The Kia Cee'd is a must-have car

You've got to hand it to them. Their dramatic turnaround has been nothing less than remarkable over the last five years and its new Cee'd — despite its pointless apostrophe — is a wonderful thing in Sportwagon guise.

The Cee'd, made famous by its stint as Top Gear's 'reasonably priced car', has stolen sales from the established players in the hatchback sector such as the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf and is set to win more fans in its refreshed estate form.

A 'GT Line' trim package has been released and debuts on the Sportwagon, which takes sporty styling cues from the handsome ProCee'd GT, with more aggressive bumpers and a twin exhaust adding to its already large appeal. Estate cars' styling is notoriously tricky to get right, but Kia has got it just right. That handsome Peter Schreyer-designed 'tiger nose' front grille appears once again and it's actually a bit of a looker; the front has a stylish appearance with daytime running lights, the sides have swooping, graceful lines and the rear follows Kia's model-wide blueprint.

First impressions count for a lot with me and I'll admit it, I'm impressed. Its interior feels extremely well-made, there's not much in the way of scratchy plastics to ignite one's derision and its optional satellite navigation is a doddle to use. It's a pleasant place to be with masses of space, with 1,642 litres of room in the cavernous boot.

Rewind back just a handful of years and Kia's offering was a very different proposition. Style-free Rios with the scratchiest plastics known to man and woeful seven-seat Sedonas with beige upholstery dominated the marque's line-up. Our test car, fitted with a 1.0-litre engine, is enhanced by a small turbocharger and produces 118bhp. You'd perhaps think — like I did — that its small capacity would maybe feel a little underwhelming in a car the Sportwagon's size but it's actually a great fit. It takes 11 seconds to get to 60mph, which feels adequate on the road. That turbo gives torque, so you're never lacking sufficient grunt. It's quiet on the move, too, but there's the hint of a satisfying three-cylinder growl above 4,000rpm. Mainstream manufacturers are moving towards downsizing their engines and Kia's effort is unquestionably a great example of it.

Its six-speed manual gearbox has a nice action to it without ever feeling notchy, visibility is great thanks to unintrusive A-pillars and any thoughts of pre-2010 Kias are dissipated thanks to piano black trim and quality materials throughout the cabin. The GT Line has three steering modes — Normal, Comfort and Sport — but they're the only disappointing features in the whole package. It's best left in its default mode, as Comfort mode tends to feel just too disconnected and Sport dials in more steering weight which just feels unnatural. Leave it in Normal and there's a good balance, although feedback could never be described as a strong aspect.

ONE positive thing about its lightness is the car's excellent turning circle. It makes for simple manoeuvring and, for quite a long car, is an easy thing to park thanks to it. Stop-start technology - a standard feature on the GT Line - plays a big role in the mightily impressive fuel economy figures. Around 50mpg is claimed and with that comes cheap running costs, so it's most definitely a major plus point.

As you'd expect from a car aiming for families, a broad range of engines are on offer. A 1.4-litre petrol with 99bhp starts the choices, followed by a 133bhp 1.6 petrol. Diesels come in the form of an 89bhp 1.6 and turbocharged units in either 108bhp or 134bhp guise.

Prices start from £21,220 in GT Line specification, which far undercuts its European rivals, but don't think that that leaves you without equipment. A seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system - which houses the satellite navigation - is standard, as is the reversing camera, 17-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass and an impressive LCD speed display.

Since its introduction in 2006, more than one million Cee'ds have been sold so it's arguably the marque's most important car. Now into its tenth year, it's better than ever and that enticing seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty remains.

The Cee'd has come on leaps and bounds and the Sportwagon is now a genuine alternative to ten-a-penny Golf and Focus estates. The future is looking very bright for the muchmaligned South Korean manufacturer and the handsome new GT Line is certain to steal yet more sales from its well-established rivals.

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