 awards – often cited as the most important German automobile prize. The Kia XCeed received the prize for “Best car under 35,000 Euros”, in the annual awards presented by Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag.){kind=link}
Kia’s new urban crossover utility vehicle the Kia XCeed has triumphed at the Golden Steering Wheel (Das Goldene Lenkrad) awards – often cited as the most important German automobile prize. The Kia XCeed received the prize for “Best car under 35,000 Euros”, in the annual awards presented by Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag.
The youngest member of the Kia Ceed family, XCeed fought off stiff competition from a host of worthy competitors to win “Best car under 35,000 Euros”. In total, 58 new cars were appraised, with the test team evaluating basic price, basic equipment, warranties, extra charges and driving feel.
“The Auto Bild editorial team awarded the Golden Steering Wheel to the Kia XCeed in the category ‘Under 35,000 Euros’ because it is a winner from the word go, impressing with space and quality and not only with the seven-year warranty”, commented Andreas May, Head of Test and Technology.
“The award shows the capabilities of our brand”, commented Steffen Cost, Managing Director of Kia Motors Deutschland. “Having the best car in this price range ultimately means being best in many ways, including comfort, driving pleasure and quality, the latter is underpinned by our seven-year warranty. We are very proud that the Auto Bild experts have honoured our development with this award.”
The third generation of the compact Ceed family which recently beat the Volkawagen T-Roc in an Auto Bild comparative test (issue 42/2019) continues to triumph following the success of its sister models Ceed, Ceed Sportswagon and ProCeed. Collectively, these cars have won around 20 comparative tests conducted by leading trade media, even against rivals from premium brands. The Ceed took bronze in the European “Car of the Year 2019” competition, close behind the Jaguar I-Pace and the Renault Alpine A110.
Sales of the third model generation of the compact car have doubled this year in Europe (January-October 2019: 92,050, previous year: 49,868 units), and in Germany (January-October 2019: 18,003 units; previous year: 8,991 units).
Kia XCeed: a crossover combining SUV practicality with hatchback handling
The Kia XCeed is a new urban crossover utility vehicle (CUV) from Kia Motors which combines compact SUV practicality with the sporty packaging and engaging handling of a hatchback. The Kia XCeed’s suite of advanced safety, connectivity and infotainment technologies make it one of the most high-tech, comprehensively-equipped cars in its class.
The car is available with a choice of five highly efficient turbocharged petrol and diesel engines and a plug-in hybrid to be added at the beginning of 2020. Three gasoline engines are available: a three-cylinder 1.0-litre T-GDi, a four-cylinder 1.4-litre T-GDi engine and a high-power 1.6-litre T-GDi engine found in the Ceed GT and ProCeed GT is also available. The Kia XCeed is also available with a choice of two diesel Smartstream power units – the 1.6-litre Smartstream engine is offered with either 115 ps or 136 ps.
Optional features include 10.25-inch navigation system (including Kia UVO services), a fully digital cockpit, a premium sound system, an electric driver’s seat with ventilation, a sensor-controlled electric tailgate, Lane Following Assist and Parking Assist.
Every model is covered by the company’s unique 7-Year, 150,000 km warranty as standard, as well as a 7-year Kia navigation map update when equipped with the factory fitted Kia navigation system.
The Golden Steering Wheel – A highly-regarded competition
The Golden Steering Wheel (Das Goldene Lenkrad) has been awarded every year since 1976 to the best new car models launched during a 12-month period. Awards include the “Best Car” editorial awards and the “Best Innovation” special award. The vehicle evaluation jury has been condensed to consist exclusively of car experts. The readers of Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag select the three finalists in each of the seven vehicle classes (small cars, compact cars, medium-sized and luxury cars, small SUVs, medium SUVs, large SUVs, sports cars), which are tested by the jury on the DEKRA Lausitzring facility.