THE popularity and practicality of the SUV in recent years means more and more motorists are driving vehicles which could have been cloned.

Look in any typical car park and it's not always easy to distinguish one from another.

It's a scenario that Kia has clearly picked up on and addressed with the creation of its new XCeed model.

It's a nice merger of SUV and hatchback with some stunning design cues. But best of all it's different.

That means it's a car for the motorist who likes to be an individual and not run with the pack.

And if you're quick enough to buy one of the "First Edition" models your limited edition car will stand out even more.

For starters all "First Edition" models come in an unmissable bright gold colour.

It's a hue that really does enhance the car and gets it noticed.

And trust me, in grey, overcast conditions in the UK this winter it's a colour which really will be worth it's weight in gold from a safety point of view.

Kia obviously thought so because it's a colour which also adds a lot of sparkle to the interior, from the gold honeycomb pattern of the seats to embellishing touches around the air vents and the central touch screen not to mention the gold stitching on the door interiors.

But it's not just the colour that makes the First Edition XCeed worth snapping up. It's packed with a whole host of creature comforts - not to mention safety features - which make it easy to live with.

For starters there are heated seats for both driver and passenger as well as for rear seat passengers.

And you won't need gloves this winter because it's got a heated steering wheel. It may sound a little over the top but don't knock it until you've tried it.

And like cars of more than twice the price the electrically adjustable driver's seat moves you automatically to your pre-set driving position as soon as you get in and close the door. Switch off and your seat slides back making it easier to get out.

Other nice touches include an electrically operated tailgate, satellite navigation and a super sharp reversing camera to back up the front and rear parking sensors.

But if you're not very good at positioning in the supermarket car park you can just press a button and let the XCeed park itself.

And for good measure this model also comes with a tilt and slide glass sunroof.

The XCeed is powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine mated to a nice smooth six-speed manual gearbox and boasts 138bhp.

It's no pocket rocket despite its sleek, coupe-like styling but it will hit 60mph in a very respectable nine seconds and gives a more than adequate account of itself when you have to put the pedal to the metal.

At the same time it's a very relaxed car to drive and despite its height - 44mm higher than the Ceed hatch on which it's based - it holds the road well with little body roll and is always impressively stable at high speeds on the motorway

And as a family car there's plenty of both leg and head room for five as well as some 426 litres of boot space extending to a generous 1,378 with the rear seatbacks lowered.

Over a week's motoring I managed to average around 46 miles per gallon which, while not outstanding, is certainly reasonable for a car of this size.

The XCeed First Edition is a genuinely nice package, offering style comfort, good performance and that dare to be different quality.