Overview

‘Estate’ is something of a dirty word these days, with car manufacturers coming up with all sorts of alternative names for this very familiar formula. The Kia Ceed Sportswagon is a perfect case in point, being a slightly longer and squarer version of the regular Ceed hatchback rather than anything particularly racy.

You won’t find quite as much choice as other members of the Ceed family, with the Sportswagon coming in a single trim level with a choice of one petrol engine at the time of writing. Those looking for a cheaper petrol option, frugal diesel or plug-in hybrid will have to wait, consider a used version of the pre-facelift model or look at one of many rivals.

These include estate versions of the Ford Focus, Peugeot 308, SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla and, of course, the Volkswagen Golf. You can also get a wide variety of SUV-shaped alternatives from all the major manufacturers, although it’s worth pointing out that the Ceed Sportswagon has a surprisingly big boot given its size and price.

Oddly, there’s also some in-house competition from the slightly slinkier but less practical Kia Proceed, with the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake offering a similar proposition with a posher badge. Audi and BMW don’t have direct rivals either, with the A4 Avant and 3 Series Touring both bigger cars albeit with smaller boots.

Of course, it’s unlikely you’re going to pick your shiny new car based solely on how much junk you can get in the trunk. That’s why we’ll consider a whole lot more in this review, from how comfortable it is, what it’s like to drive, how pleasant the interior is and what it’ll cost you. We’ll even let you know how it stacks up to those aforementioned rivals and whether it’d be our pick in the class.