Autotest – Kia Ceed Sportswagon 1.0 T-GDi (2018)

Photography: Stefan de Haan

Statement from Kia

The Kia Ceed Sportswagon is clearly a statement in its class. Much attention has been paid to appearance, comfort and space, with a strong focus on European opponents in particular. These include the Volkswagen Golf, the Opel Astra and the Ford Focus.

Surprisingly spacious

The elongated shape of the Kia Ceed Sportswagon immediately catches the eye, with the sloping and smoothly sloping rear. In addition, the wheelbase is above average long, which by definition results in a spacious interior. You notice that especially in the back. With long legs you don’t get stuck easily.

Whoops of cargo space

The luggage space is also quite large. The capacity is 625 liters and with the bench flat it offers 1,694 liters. The station wagon of the Astra has a load space of 540 litres, the Golf Variant of 605 liters and the new Ford Focus Wagon of 608 litres.

Also read: Kia Ceed as GT Line

Tension field between dynamic and functional

Design is a matter of taste. You either like something or you don’t. The appearance of the new Kia Ceed and Ceed Sportswagon is popular with many, as it turns out. The designers are in the area of ​​tension between dynamic and functional. A design that appeals to a large group in particular on the European market.

Sounds nicely muted

The same field of tension is also reflected in the driving behaviour. The chassis feels tight and stable when cornering. The Ceed Sportswagon steers dynamically. The suspension and shock absorption are smooth enough to filter out small bumps such as on a cobbled road. Rolling noises from tires are also well damped.

Three-cylinder with pit

The 1.0 T-GDi petrol engine is quite spicy. The three-cylinder with an output of 88 kW (120 hp) picks up nicely without vibrations. And at higher revs it is quite smooth. Actually smoother than you expect with a three-cylinder. Even then the good sound attenuation proves itself. You can only hear the motor at high revs, but at constant speed it does its job as quietly as possible.

Equipment above average complete

Kia supplies the Ceed with a complete arsenal of safety systems. Even in the basic ComfortLine version, you already have a fatigue assistant and automatic high beam. Things that can only be found with more expensive versions with other brands. The tested DynamicPlusLine, and that is far from the top version, had, for example, seat and steering wheel heating. Not to mention the audio and navigation system with 8-inch screen, DAB+ and compatible with Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

Also read: Autotest – Kia Ceed (2018)

Conclusion

Actually, there is little to criticize about the Ceed Sportswagon. The quality is excellent, which you notice in good materials and a solid finish. You can and can expect that from a brand that gives its products a 7-year warranty. Is there nothing left to be desired? The view diagonally to the rear is a bit disappointing and the contours are difficult to estimate. So choose the parking sensors and consider the reversing camera. It makes parking just that little bit easier.

The Kia Ceed Sportswagen is available from 23,845 euros (ComfortLine). The tested version comes at 27,345 euros.