Kia unveils the Cross GT concept

Cast your minds back to September 2011, for that was when Kia chose to discard its Shield Of Sensibleness And Mediocrity and pick up its Flying Sword Of Fighty Powerful Concept Which Tickles Eyes.

Yes, it was autumn 2011 we first saw the rather tasty Kia GT concept: a 3.3-litre, 390bhp rear-wheel-drive sports saloon. Well folks, this is that car, but a bit more grown-up. Meet the Kia Cross GT concept.

It sits on the same chassis as the Kia GT concept, but ditches the saloon's rear-wheel-drive for a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. It's also packing a 3.8-litre V6 engine and "pancake-shaped" electric motor snuggled between engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox, producing 400bhp and some 500lb ft of torque in total.

No word on performance, but we're told it packs enough battery power to travel 20 miles on electric power alone. Kia reckons this hybrid technology may one day find its way into production models. We eagerly await this day.

Size-wise, the Cross GT is longer, wider and shorter than the Kia Sorento, with space for four adults and their cargo, all tucked inside a ‘greenhouse' style cabin. The doors are of the rear-hinged ‘suicide' variety, instantly worth at least half-a-dozen cool points. And, you have to say, it's a fine-looking thing. Thank Kia's new president and design chief Peter Schreyer (yes, him what styled the Audi TT), who says the Cross GT could hint at a premium Kia SUV.

"The debut of the Kia GT in 2011 heralded a new frontier for Kia," Schreyer notes. "The Cross GT allows us to envision the GT in the form of a full-size luxury crossover".

Do you approve of this luxurious, crossovery form-envisioning? Let us know below.

Vijay Pattni