• Single petrol engine at the time of writing
• Punchier engines reserved for Hatch and ProCeed
• Rivals available with more power

Petrol engines

As we’ve already mentioned, you could only get a single engine at the time of writing due to supply issues. Thankfully, the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine would be our first choice anyway, its 160hp proving enough to deal with a fully loaded car or sprint up to motorway speeds in fairly short order.

The six-speed manual is precise and easy to use, although the Focus Estate’s feels more pleasingly mechanical. Expect an automatic gearbox to be available when supply improves.

It’s certainly a lot stronger than the 1.0-litre turbo petrol that has formed the basis of the range, its 120hp feeling a bit lacklustre and making it worth avoiding. If you do need more power, versions of the Leon, Octavia and Golf Estates are available with bigger, punchier 2.0-litre engines with as much as 320hp.

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Diesel engines

The 1.6-litre diesel is a reasonable choice and more efficient than either petrol, although expect to pay a hefty premium for it once it becomes available again. Once again, the availability of a larger 2.0-litre diesel in the Leon, Octavia and Golf will appeal to those who need more muscle.

Plug-in hybrid

Shared with the Xceed, this electrified petrol powertrain features 139hp and 265Nm of torque for a 0-62mph time of 10.5 seconds. Performance isn’t exactly overwhelming, but in reality that’s a good thing – it means the Ceed can focus purely on being an efficient, easy-to-use hybrid rather than being compromised by sporting pretensions like the Octavia iV VRS.

However, it wasn’t available at the time of writing and we don’t know if it’ll be reintroduced. Even if it does come back on the market, the Octavia iV Estate is more efficient, cheaper on company car tax and quicker to boot.

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What’s it like to drive?

• Ceed is a tidy handler
• Somewhat unnatural steering feel
• Small alloy wheels help provide a comfortable ride

The Ceed Sportswagon handles much better than its looks and indeed, its rather weedy powertrains would have you believe. It holds the road well even when fitted with budget-friendly 16-inch wheels and can actually be somewhat enjoyable to fling along a country road at a decent pace.

The suspension is firmer than what you’d find in an Octavia or Corolla estate, so it isn’t the most comfortable car in the class, although this does help in the bends. You won’t find a great deal of body lean and there’s plenty of grip, although the steering doesn’t weight up as much as we’d like. Keen drivers are better served by the Ford Focus or Seat Leon estates.

Noise is generally well contained, with engine, wind and road roar kept to an acceptable level.