Kia Ceed SW Review - You could quite easily think your driving a VW or Toyota

Overall Rating

Performance/Handling

Comfort/Refinement

Space/Practicality

Safety/Security

Running Costs

Reviewed: Kia Ceed SW 1.6 LS CRDi
Model Year: 2007

Posted By: Kevin Breen from Kilmore, Down (Northern Ireland)

(Images are for illustration purposes and may differ from actual vehicles)

Overall:
The fact that i'm even writing this is a testament to the quality of the car. It's my first ever Kia having previously owned a Toyota Corolla and i have to say it's every bit as good, if not better, in many ways.

The first thing i noticed was how well it was put together. Whoever designed the dashboard clearly knew what they were doing. Although there's a lot of switches everything seems to be well laid out and within easy reach, which is typically a Japanese trait.

The engine is very smooth and powerful for a 1.6 diesel and i'm averaging 44 mpg which i think is respectable for a car of this size and given that i have only done 700 miles in it. I do feel though that Kia should have put a 6-speed gearbox with this engine because it would have finished it off nicely. Don't get me wrong it's not noisy and at 70 mph it's only just hitting 2,300 rpm with plenty to go before red line, but at 80 mph a 6-speed transmission would make it the perfect cruiser.

I love the speed sensitive steering as it provides plenty of road feel on motorway's but becomes nice and light when i'm turning into my drive. The boot is huge with easy access and you don't seem to suffer from rear boot noise which seems typical on most estate cars. If you closed your eyes, although i wouldn't recommend you do this whilst your driving, you could quite easily think your driving a VW, Toyota or any other car with a reputation for high quality, the car is that good.

My only dislike is the heater which seems very slow to react to temperature adjustments. It's hard to explain, but my journey to work typically takes around 30 mins, but 15 of those is spent trying to cool down as the heater seems to heat up very quickly but takes too long to settle down to its preset temperature. 17 C feels like 25 C for the first 15 mins, which takes away some of the comfort, so Kia need to get that sorted. Luckily were approaching Winter time so it won't be such a big deal, but it does take the edge off the driving experience. Longer or very short journeys are fine.

The only other thing i think Kia could look at is the wording on the "trip" computer button as its a bit misleading. It's more of an information button giving you fuel/time data as opposed to a trip reset button. Small gripe but it's the little things that make the difference.

So far i am very satisfied with my purchase and wouldn't hesitate in recommending one to anybody. You also have a 7 year warranty which was a no-brainer for me. If a car manufacturer can stick a 7 year warranty on its products, they must be confident indeed. Well done Kia!!

Plus Points:
Excellent build quality. Powerful, responsive and economical engine. Quiet with good road holding. Large boot with easy access and much bigger than i expected of a car in this class. Stacks of legroom all round. Well designed dashboard and instrument panel. 7 year warranty and a bargain price.

Minus Points:
1) The heater is very slow to react to temperature changes and seems to get very hot before it cools down. 2) Could do with a 6-speed gearbox due to the power of the engine. 3) The "trip" button for the computer should say "info" or something like that