Kia Cee'd Sportswagon ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

Having already been impressed by Kia's second generation Cee'd when we tested the hatch in September last year the brand are building on its success with this, the new Sportswagon. Aimed at small families who need a little extra space in the luggage department this new addition to the Cee'd family offers subtle good looks and plenty of additional space in the boot. When we tested a fully loaded 'Tech 4' hatch we felt that although it came loaded with standard equipment it was a little too pricey and were convinced lower trim levels would shine more brightly. So here we are testing the most basic trim level logically named '1' to see how it compares.

At a shade under £17,000 the entry level Sportswagon you see here conveniently undercuts its closest rival from Ford by around £600 and Volkswagen by nearly £1500. For the money the Cee'd comes with a decent level of equipment including fog lights, air conditioning, electric front windows, remote central locking, Stop Start and body coloured handles and mirrors. If we were being picky the only features we would like to see would be alloy wheels and cruise control but it is no hardship.

Its interior is as equally well thought out as plusher versions with a clean and modern design that still holds plenty of visual appeal with its metal effect highlights and good choice of soft touch, quality materials. All of the controls are well laid out and work well, the dials are a particular highlight as they are individually hooded and easy to read whilst looking clean and stylish. The driving position is multi-adjustable and visibility-o all round is impressive.The seats are well shaped and reasonably comfortable if a little lacking in thigh support on longer journeys. Space for four adults is ample with plenty of leg, head and shoulder room, an unobtrusive transmission tunnel make carrying three not unreasonable. Where the Sportswagon excels is in the boot which is well shaped with a wide opening and low load lip and offers a class leading 528 litres with the seats in place expanding to 1642 litres with them folded.

Externally this Cee'd variant has the same well resolved styling as the hatch all the way back to the B pillar sharing the stylishly swept back headlights and tiger nose grill. Unusually the rear doors are different from the hatch enabling Kia to extend the roofline back further without its siblings waistline kink. The rear quarter window is nicely raked leading seamlessly into the all new rear styling with its more distinctive rear lights avoiding the anonymous look of the hatch. That said there is an uncanny resemblance to the styling adopted by Audi but who's complaining?

Under the bonnet is the smaller of two diesel engines making up the petrol-free Sportswagon range. It's a relatively small 1.4 litre, 16 valve, 4 cylinder unit that develops a modest 89 bhp and 220 Nm of torque between 1,500 and 2,750 rpm. You would think it would be lacking in power and would need to be worked hard to get the best from it but you would be wrong. It actually copes very well lugging the Cee'd around feeling surprisingly punchy despite the claimed leisurely 13.4 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour. It is also extremely refined even at higher speeds and throughout the rev range.

There is little to be sniffed at with rest of the driving experience. The six speed gearbox is a pleasure to use with a smooth, precise action and the steering seems to offer a little more feel through bends than we have experienced elsewhere in the range although it's still some way off the class best. Thanks to the modestly sized 15 inch steel wheels the '1' brings a whole new level of comfort managing to smother everything in its path with minimal fuss and glides along with very little tyre roar. The chassis also handles well enough although grip levels are reduced a little due to the fuel saving rubber but there is still enough traction through corners. Push on harder and the well sorted suspension gives in with a little body roll and eventually runs wide but it still feels reasonably agile.

Whilst with us perhaps the most impressive part of the package is the Sportswagon's running costs. Its engine is very kind to the environment emitting just 109 g/km of CO2 pinching into Band B costing owners just £20 per annum in road tax. It is also very economical, whilst in our hands we saw economy between 55 and 60 miles per gallon over a mixture of urban and extra-urban driving. As an ownership proposition Kia's superb seven year warranty provides real peace of mind.

Tech Data

Price as tested: £16,895
Engine: 1.4 litre 16v 89bhp - 0-62 mph: 13.4 secs - Maximum Speed: 106 mph -
Economy: 56.5 mpg (urban) –73.4 mpg (extra-urban), 67.3 mpg (combined) - Emissions: 109 g/km (Band B) - VED (12 months): £20
Dimensions: Length: 4505 mm - Width: 1780 mm - Height: 1485 mm - Wheelbase: 2650 mm

*data from Kia UK

DriverVIBE Verdict

Despite sitting at the very bottom of the range the Cee'd Sportswagon in base '1' trim makes a hell of a lot of sense. It represents good value for money yet Kia hasn't scrimped on equipment or safety kit. Its cabin is spacious with the biggest boot in class and is well built easily matching its rivals in every area but still manages to look premium thanks to the plush materials used. It's a good looking estate too carrying over all of the good bits from its hatch sibling adding in well resolved rear styling. On the road it is incredibly refined and handles perfectly well and even with the smallest 1.4 CRDi engine has enough power for most situations and costs peanuts to run. There really is very little not to like and we think in this trim level with the smaller engine this Cee'd is the pick of the range and is well worth considering if you need a good value load lugger.

All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob McSorley (info@DriverVIBE.co.uk).