Kia Ceed Sportswagon review - Interior, design and technology

There’s a bit of sparkle in the cabin due to some chrome-effect detailing, a swooping dashboard shape that looks contemporary and attractive, plus ‘3’ trim comes with a large central touchscreen with live data services (such as weather, traffic reports, speed camera locations, along with sports results) for seven years. It’s all easy and intuitive to use, and the overall feeling is one of quality, but there are one or two applications of cheap, hard-feeling plastic that you wouldn’t find in a leading European rival.

At least the Ceed Sportswagon wins some points back in terms of ease of use, because unlike its Ford Focus, Skoda Octavia, and Volkswagen Golf estate rivals, many of the controls you frequently use (such as the air-con) still have buttons and dials, and haven’t migrated into a large touchscreen that’s awkward to use on the move. 

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The exterior of the Ceed Sportswagon is very close in design to the regular hatch, apart from the extended roofline and rear overhang mentioned previously. All models look respectable with body-colour bumpers and alloy wheels, body-colour door handles and mirrors, chrome window surrounds, and roof rails. Projector-style headlamps give a contemporary feel up front, and the lavishly equipped ‘3’ adds brighter LED headlamps.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The entry-level ‘2’ car gets the standard eight-inch touchscreen, while upgrading to ‘3’ trim earns you the bigger 10.25-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, plus the handy ‘connected’ services for the same seven-year period as the Kia warranty. Both screens have intuitive menus that are reasonably easy to use on the move.

All models get a decent six-speaker audio set-up with DAB radio, USB and aux connectors, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with voice control. It is a shame you can’t get an upgraded sound system with the Ceed Sportswagon, because we think that would help drown out the additional road noise it suffers with compared with the regular hatchback.