Kia cee’d Sportwagon 1 1.4 CRDi manual ISG
Kia car review: SUE BAKER
What is it?
Kia’s estate car fast-forwarded into a new generation, with a shift up-market and a name change to underline the difference. This is the longer-backed, bigger carrying capacity second model in the latest Kia cee’d range. In the old line-up, the cee’d-based estate car was badged as the SW, but this one has dropped the initials and wears the name in full as the cee’d Sportswagon. 
It is nearly four years since the first generation cee’d appeared, and both the car and its Korean manufacturer have come a long way in that time. Kia’s UK sales have doubled and the cee’d has accelerated up the scale in aesthetics, engineering and build quality, as well as capturing the attention of many company car drivers.
The five-door Sportswagon feels very similar to drive to the five-door hatchback model. It has good ride quality and secure handling, with a planted feel on the bends and minimal body roll. It’s just that you can take more luggage – or for sales people on the road, more product to customers. The engine choice for the Cee’d Sportwagon is 1.4 or 1.6 litre turbodiesels, and there are five trim levels. Prices are from £16,955 to £24,795. The version tested here is the 1.4 diesel in ‘1’ trim. 
What’s hot?
- Big advance on its predecessor in the way it looks, drives, engineering calibre and build quality. Classier and all-round better, especially dynamically.
- Improves on the value and practicality that made its predecessor successful in the company car and business market.
- Dimensions are 4,505 mm in length, 1,780 mm wide (plus mirrors), 1,485 mm high. Wheelbase is one of the longest in class at 2,650 mm.
- Longer by 15mm, 10 mm narrower and 40 mm lower than previous model. More space inside and sits better on the road. Has wider track, increased by 17 mm at the front and 27 mm rear.
- Rebadged Sportswagon, the name now shows more clearly what it is.
- Capable of giving a Volkswagen Golf Estate a good run for its money.
- Close cousin of the well-regarded Hyundai i30 Estate.
- Unusual in its class in having fully independent front and rear suspension.
- Choice of two diesel engines: power outputs of 90PS for the 1.4 CRDi 90PS and 127PS for the 1.6 CRDi. Torque is 200 Nm and 260 Nm respectively.
- Trim levels are 1,2,3,4 and 4 Tech. Six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed auto.
- The 1.4 litre CRDi with manual gearbox has fuel economy of 67.3 mpg and CO2 emissions at 109 g/km, giving it a company car tax banding of 15 per cent. The 1.6 CRDi manual’s figures are 64.2 mpg, 116 g/km and 17 per cent company car tax banding.
- Payload of 500 kg and braked towing capacity of 1,500 kg.
- Kia’s long warranty, good for seven years or 100,000 miles
- All models have good standard kit: roof rails, six airbags, hill start assist, air conditioning, tilt and telescopic adjusting steering wheel, height adjustable driving seat, under-floor tray in the boot, net hooks, boot light, rear 12v socket and a removable load cover, cooled glovebox, ambient front lighting, and a radio-CD audio system with iPod, AUX and Bluetooth compatibility. Alloys are optional on the 1.4 but are standard on all 1.6 litre models.
- Top-of-range cee’d Sportswagon 4 Tech has a panoramic sunroof, 10-way adjustable driving seat with memory, parallel park assist system with front parking sensors, lane departure warning. Xenon adaptive front lighting with self-levelling.
- Styling from the team of design chief Peter Schreyer, ex Audi and Volkswagen, who has transformed the look and image of recent Kias.
What’s not?
- The annoying cee’d name with no capital letter and an apostrophe
- Dearer than the old model
- The 1.6 CRDi engine is not as refined as it should be
- Better refinement but less performance with the 1.4 CRDi
- 1.4 is only available in the single ‘1’ trim
- Still has a budget image. Kia has come a long way, but the brand still rates much lower on awareness than better-regarded rivals.
