Should you buy one?

On practical and rational grounds, no. On paper it’s difficult to justify the Kia ProCeed – it’s more expensive than the Ceed SW and less practical. So why bother? The looks are undeniably a big selling point, and you’ll either love or hate the slinky silhouette and shapely rear. It does stand out from the crowd, though, and that’s definitely appealing to some drivers – so if you’re style-led, then you’ll be glad to know it’s as dependable and easy to use

The ProCeed’s high specification is also ideal for those who want lots of toys. Kia’s cleverly positioned it above the regular Ceed SW in terms of equipment, thereby forcing customers who want more powerful engines or greater specification into buying a ProCeed. A slightly cynical move, perhaps, but one that could pay off.

Really, though, you’d need to fall in love with the ProCeed’s looks to pay the extra over a similar conventional estate car. There’s no great reason to avoid the ProCeed – it’s as competent and easy to live with as any other Kia – but nor is there a huge incentive to buy one.

For our money, we’d steer clear of the pricey GT and opt for either the 1.4-litre petrol or the 1.6-litre diesel, paired with a manual gearbox. The range-topping engine isn’t good enough to justify the high price – it’s within spitting distance of a much more exciting Hyundai i30 N, for example.