Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 



Kia adds useful estate to the cee'd range. Image by Kyle Fortune.

Kia adds useful estate to the cee'd range
Kia's contender for the sensible money has just become more attractive with the addition of a practical new estate.

   



<< earlier review     later review >>

Reviews homepage -> Kia reviews

| First Drive | Split, Croatia | Kia cee'd SW |

The market for small estates has taken something of a hammering recently with the onslaught of MPV and SUV alternatives. That's not stopped Kia from introducing a new estate (or SW as the marketing men prefer to call it) version of the cee'd. In typically optimistic fashion Kia thinks people will come back to estate cars, and it might just be right.

The cee'd SW doesn't grow a great deal in size externally; being some 235mm behind the rear wheels and just 10mm taller. However, those relatively modest dimensional increases add 200-litres to the boot capacity, while access to that load area is easier due to the bigger hatch and lower loading lip.

So it's a more practical cee'd, for just £700 more than the hatchback. The addition of that bigger boot not only makes the cee'd a more credible family choice, but should also appeal to the fleet users that typically buy C-segment (Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra etc.) estates. It's good looking too, the cee'd's style suiting the longer rear. The roof bars and smart upswept D-pillar add some flair to the cee'd's neat, inoffensive styling. It's a handsome car, which is impressive indeed given it's Kia's first ever estate. And Kia is pushing its cee'd range hard, the company seeing the C-segment as fair game in its ambitious growth plans.

Even so it's being realistic with sales targets. So in estate guise the cee'd doesn't come with the full complement of engines the hatchback is available with. Only 1.6-litre engines are available, in petrol and diesel, the diesel offering two outputs. They're impressive though, particularly those diesels. Refinement in all is excellent, and although the 120bhp petrol engine suffers from a serious lack of lugging power it remains quiet when you're giving it the revs it needs to make progress. Either of the diesels make up for the 1.6-litre petrol's shortfall in useful torque. The 89bhp turbodiesel delivers 173lb.ft at 1,750-2,500rpm and the more powerful 113bhp version 188lb.ft at 1,900-2,750rpm.

Which one you'll pick is likely to be driven purely by budget. The more powerful diesel is the obvious choice, but it's £1,250 more than the lower output model and £2,000 more than the 1.6-litre petrol option. That does include an upgrade to LS spec though, and it's worth having. The standard air conditioning is upgraded to full climate control, there are reversing sensors, rear electric windows, cloth and leather seats, metal grain-effect centre fascia, front foglamps and body coloured door handles. That's not to say the GS model is lacking in standard kit, it including desirable equipment like full iPod connectivity and functionality through the stereo and steering wheel-mounted controls.

Those controls are clear and easy to operate too, the cee'd's interior a match in build quality and style for its C-segment rivals. It's simply laid out and clear, Kia finally putting the indicator stalk on the left side of the steering column too, in line with the majority of cars. That steering column adjusts for reach and rake, making it easy to find a comfortable position behind the wheel. The seats are a touch soft, but there's plenty of space behind the front ones, giving passengers in the back decent legroom. When they're not occupied they fold down easily enough, even if the mechanism is perhaps not quite as slick as some of the Kia's pricier rivals.

Price is where Kia has traditionally appealed and that remains the case. It's perhaps no longer the key reason why you'd choose a cee'd though, even when taking into consideration Kia's phenomenal 7-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. The cee'd is a decent enough car, one that you can choose on merit rather than just budget. It does everything you want from a small estate and looks and feels good inside and out. The higher power diesel in particular is smooth and quiet, and quick enough too with a 0-62mph time of 11.7 seconds. All are quiet on the road though, and the ride is comfortable, too.

Comfortable perhaps, but it's not particularly exciting drive. The steering lacks any real feel, nor does the gearshift like to be hurried. So the cee'd does its job admirably, but unremarkably. That's not necessarily a complaint; the cee'd, particularly in SW guise, likely to appeal to a buyer who places practicality, equipment and cost at the top of their list for prospective purchases. And there are more than enough people out there who will undoubtedly find all of that and more in Kia's cee'd SW.

Kyle Fortune - 24 Aug 2007



  www.kia.co.uk    - Kia road tests
- Kia news
- Ceed images

2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.

2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.



2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.
 

2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.
 

2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.
 

2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.
 

2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.
 

2007 Kia cee'd SW. Image by Kyle Fortune.
 






 

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©