KIA is turning on the style with an all-new ProCeed that's got shooting brake looks and drives like a dream.

Replacing the three-door variant of the heavily punctuated pro_cee'd model of before, the newcomer is a totally different offering from the Korean car maker.

Designed to broaden the appeal of the new Ceed range, the ProCeed is a fraction longer than the estate version of the Slovakian-built line up and has a low, sleek profile with a 594 litre boot.

That's twice as large as the boot of the hatchback Ceed and a rucksack less than the estate but realistically the ProCeed is out to conquer a new audience.

Priced from £23,835 it is aimed at those looking for something that's neither a hatch nor an SUV but a car that's good looking and individual.

The ProCeed scores highly on its looks and the rear window is angled at 64.2 degrees to give it true coupe-like style - think Mercedes CLA, only cheaper.

Three engines are available - a 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre diesel which will power the mainstream GT-Line trim models and a perky 1.6-litre petrol unit which is fitted to a sporty GT version.

All handle in splendid fashion with a great degree of composure which has been carried over from the Ceed hatch launched last year and all come with plenty of creature comforts including a heated steering wheel and front seats, dual zone air conditioning, a front wiper de-icer and kerbside lighting.

On the safety front there's lane keeping, driver fatigue and forward collision avoidance systems among standard features while higher specification GT-Line S models come with blind spot alerts and a semi-autonomous lane following system among their extra features.

GT-Line S is the top grade and available only with the 1.4-litre engine and a seven-speed semi-automatic DCT gearbox that's very smooth and precise.

It's priced from £28,685 which is £550 more than the lively GT model that has 201bhp on tap and brisk performance figures of 0 to 60 in 7.1 seconds and a top end of 140mph.

The GT is dressed to look the part with red detailing on the body including the centre caps on the 18-inch alloys, on the grille and front air intake, red brake callipers and a rear diffuser with twin exhausts.

LED headlamps are also standard on the GT as is automatic parking and additional performance information such as a power meter on the instrument panel display screen.

All versions of the ProCeed look very classy all round and the tail is set off not just by that deeply raked rear window but by a red light strip stretching across the tailgate and the ProCeed name in bold capital letters.

The ProCeed GT is DCT only and while it uses the same engine as the Ceed GT, that one is a manual with a six-speed box.

When it comes to performance the real difference between the two - although the Ceed GT is some £2,600 cheaper - is fuel economy which is marginally better in the ProCeed GT at 39.3mpg compared to 38.2.

Real world figures on our drives in the two GT models reflected that with the Ceed averaging 28.3 to the gallon and the ProCeed 29.8 over similar routes. Emissions are rated at 142g/km for the ProCeed and 155g/km for the manual Ceed version.

As such, it is the thirstiest of the ProCeed line up - the 1.4 is rated at 45.6mpg at best and the diesel 56.5 - but is the nicest to drive with the extra power giving it an edge.

The 1.4 has 138bhp and the diesel develops 134bhp resulting in respective 0 to 60 times of 8.8 and 9.8 seconds - healthy enough but the difference in the GT fulfils the ProCeed's remit to a tee.

With the ProCeed GT having paddle shifters and a multi-mode drive programme which includes a sport setting there is plenty of fun to be had in this car and it lives up to its GT moniker in splendid fashion.

It also has slightly stiffer suspension tuned to accommodate the additional power and its handling is impressive, especially when cornering.

Factor in its good looks, its very practical cargo capacity and a comfortable interior, the GT has all it takes to be a great family all-rounder.

The ProCeed Is a bold move for Kia but shows the brand's determination to be different in a car scape that has become dominated by SUVs - and that is no bad thing.

Only the bonnet and front wings are the same as on the hatch and that makes the ProCeed a completely different offering in more ways than one - a car to be savoured if ever there was.