What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

VolkswagenGolf

1.5TSIEvo 130 Match

Mileage 5445

Listpricewhennew(2019)£21,885

Valueonarrival£18,950

Pricenewwithoptions£24,570

Testeconomy47.1mpg

Ofcialeconomy50.4mpg(WLTP)

Dealerpricenow£18,365

Privatepricenow£17,405

Trade-inpricenow£16,100

Runningcosts(excludingdepreciation)

Fuel£365

XCeedmighthavetheedgeonfueleconomy,at least...

Renementcouldbebetter,butXCeedisn’ta badcruiser

XCeed made a ne

camera car, thanks

to its settled ride

whatcar.com April 2020 81

aboonbeyondmeasure,becauseitdispensed

withthatmanicfumblingforkeysinvarious

pocketsasIapproachedthecarattheendofa

busyday.Inshort,theGolfhadallIcouldneed

andmostofwhatIwouldwant.

TopoftheGolf’slistofdesirablefeatures,

though,wasitsimpressivefueleconomy.The

officialaverageWLTPfigureis50.4mpg,and

myoverall47.1mpggottantalisinglyclose

tothis.Iregularlysaw50mpgonthedigital

readoutonlongruns,andevenonmydaily

commute–ajourneythathasblightedmany

adiesel-enginedcar’seconomyhopesinthe

past–Isawfiguresinthelow40s.

TheGolfmaynotshowofforshinebrightly

inanyoneparticulararea,then,butitdealt

verycompetentlywitheverythingIcould

throwatitindailyuse.

Forexample,noothercarIcanrecallhashad

suchadeftandalmostunnoticeableoperation

ofitshillstartassistfunction,whichholdsthe

carstationaryuntilthemomentyouletout

theclutchtogetitrolling,orneededsucha

lighttouchonthedoorhandletoinitiatethat

keylessunlockingofthedoor,orhadsuch

anunobtrusiveenginestop-startsystem.It’s

equallyraretofindacarwhoseweightsforits

primarycontrols–steering,accelerator,brake

pedal,clutchandgearshift–anditsminor

switchesanddialswereallinsuchperfect

harmony,subconsciouslymakingforan

enormoussenseofwell-beinginthedriver.

So,nowit’sgoneandI’msad,butIshall

moveon.Inthemeantime,ifyoudesireaused

familycarforagoodprice,IknowoneIcan

recommendmosthighly.

‘TheGolfdealtvery

competentlywith

everythingI could

throwat it in dailyuse’

OurSUV-styledhatchback proves itsworthasa long-

haulcruiser and jackofall tradesona photo shoot

LOGBOOK

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE a really good run to

better get to know a car, and the Kia XCeed has

been putting in some lengthy shifts recently.

One of these journeys in particular really

brought to light its spread of talents, when it

was called upon to assist on a big photo shoot

for our sister magazine, Classic & Sports Car.

A very early start and a long motorway slog

is never a great combination, but the XCeed

is a remarkably relaxing companion for such

trips. The seats are excellent – comfortable yet

firm and supportive – and for me the driving

position is easy to set in a way that avoids any

long-distance aches and pains.

Refinement isn’t a strong suit; there’s a fair

bit of engine noise at low speeds, although this

fades into the background on the motorway,

when it’s overtaken by road roar. But the

sophisticated rear suspension helps to give a

comfy ride, no doubt aided by the small (16in)

wheels with relatively tall tyre sidewalls that

come as standard with entry-level 2 trim. All of

which meant that I arrived at the Staffordshire

test track location feeling pretty fresh.

During the day, the XCeed demonstrated

another of its qualities: it’s just so very useful.

When shuttling guests to a nearby café for

lunch, it proved spacious enough for four

adults to be comfy, and its boot – which is

larger than the regular Ceed hatchback’s – was

ideal for throwing in the accumulated detritus

of a photo shoot, as well as providing a smooth,

stable base for a photographer to hang out of

for those dramatic action shots.

Once we’d wrapped for the day, I couldn’t

resist taking the XCeed for a few laps of

Curborough Sprint Course to see how it would

fare. Now, it’s clear that this is no performance

car, and it shouldn’t be judged as such, but Kia

Kia XCeed 1.0 T-GDi 2

does say that it wants the XCeed to entertain its

drivers, and indeed it does. The three-cylinder

petrol engine loves to be revved and sounds

suitably sporty when extended, while the

slick gearbox and lively steering contribute

to an overall sense of agility, even if traction

is limited when powering out of corners. That

latter point, and the fact that there’s very little

in the way of feedback through the steering,

ultimately limit the XCeed’s appeal as a driver’s

car, but it’s energetic enough to encourage you

to enjoy a spirited drive on a favourite road.

At the end of the day, I found myself feeling

a new respect for the XCeed. It’s a flexible

and practical car that also looks pretty sharp

• and those longer drives also mean that
  fuel economy is nudging up to a respectable

38.4mpg average.

An average of 47.1mpg kept fuel stops to a minimum

Mileage 3240 List price £20,795

Target Price £19,447 Price as tested

£21,615 Test economy 38.4mpg

Alastair Clements

[email protected]