Kia has brought its sporty-looking GT-Line S trim levels back to the family-orientated Ceed and ProCeed ranges. Back “by popular demand”, the high-specification variants will crown the respective ranges and offer customers a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox as standard.
Both cars will be powered by the existing 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which drives the front wheels and produces 158 bhp. In the Ceed, that’s enough for a 0-62 mph time of 8.4 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph, while the ProCeed takes 8.6 seconds to get from a standstill to 62 mph.
The seven-speed automatic gearbox fitted to all GT-Line S versions of the Ceed and ProCeed is unchanged from previous applications in the Kia range. The company says it has been designed to “enhance” fuel efficiency and comfort “while retaining the sportiness of a manual when the driver chooses to take control of gear changes”.
As well as the 1.5-litre engine and automatic gearbox, the GT-Line S versions of the Ceed and ProCeed will also come with an all-encompassing specification to justify their position at the top of the range. As standard, the cars get 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof and part-leather upholstery, as well as a 12.3-inch digital instrument display. So-called ‘keyless’ entry and ignition is also standard, along with a JBL audio system, heated outer rear seats and wireless phone charging.
All that comes in addition to the existing GT-Line specification, which includes heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a 10.25-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation. A reversing camera is standard, too, not to mention privacy glass, climate control and LED headlights.
More on the Kia Ceed range:
All this equipment comes at a premium, though, and the GT-Line S versions of the Ceed come in at £31,145 – a £5,100 increase compared with the previously range-topping ‘3’ version. The ProCeed GT-Line S is even more expensive, at £32,245 – a rise of £5,600 compared with the GT-Line.
The two returning models join the GT-Line S version of the XCeed – a crossover based on the same underpinnings as the Ceed and ProCeed - in the Kia range. Like its less jacked-up siblings, the XCeed GT-Line S is powered by the 1.5-litre petrol engine, although with the arrival of these two new models, it is also gaining the seven-speed automatic gearbox for the first time. That car splits the Ceed and ProCeed in terms of price, starting at £31,495.
Gallery: Kia Ceed, XCeed and ProCeed GT-Line S models