pattern fabric and silver stitching, plus alloy pedals and stainless-steel door-scuff plates.

One of the most popular engine choices is expected to be the 1.6-litre CRDi 16-valve diesel engine made in Slovakia. This modern DOHC unit features an electrically actuated variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) to ensure lively performance and clean emissions. Its power and torque figures are highly competitive - 115 ps (84.6 kW) and 255 Nm.

Diesel Pro-ceed customers demanding higher performance can opt for Kia's 2.0-litre CRDi diesel engine. This SOHC 16-valve CRDi unit also features second-generation common-rail technology, plus a VGT to generate 140 ps (103 kW) and 305 Nm of torque. This engine comes with a single transmission choice; a fuel-stretching high top ratio six-speed manual as standard.

There are three class competitive 16-valve petrol engines (1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre) - all fitted with performance-boosting upgraded electronic multi-point fuel injection and continuously variable valve timing (CVVT). All three engines are supplied with a five-speed manual transmission as standard.

The 1.4-litre engine generates a maximum power output of 109 ps (80.2 kW), while the 1.6-litre unit produces 122 ps (89.7 kW). For the ultimate gasoline Pro-ceed performance, Kia's compact DOHC 1975 cc gasoline engine creates a maximum of 143 ps (105.2 kW).

Prices for the Kia Pro-ceed start from €16,300 (Lm7,000). For more information visit www.kiamalta.com.