Category: Small Family 
Price Range: No data available
Affordable, well-built, no gimmicks or over-complex trick technology, seven-year warranty.
Kia badge, silly name, weedy petrol engine, concerns over resale value, feels a bit dated.
Highly competent, practical and good value for money, but a little bit dull.
The Cee'd has already impressed us all in its hatchback guise since it was launched at the beginning of 2007.
Built in Kia's first European factory in Zilina, Slovakia, it's assembled to a high quality on a par with, if not better than, cars from established mainstream European manufacturers. It's also the first Kia to really go beyond the cheap 'n' cheerful (or indeed, in some cases, the cheap 'n' nasty) to be desirable for more than just its affordable price. And have we told you about the seven-year - yes, seven-year - warranty?
This SW - station wagon, or compact estate - is a thoroughly practical small family car and it looks the part too, with its wide tailgate and roof rails. It's more distinctive than the Toyota-wannabe five-door hatch, but it's still a bit generic and far from cutting-edge. If it weren't for the large Kia badge, it could be taken for anything (a new Chevy, perhaps). On the other hand, this no-frills, plain-clothes approach is in itself quite appealing: low-key, low-impact and entirely presentable.
It comes with a 120bhp 1.6 petrol engine (automatic gearbox optional) and a 1.6 diesel (89bhp or 113bhp), and two trim levels, GS and LS. It doesn't undercut its major rivals by as big a margin as ultra-cheap Kias of the past, but you do get a lot of equipment for the money.
