A lasting memory of hours of driving 'fun' earlier in the year made me smile at the opportunity to drive the new estate version of Kia's cee'd.
That previous experience successfully shattered the few preconceptions I had when approaching the reviews for Kia's new range.
With a fair bit of ground to cover during the time I had the use of the SW I had the chance to find out some of the ins and outs of what I instantly thought was a very 'smart' looking car.
Compared to its competitors the SW offers an impressive finish and really looks the part. It's an interesting design - rounded and smooth at the front, tapering down to a smart, and to some, a quirky back end.
Access to the rear luggage compartment is very easy, with a tailgate that hinges further forward into the roof. It allowed getting an entire exhibition kit out of, and back into the back with the minimum of fuss in a relatively confined parking space. This was good, because waiting time was at a premium and Mr Mussolini was enforcing the local traffic rules. Even he, as an Italian, was forced to take a closer look though!
The SW is a lively, responsive car to drive. It gives an impression of lightness, even when driving with a full load bay. The engine is a free-revving hyperactive child just waiting for the next opportunity to be let out to let off steam. This it does with effortless ease. Getting up to motorway speeds is smooth, quiet and unflustered. When winding its way around fast A-Roads it inspires great confidence, as little seems to shake the sure-footed roadholding. As I previously found with the 5-door diesel version, this car is a well-made, very competent piece of kit which really is good fun to drive.
There are some nice-to-haves fitted in for good measure too. If, like me, you've devoted a noticeable percentage of your life to transferring your music collection onto your ipod, there's a purpose made ipod connection which gives you access to your music through the controls on the steering wheel. So if the first rendition of your favourite song wasn't enough, you don't need to take an eye off the road for a second to have another go. My memories of years back when 'the wheels on the bus' was played over and over on the cassette player until hardly a signal remained on the tape seem so far back when you see and appreciate how in-car entertainment has evolved. Nowadays, it might be for music of a somewhat different genre, but a single click of the back arrow seems so much easier!
Being a time-served MPV owner and driver, I was very pleasantly surprised by the versatility and load-carrying capability of the SW. The way it fulfils this role with no compromise in good styling is an admirable achievement by Kia. It's a very good-looking workhorse! Buggies, highchairs, and all the associated baby paraphernalia is swallowed up with ease. Whatsmore, driving it round to Grannies is more fun than you would ever have expected!
The cee'd SW range starts at £12,995 for the 1.6 GS through to £14,995 for the best equipped versions. It is available with 1.6 litre petrol or diesel drive units and 2 levels of trim - GS and LS.
Model driven: cee'd SW 1.6 LS manual.
All versions come complete with Kia's 7-year/100,000 mile warranty.
Nigel Crawford,
October 2007 |
The Ford Kuga
