THE BEST way to describe Kia's XCeed model is that it is just that little bit bigger than the standard Ceed – and it's somewhere between being an estate and a SUV.

That said, while it might look a wee bit on the SUV-side – with its covered wheel arches, other styling features and sitting as it does 48mm higher than the norm – it is only two-wheel-drive. There is no 4 x 4 option, so it's front-wheel-drive only.

Kia has done a good job with this one and despite that extra ride height and a few more inches here and there, it handles really well too. It's an easy drive – which is what you expect from a decent-sized family motor.

On test was the top-of-the-range First Edition model and very well equipped it was too. But you'd expect that from a car that sits at a tad above £29,000 – though the range starts at £20,750.

For a start, the top-spec' gives you a really good seven-speed automatic gearbox, a panoramic glass roof, power opening boot, digital dashboard and there's a pretty easy-to-use 10.25-inch touchscreen. That even has a dual-screen option that lets driver and passenger choose their own functions.

This spec' also has lane following assist technology – which is useful for long journey, but is the first thing I switch off! For your entertainment, there's an eight-speaker JBL premium sound system and there's also a wireless phone charger.

The really good reversing camera system is standard on all grades of the Xceed, though the smart park assist system, with parallel, perpendicular and reverse parking capabilities, is only on the First Edition, as well as front and rear parking sensors.

The test car had one of two petrol versions, the more powerful 138bhp 1.4-litre engine – the other 'gas' version is a one-litre, three-cylinder turbo of 118bhp. For those who prefer an oil burner, there's a 1.4-litre diesel with 114bhp or 134bhp – all of which come with a six-speed manual gearbox.

With a smidgen above 40mpg and a 0-62mph time of 9.2 second, the test car was fairly nippy. That was especially so with the Sport button down.

On these range-leading models, the exterior colour is picked out inside, with body-coloured trim and seat stitching, but it just so happened the exterior colour was one of those yucky yellow/not quite gold colours – farmer's would call it 'calf scoor'. Other colours are available on the more standard models but compulsory on the First Edition!

But, it's not a bad place to sit. The black faux leather/cloth seats are comfy, with plenty of support even for the more robust! It also had nice touches like heated seats and steering wheel – scorchio on a cold winter's morning!

The rear passengers get the benefit of Xceed greater dimensions and there's a generous 426-litre boot space – or 1378 litres with the rear seats folded down. It also a neat dual floor design to help stack bigger objects.

This is the fourth member of the Ceed family built in Žilina, Slovakia, which follows the hatchback, Sportswagon and ProCeed Shooting Brake as part of an enlarged family.

The other big plus, of course, is that it comes with Kia’s industry-leading seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.