IT'S the latest member of Kia's all-new Ceed family and the pumped up crossover XCeed looks set to become a top seller.

Priced from £20,795 the XCeed is joining a band of cars with SUV looks and everyday credentials.

It's a booming market and Kia knows that its latest model is likely to become the mainstay of its Ceed range which already includes a hatch, estate and the ProCeed station wagon.

With an increased ride height, a restyled body and plenty of body cladding around the wheel arches and sills the XCeed certainly looks the part.

Overall it is some three inches longer than the hatchback on which it is based and has two inches extra ground clearance but sits on the same wheelbase.

Those extra dimensions have added to its practicality and at 444 litres boot space is up by almost a suitcase over the hatch with some 1,378 litres of room available with the rear seats folded.

Interior space is similar to the hatch but the XCeed features upgraded trim and fittings which see it come with a larger display screen, a new-look instrument panel and more refinement all round.

Eight versions will be available in the UK with the line up topping out at £29,195 for a high specification First Edition model powered by a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine mated to a seven-speed DCT auto box.

But at the start of the range comes the XCeed 2 with a 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol engine under the bonnet and it's a car that's good enough to satisfy all that is demanded in the current compact crossover craze.

The increase in height has done nothing to diminish its nifty handling and with 118bhp on tap performance is more than adequate.

Officially it is rated 10.9 seconds 0 to 60 with a maximum speed of 115mph while on the fuel front it comes in at an average of 45.6mpg with emissions of 124g/km.

On our run we exceeded that without having to try and saw an average of 50.2 to the gallon on the trip computer.

But it is what you get for your money where the XCeed impresses most and even the entry-level car comes with little lacking.

On the safety front there's a full array of equipment ranging from lane keeping, anti collision braking and speed limit information to automated LED headlights and a driver attention monitor.

The 1.0-litre XCeed 2 is a six-speed manual and comes with a ‘proper' handbrake - electric parking brakes feature on the higher trim cars as does a larger display panel and Kia's new digitised instrument display.

At 2 grade the car sits on 16-inch alloy wheels and comes with an 8.1-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash and a 3.5-inch display screen in the instrument panel.

Voice control, a reversing camera and full smartphone compatibility is standard and realistically all that is missing on the 2 grade model is sat nav which is fitted on all other versions.

Trim quality is high and there are no complaints about onboard comfort with good levels of noise insulation and a quality feel to the seats all round.

Rear space is little different to that of the hatch with the extra length of the XCeed going mainly on the added boot space.

As with all Kias the XCeed comes with a seven year, 100,000 mile warranty and sitting in the Korean car maker's SUV line up below the Sportage it is a compelling option for those who neither need nor want the size or 4x4 ability of bigger models.

With its looks and all round demeanour the XCeed has success stamped all over it.