Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV
Focus-sized family estate offers great value and is now available with plug-in hybrid power On sale Now Price from £29,995
IF YOU’RE AFTER a practical plug-in hybrid, Kia would appear to have your back. The Ceed Sportswagon PHEV combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a big battery pack and electric motor to give 139bhp and an official all-electric range of 29.2 miles, and it does so without skimping on day-to-day versatility.
How does it drive? Well, things are pretty leisurely in electric mode, so expect to hear the engine chiming in if you need to get up to motorway speeds promptly. The transition between electric and petrol power is smooth, but the engine does get a little gruff if you wring its neck.
The standard six-speed automatic gearbox doesn’t shift quite as smoothly as the Skoda Superb PHEV Estate’s but is a little less hesitant. The ride is firm yet comfortable; bumps are felt but are nicely cushioned, and body control over wavy country roads is tighter than that of the Superb.
The Ceed’s steering has a confidenceinspiring weight and decent amount of precision. The PHEV hides the additional weight of its batteries well; there’s not much body lean and it feels more agile than the rolypoly Superb. We doubt you’ll find much joy driving it hard, though; its performance is best described as adequate. The Peugeot 508 SW PHEV and Superb PHEV are both much brisker.
The interior is well constructed, if not particularly exciting to look at, and you’ll find a comfortable driving position that’s helped by standard adjustable lumbar support.
A 10.3in touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav and Apple Carplay and Android Auto phone mirroring is standard; its screen is responsive to inputs and has sharp graphics.
BUYER’S FILE
FIRST DRIVE
There’s no issue with the amount of room up front, but there’s less rear leg room than in the similarsized Ford Focus Estate, let alone the sizeable Superb. Even so, a six-footer won’t feel squished. The hybrid setup robs you of underfloor storage and reduces overall boot space significantly over the standard Sportswagon, but the load area is still very practical. There’s a big boot opening, no load lip and handily placed levers to fold the rear seats.
The sole trim level substantially undercuts the 508 SW and Superb Estate PHEVS on price, by enough to offset its slightly higher BIK tax band. It’s quite a bit cheaper on PCP finance than those rivals, too. Put simply, if the financial factors of a plug-in hybrid appeal, the Ceed makes a lot of sense.
Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV 3 Price Engine
Power Torque Gearbox 0-60mph Top speed Fuel economy CO2, tax band