Kia Ceed Sportswagon (2018-present)

Of all the models in the Kia Ceed range, the Sportswagon is the most sensible option for those who need space and practicality. It doesn’t offer the swoopy glamour and high-end trims of the ProCeed or the performance credentials of the GT hatchback, but what the Ceed Sportswagon offers instead is solid, sensible carrying capacity.

With the rear seats in place, the Ceed Sportswagon offers a cavernous 625 litres of space that you can expand to almost 1,700 litres with the rear seats folded. That’s comfortably larger than you’ll find in rivals like the Ford Focus Estate can only manage 575 litres, while the Skoda Octavia Estate gets up to 610 litres. If you regularly drop the rear seats and need maximum space, though, the Octavia offers greater overall volume.

Of course, if you’re considering a family estate car, it’s likely that you’ll also be looking at mid-sized SUVs. But if you really value bootspace, a simple estate car is often a better bet. In fact, the bootspace in the Sportswagon is only bettered by the biggest of family SUVs like the seven-seat Skoda Kodiaq, but you'll be paying a lot more for cars of that callibre.

The Kia offers more space than the likes of the Nissan Qashqai or Volkswagen Tiguan. It’s accessible space, too, with a low loading lip, seats that fold flat to the floor. The cubbies under the boot floor offer very useful additional space. In terms of build quality, the Ceed Sportswagon is par for the course within this price range, it feels solid enough and certainly as good as its rivals.

On the outside, the Kia adds some elements of visual flair by using design cues from the Kia Stinger – especially the shape of the headlights and the ‘Tiger nose’ grille. Aside from those details though, the Ceed Sportswagon's styling is somewhat subdued - this is not a car you’ll buy if you want to stand out from the crowd.

It's all almost on a level with class-leaders like the VW Golf Estate and Ford Focus Estate in terms of its interior finish, it's high quality for the most part, although there are some cheaper feeling elements dotted around. But that’s a fair compromise considering an equivalent Golf Estate will cost you a couple of thousand pounds more.

Where the Ceed’s predecessors have traditionally lost out is in driving enjoyment, but this Ceed had definitely made a step in the right direction here. It’s fun and well balanced, with plenty of grip and good body control in corners, but the ride is something of a mixed bag. On models with 16-inch wheels, it copes well with bumps and rutted surfaces, but even the relatively minor increase to 17-inch wheels has an effect, adding a lumpiness to the ride quality.

The engine range is straightforward and easy to navigate: two petrol engines and a diesel – and the diesel is refined and impressively quiet. The Sportswagon doesn’t get the 204hp engine found in GT hatchbacks though.

You get a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox and a seven-gear ‘DCT’ dual-clutch automatic, which in theory offers faster shifts than a traditional auto. However, the automatic isn’t as slick as those of other brands including Volkswagen, so we’d suggest sticking to the six-speed manual when possible.

All Ceeds have plenty of standard equipment, with the base 2 trim level featuring one of the most comprehensive specifications in the class. Choose a more expensive trim and there’s an eight-inch touchscreen media system with sat-nav and plenty of extra safety features.