Comparative test 09/11/2020 Kia XCeed 1.6 GDi PHEV – Toyota C-HR 1.8 Hybrid – Double test Toyota stood alone for a long time with its dedication to hybrid technology, but now … 65

Toyota was alone for a long time with its dedication to hybrid technology, but now the market is flooded by partly electrically powered cars. By sticking to the plug-free form, the Japanese remain special, because almost every competitor is fully committed to the plug-in hybrid. So is Kia, with the new XCeed PHEV.

Say hybrid and thoughts probably go straight to pioneer Toyota. The competition is now doing everything they can to change that, because the plug-in hybrid is the ultimate weapon for many brands to get the average fleet emissions to the 95 grams required by the EU. Kia is now doing that by equipping the Ceed SW and XCeed with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Yet we do the Koreans short if we unceremoniously include them among the latecomers. After all, Kia already offered a hybrid version of the Optima in 2012, while the hybrid Niro has been extremely popular for years. However, Kia does not want to push its customers in one specific direction, but rather focuses on offering as much choice as possible. That explains why the Niro is not only available as a regular hybrid, but also as a plug-in hybrid and as an EV, while the petrol and diesel versions of the Ceed and XCeed (some even with mild hybrid support) are now accompanied by a plug-in version. The powertrain of the XCeed 1.6 GDi PHEV DCT6, as the car is called in full, can also be found in the Niro PHEV. This means that the basis is formed by an atmospheric 1.6-liter four-cylinder that runs according to the so-called Atkinson cycle. The Koreans are thus emphatically following Toyota’s example and doing it differently from most European competitors, who almost as standard opt for a setup based on an existing, small turbo petrol engine. The Atkinson engine is more efficient and therefore loses some power, but that lack can be compensated for by the electric motor in a hybrid. The result is a car that, even with a (nearly) empty battery, must be more economical than an equally powerful petrol variant with a turbo engine.

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