The
apostrophe in the name Kia Cee'd is
rather annoying.
I wish
they had just left it as Ceed, perhaps claiming it was short for Exceedingly
Good. And like Mr Kipling, they are having their cake and eating it.
Is
there no stop to the march of the Koreans?
They
have announced this week that their biggest-selling car Cee'd has now just
topped one million sales in under a decade. Clearly the apostrophe did the
trick.
The
Cee'd gets a facelift later in the year, pictures were leaked this week on a
German website, but the Sportage
has already been freshened up with the Sorento with a new Optima and Optima
Estate to come next year – maybe even a sports car on the way.
But the
Sportage is still king of the
school run.
It
still looks the business with the tiger nose grille, the slim headlights with
LED highlights and even the sculpted shape of the top of the windscreen.
The
chrome trim on the side windows, smart alloys and sloping roofline give it a
sleek side profile, while the curvy rear completes the transformation from
rugged sport utility to stylish crossover.
The Sportage, at 4440mm long and
1855mm wide, is actually bigger than the old Sportage. There is decent head
and legroom, although the sloping roofline means rear headroom is tight for
tall adults.
The
boot has capacity of 564 litres to easily swallow the big supermarket shop -
plus the rear seats fold flat, giving the Sportage the versatility demanded by
active owners or growing families.
If the
exterior is still bang up-to-date, the interior is also on the money. It's
packed with subtle design features - including a dashboard that copies the
lines of the front grille.
The
trim and finish are a marked improvement for Kia.
And
it's just as impressive on the road. Kia engineers spent
a lot of time developing the Sportage for British
roads - giving it suspension to cope with our potholes and uneven surfaces.
They've
done a sound job because the Sportage
soaks up the bumps in style, and the handling feels more car-like than SUV.
I drove
their 1.7-litre turbo diesel - it's refined and is a decent performer. The
six-speed gearbox is smooth and I got about 50mpg, which is not bad at all for
a 4x4.
The Sportage also comes with the
choice of either two or all-wheel drive - the latter a must for our winters -
or even our springs, considering the gritters were out this week.
But for
all the extra looks and quality, Kia have kept prices very
competitive. The 1.6-litre 2WD petrol starts at £17,500, while the entry-level
2WD diesel I drove was £19,100 - still a real bargain compared to more
illustrious rivals.
Then
add in Kia's
seven-year warranty and the styling and it's a hard car to ignore – and it
doesn't get an annoying apostrophe in the name!
FACT FILE
Model: Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDi 1 2WD 5dr
Engine: 1.7-litre diesel
Power: 114bhp
Top speed: 107mph
0-60mph: 12.3seconds
Average mpg:
54
Co2 emissions: 135g/km
Warranty: 84 months / 100000 miles
Price: $19,100
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