2019 Kia Proceed

2019 Kia proceed

10/3/2019

mid-size - shooting brake - wagon

It has been a long time since we have had a really good shooting brake design from a main corporation. Sure we do have the Zagato Shooting Brake, but if your not a multi-millionaire, then you're not getting one.

But it should come as no surprise that Kia would be the one to bring back this market to everyone else. As they have done it before with previous models. And hey even us at AutoLooks have a copy of Kia's original shooting brake. Yes, we are talking about the 2002 Kia Rio RXV that's kicking around our garage. Sure, it's not the greatest car in the world, but it was the beginning of a revolution within the hatch marketplace. And it seems that Kia is set to bring back this marketplace again.

Up front it seems that Kia is stuck on big aspirations, as the front layout does give this car the illusion that its wider than it really is. But besides that there's not much that we see would need updating as Kia has done an excellent job at integrating their materials flawlessly. Sure that H-grille is still hard to get over, but when you add on a front spoiler and fake side air intakes, you have the introduction of a perfect aftermarket car.

Out back on the other hand is where we do come into a few flaws within this design. Seems Kia should have tucked the lower bumper fascia under the car as its design makes the rear end look like it has stiff lower lip. Sure we love a good wide stance, but when it blocks off the rear design and makes the bumper more apparent, then we're not into it. Sure the integrated exhaust ports are a great feature, but when they stick that far out, your going to have design issues. If this area was tucked below and smoothed out, it may blend better with the rest of the rear. But from there we have to move up to where the rear arches meet as they are a bit too curvy. Sure we do love curves, but on this rear it may have been better if they had used some hard edges and added some square features to the rear D-pillar arches. Next to this they have done a wonderful job at adding a perfectly sized spoiler, but even that could have used a centre drop to help add a bit more sport appeal to the rear.

Along the side you will find the worst part of the car, the high stance and improperly place rear overhang. Sure the we don't ask that all cars ride on the ground, but at least bring it in line with other sedans rather than raised hatches. The rear overhang is another of those issues that could deteriorate the image of this model, as the rear seems to stick out a bit too far. Sure we want storage space, but not 2' of overhang that makes the rear stick out way too far. Pushing the rear of the car in about 6" would help bring this design more in line with that of the Lancer Sportback, which did come close to winning our top marks back in 2010. But besides that we did find that Kia did do a great job with its character lines and chrome features. But may we suggest you use some other wheels as these are a bit overused.

Overall the 2019 Kia ProCeed does hit a few good points, but it could have a bit lower stance and use a few less curves. Sure it does make good use of materials and blends them very well along with having that bit of anger in its genes. But with a few changes they could turn this decent looking model into a supermodel. So let's hope that Kia makes these few changes and comes back with a model that can make it to the top of our list.

Everett J.
#AutoLooks, @AutoLooks, AutoLooks.net