Kia Cee'd Sportswagon (2012 – 2018) Review

Kia Cee'd Sportswagon (2012 – 2018) At A Glance

4/5

+Great looking estate car that's also superb value. Huge boot. Useful economy.

-Lots of road and engine noise. Not as rewarding to drive as some of its rivals. Engines are on the slow side.

Insurance Groups are between 7–16
On average it achieves 75% of the official MPG figure

It might sound like something overtly sporty, but the Cee’d Sportswagon - to give it its full name - is actually Kia’s stylish family estate. Like the hatchback, the Cee’d SW is excellent value, with an affordable price and generous equipment levels. It also has a huge boot. 

The Cee'd SW has 1642 litres of load space – more than both estate versions of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus – and has lots of kit as standard, with entry-level models getting air conditioning, Bluetooth, DAB and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

Inside, the Cee'd SW is spacious, with lots of head and knee room in the front, while the rear bench will prove a comfortable fit for large adults, thanks to the high roof line and intelligent spacing between the front and rear seats. The interior isn’t as smart or as refined as the Golf, but it’s a big improvement over the cheap and dated interior of the old Cee’d.

All the buttons and controls have a much better feel and the simple dashboard takes just moments to master. Interior storage is plentiful, with lots of cubby holes and cup holders. The only drawback is the lack of peace and quiet, with high levels of road and engine noise.  

There's a good choice of engines in the Cee'd SW starting with a 1.4-litre petrol along with a newer 1,0-litre turbo petrol that has more power. But the best is probably the 1.6 CRDi which is relaxed on the motorway and economical too.

The Cee'd SW might not match its rivals for handling or straight-line performance, but it ticks enough of the estate boxes to make it one of the best for value and practicality. Indeed, the Cee'd SW is easy to use and extremely comfortable, while its generous equipment levels and seven-year/100,000 mile warranty make it ideal for those wanting a premium car feel, without actually paying the premium.

KIA cee'd 2012 Road Test

KIA cee'd SW 2012 Road Test

KIA pro_cee'd 1.0T-GDI 2015 Road Test

 

Real MPG average for a Kia Cee'd Sportswagon (2012 – 2018)

RealMPG

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

75%

Real MPG

35–62 mpg

MPGs submitted

150

Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.

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Ask Honest John

What's the most reliable estate car to buy for under £3k?

"I need an estate car with a large boot space. It must be reliable, have good fuel economy and low tax. It must cost less than £3000. I am currently a full time carer to my young son who has leukaemia so no work commute but also no income. I do a 3 mile round-trip to his school twice a day, 5 days a week, a 100 mile round-trip motorway run to his hospital a couple of times a month plus other varied use totalling around 3000 miles a year. We live in a renovation project which means I regularly transport bulky materials and do tip runs so an estate car is essential. Less than £100 per year road tax is ideal which does seem to rule out most petrol options. I think the regular hospital trips will give me enough heat to keep a DPF in good order, so a £35 road tax diesel seems to be the economic option and would also bring good fuel economy. Everything in my budget will have significant mileage, so it needs to be something with a reputation for longevity, even if I won't be adding huge miles myself. More than happy to compromise mod-cons and comforts in favour of ownership costs and reliabilty. I'm capable of fixing and maintaining things myself if that influences options at all. I understand I'm asking a lot from my budget, but any help narrowing down my search criteria would be greatly appreciated. What would you recommend? "
I think you might need to compromise on the low road tax requirement. An older diesel has the potential to throw up a big bill and wipe out any savings in road tax (and fuel) - especially if you don't cover many motorway miles. We'd recommend a Kia Cee'd Sportswagon with the 1.6 petrol engine. It's likely to be reliable and cheap to run.
Answered by Andrew Brady

What's the most reliable used estate for £10k?

"What are the best estate cars for around £10k that you can get? We want something that is reliable, comfy and with a few toys. We have a 2014 Golf GT TDI at the moment that we would replace."
A Honda Civic Tourer would be a good choice. It has a huge boot and is available with reliable diesel engines. Also consider a Skoda Octavia (or Superb, if you'd prefer something bigger), or a Kia Cee'd Sportswagon - the latter will have the remainder of its original seven-year warranty, provided it's been serviced correctly.
Answered by Andrew Brady

What cars are still reliable over the 100,000 mile mark?

"I'm looking for a cheap to run car which will be reliable, but over the magic 100,000 mark, as I do plenty of miles and don't want to crucify value. Ideally for about £2500. I do enough miles (12,000 plus) to warrant diesels, but naturally there may be big bills. I also need some thing with a decent boot, as I race model stockcars with friends, and punchy enough to overtake. Thoughts turn to a Volvo S40 2.0d, or a lower mileage Ford Mondeo. Any recommendations? "
£2500 might buy you a peach but is far more likely to buy you a disaster. Worth looking at pre-DPF chain cam Kia Cee'd and Hyundai i30 1.6 CRDi SW, but no guarantees they're in this price bracket. Anything with a timing belt probably needs a new one and a new timing belt, tensioner, waterpump and alternator belt starts at £360, but could easily set you back £600.
Answered by Honest John

Family estate cars for £5000

"I'm after an estate car for my family - 2 adults and a child. I'm specifically looking for a reliable car, big boot space, roof bars, ISOfix seat anchors and I have a maximum of £5k to spend. We'll only average around 6000 miles per year tops. I know of an 07 please Passat TDI 2.0 L for sale - however I read loads on this site about them (mostly negative), so i'm starting to think I should steer clear of it! I really know nothing about cars and have to admit I HATE car shopping so I'm in severe danger of buying something just to get the task over and done with, hence I'm in danger of buying the wrong car."
For more on the Passat see: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/passat-2005/ I'd look at the KIA cee'd and Hyundai i30 SWs.
Answered by Honest John
More Questions

What does a Kia Cee'd Sportswagon (2012 – 2018) cost?