Kia came to Galway at the weekend to launch their new cee’d Sportswagon at the Glenlo Abbey Hotel. It replaces one of their most successful vehicles here in Ireland and this new car is sure to follow-on from the original leaves off.

It is somewhat against the Irish physique that the estate version of any car should out shine the car version. That is what the cee’d SW did in the past and while we are not as fond of estate car here as they are all over Europe, Kia will be delighted if this car continues to buck that trend.

Kia will offer two diesels; a 1.4 90ps and 1.6 128ps. Both emit 107g/km of CO2 which puts them into tax band A (€160 p. a.). There will be two trim levels; TX and EX. One of the main reasons for the first version being so popular is that Kia managed to keep the price between the 5-door hatch and the Sportswagon to a minimum. They have done it with this car too with just €800 difference between the two. Prices start at €21,795 for the basic model. When the extra space and the better functionality is taken into account it is little wonder that many buyers preferred the estate in this case.

The cee’d range  has sold some 5000 units since its launch and  the estate derivative has comprised 45% of these sales  and Kia Motors Ireland MD James Brooks is confident that new cee’d Sportwagon will emulate the success of its predecessor .

“The cee’d SW was an extremely important model for us and quickly became a hit with Irish consumers  .We are confident that the new Sportswagon will also be a success .With a walk of just €800 from the hatchback we think that many consumers will be tempted to avail of the added space available that comes at no sacrifice to style and driving dynamicss .All backed, of course, by the peace of mind of our unbeatable 7 year warranty “