Kia Proceed review

We’ll get on to that, but before we do, know this: every Proceed comes as standard with Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. That’s the bit you wanted to hear, isn’t it? Yep, that’s class-leading piece of mind right there. And as usual, that’s just the start of a pretty handy Kia ownership proposition.

The base trim is GT-line, which starts from £25,480. But even there, there’s lots of equipment as standard. 17-inch alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, electric wing mirrors, automatic headlights, rear parking sensors and camera – they’re all present. 

One up the trim list is GT-Line S, starting from £30,240. The GT-line S adds 18-inch alloy wheels, electric sunroof, LED headlights, 10-way power adjustable front seats, heated rear seats, wireless smartphone charging, an eight-speaker JBL hi-fi, and even more driver assistance systems, amongst others.

Top-spec GT, starting from £40 more than the GT-Line S, has all of the features already mentioned, plus red centre caps for the alloy wheels, red inserts for the front grille and rear diffuser, twin exhausts, black leather and faux suede seats with red stitching (which look great, btw), a D-cut leather steering with black stitching, and a GT Performance mode in the instrument display.

There’s very little in the way of optional extras too – you choose your trimline and besides paint (be bold and go for Orange Fusion) and driver assists, there’s no fiddly extras to wade through. Kia does this to reduce build times at the factory, and pass cost savings onto the buyer. It means there’s not much fun to be had on the website configurator, but in an age when cars are very complex to spec right – and can be spoiled with a crass tick of a box – the Proceed range’s simplicity is refreshing.

Monthly payments in not-very-base-spec GT-Line trim start at around £240, rising to £300 in highly specced GT-Line S, and £380 in top-of-the-range GT trim, on a three-year agreement with a six-month initial payment. 

Our choice? Well, all models come generously equipped, and if you’re after a manual your only option is the base-spec GT-Line. If your budget can stretch slightly further, however, we’d suggest going for the mid-spec GT-Line S – you get pretty much all the options of the top-spec GT, but with the more frugal 1.5-litre engine. It’s swift enough for a car this size and you’ll be glad for the increased economy.