LONDON: A new wagon joins the Kia cee’d model line. And it's a car that will never come to Malaysia as it's made only for the European market where estates sells.
It's an all-new second-generation mid-sized estate re-labelled as a sportswagon.
Replacing the former cee’d SW, it introduces a new model name which sought to position the car as adventurous, sporty, modern and technologically advanced, but with even more of the practicality and value which made its predecessor such a success in the UK fleet and business market.
The cee’d Sportswagon was revealed alongside the cee’d hatchback at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Like its predecessor, it was designed and engineered at Kia’s Frankfurt design studios and technical centre, and is made at the company’s Žilina plant in Slovakia. The cee’d Sportswagon is exclusively for European markets.
The cee’d SW has been one of Kia’s leading models in the fleet market, and this year it is outselling the hatchback among business users.
With more daring styling and advanced technology features, the cee’d Sportswagon is expected to have even more widespread appeal among user-choosers.
With the fleet market so dominant, the cee’d Sportswagon will be sold exclusively in the UK with turbodiesel engines. With their high torque outputs and low operating and running costs, they are ideally suited to the heavy loads and high mileages often inflicted on estate cars by business operators.
The entry-level 89bhp 1.4 CRDi engine develops 220Nm of torque from just 1500rpm, while the 126bhp 1.6 CRDi raises the torque output to 260Nm from only 1900rpm. Both transmissions, including the automatic offered with the 1.6-litre engine, are six-speed units, while manual-gearbox models are fitted with Kia’s Intelligent Stop & Go (ISG) fuel-saving, emissions-reducing engine stop/start technology.
As a result the 1.4-litre cee’d Sportswagon is capable of 3.5l/100km and has CO2 emissions as low as 109g/km.
Manual 1.6-litre versions, with CO2 emissions of 116g/km, are almost as sparing in their use of fuel, with official combined economy of 3.66l/100km.
With prices starting at £16,895 (RM84,000) and rising to £24,795 (RM123,000), and low maintenance and insurance costs, the new Kia cee’d Sportswagon is being touted as an inexpensive car to run for business motorists and fleet operators, as well as private consumers in Britain.
At just over 4.5 metres long the cee’d Sportswagon is more compact than its major European rivals, and just 15mm longer than the cee’d SW. Yet it offers greater luggage capacity than the majority of the competition – 528 litres up to the load cover with all seats upright and 1642 litres up to the roof with the 60:40 split rear seats folded flat.
The boot floor is flush with the tailgate opening and 60:40 split rear seat bases and backrests fold to ensure a completely flat load deck.
Higher-specification models also have sliding aluminium luggage area rails and straps plus a high-level luggage barrier net to secure objects and prevent them from falling into the passenger compartment. Roof rails are standard on every model so that extra cargo can be carried outside the car. The cee’d Sportswagon has a payload of up to 500kg and can tow a braked trailer of 1500kg (manual versions).
The cee’d Sportswagon has a more sporty and premium look and feel than its predecessor, emphasised by its radically different proportions. It has a more cab-forward design and a rakish, coupé-like roofline which gives it a sportier stance and greater presence.
Even the Kia badge is new – simpler, sleeker and more modern, with ‘Kia’ script in a raised section. At the front it is now mounted on the bonnet rather than in the radiator grille – another premium-class upgrade.
Kia’s Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer says: "We wanted to build on the strengths that made the first-generation model such a success, but with added emotion and character and improved proportions and stance.’
Driver and passenger comfort have also been substantially upgraded. Most models now have a Flex Steer function within the standard Motor Driven Power Steering with three settings – Comfort, Normal and Sport – so that the level of assistance can be increased when parking and decreased to make the car more stable at highway speeds.
An electronic parking brake, a heated steering wheel, automatic lights and wipers, larger vents to deliver more air to the rear footwells, dual-zone automatic air conditioning with soft and fast air-flow modes, 10-way adjustable driver’s memory seat and electric lumbar support are all new features for Kia’s mid-sized estate car.