Kia Ceed Sportswagon estate review

The Kia Ceed Sportwagon is now in its third generation as a more practical version of the popular Kia Ceed hatchback. This segment of the market is very competitive but the Kia Ceed Sportwagon remains a strong contender against rivals such as the new Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, SEAT Leon ST and Volkswagen Golf Estate, as well as its most direct competitor, the Skoda Octavia Estate.

It may not be particularly groundbreaking in its design, but the Ceed Sportswagon looks rather more swoopy against the angular Octavia Estate, and a facelift towards the end of 2021 improved the Kia’s looks even further. The update introduced a slightly sharper, more aggressive design with distinctive LED daytime running lights which are separated from the headlights and give a cleaner appearance. In a similar way to the Skoda, the long rear overhang, elongated roofline and roof rails make it hard to believe the Ceed Sportswagon is based on a humble hatchback. A 115mm increase in length has allowed engineers to increase the boot volume to 625 litres.

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The quality of the Ceed Sportswagon’s interior almost matches those of the class leaders. Soft-touch materials are widely used around the cabin and there’s a sturdy feel to it. The 'floating' infotainment screen looks good, is intuitive to use and comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.

As of mid-2022, the Kia Ceed Sportswagon is available with just one engine: a 1.5-litre petrol unit – a flagship plug-in hybrid petrol was introduced in mid-2020 but isn't yet offered for the facelifted car. The PHEV cost the most to buy and was the most efficient model in the lineup, with a pure-electric range of up to 29 miles and claimed fuel economy of up to 188.3mpg.

Along with the single engine, there's the choice of a '2' or ‘3’ trim level. Standard kit for '3' includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen sat-nav system. You also get 17-inch wheels, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, and dual climate control. The more modestly specified ‘2’ trim gets an eight-inch sat-nav screen and smaller 16-inch wheels.

Buying used? The Ceed Sportswagon was previously available with more engine options. Our recommendation is the entry-level 1.0-litre T-GDI with 118bhp, which is smooth for a three-cylinder engine and has plenty of power in urban driving. It can return up to 53.3mpg and is the most affordable option for both business and private buyers. The 1.4-litre T-GDI was replaced by the 1.5 T-GDI petrol and it's probably worthwhile if you plan on filling the Ceed Sportswagon with people and luggage. It takes power from 138bhp to 158bhp, helping it accelerate up to speed. A 1.6-litre CRDi diesel is also available for high-mileage drivers, averaging up to 62.8mpg.

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Reassuringly, the Kia Ceed came 16th out of the top 75 models in our latest Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, well ahead of the Volkswagen Golf in the last spot, but a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty is still likely to help encourage buyers.

Improvements in the Ceed Sportswagon's design mean customers should find its practicality, design and technology have all gone in the right direction, making it an impressive all-rounder. It's just a shame supply shortages mean just one engine and limited trims are currently available to order.