Kia cee`d SW (2007-2012)

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Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Sep 2007 Class: Estates
New price: £14,780 - £21,430 Used price: From £2,995
On sale:
Performance:
Ride comfort:
handling:
★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
Boot & Storage:
Safety:
★★★★★
★★★★
Reliability:
★★★
Total score:
72%
Spacious and comfortable over long distances.
Comes with a seven-year warranty. Great value for money, and well-finished.
Noisy petrol engine.
Rear visibility could be better.
Steep depreciation (loss of value).
Recommended models
in the range
Which? Car Top Choice Model
1.6 SW-7 CRDi 5dr [113]
New price: Used price: £3,825
Fastest Model
1.6 3 5dr
New price: £16,310
Used price: £4,225
10.4 secs
0-62mph:
Most Efficient Model
1.6 CRDi 89 2 EcoDynamics 5dr
New price: £16,980
Used price: £4,525
Combined fuel economy:
62.8 mpg
Cheapest Model to buy new
1.6 2 5dr
New price:
Overview
Kia’s medium-sized estate has plenty of space and is just as good to drive as its hatchback
sister. It’s a second-hand bargain, too, with many cars still within their seven-year warranty.
The SW is the estate version of the hatchback that the Korean brand offers as the Cee’d
(five-door) and Procee’d (three-door). Launched back in 2007, the SW range received a
brush-up in 2009 with minor styling tweaks, updates to its interior, revised petrol engines and
an 89bhp EcoDynamics version of the 1.6 diesel. Another facelift in 2011 ushered in a 126bhp
version of the 1.6 CRDi diesel.
An all-new Cee’d range was launched in June 2012. If the Cee’d hatchback feels like it doesn’t quite have enough space for you, the SW estate
has bags of it. The estate shares the hatchback’s feeling of being well-built, and its ride and
impressive seating make it very comfortable for motorway cruising, at least in diesel form.
While it isn’t going to satisfy enthusiasts, the handling is safe and predictable. Despite the Cee’d’s great value, resale values remain low. That’s bad for new buyers, but
great if you want a used model. Petrol-engined versions can be quite noisy.
There aren’t very many medium estate rivals, but the strongest and most direct competitor
to the Cee’d is the Hyundai i30 Estate, which actually shares many parts with the Kia. See all of our estate car reviews here
The Cee’d SW’s reliability is average, according the latest Which? Car survey. You’re most
likely to suffer from suspension problems, say owners.
The 1.6 CRDi diesel we tested in 2007 returned 52.3mpg overall (claimed: 57.6mpg).
Resale values aren’t very strong, though, and will plunge further with the arrival of the nextgeneration Cee’d. Make the Cee’d live up to its value promise: keep it simple and go for a base-spec version.
The best engine is the 1.6 CRDi diesel. £14,780
Cheapest Model to buy used
1.6 GS 5dr
Used price:
£2,995
Cheapest Model to Run (new)
1.6 2 5dr
New price: £14,780
Running costs: £13,332
(3 years/36,000 miles)
Owner’s View
Very practical, reliable car,
plenty of room for family
and dog. Diesel engine
pulls well in 4th/5th gear
and when heavily loaded.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
On the road
How we test
You might be surprised at how well the Kia manages to combine lithe, agile responses with a
comfortable ride. In short, it exceeds the expectations of a budget-priced car. Performance
Performance
★★★★
We tested the 115bhp 1.6 CRDi diesel, which is an impressive unit. It’s got lots of pulling power,
so you don’t need to keep changing gears to maintain good progress, and it’s smooth too. The petrol engines we’ve tried in the Cee’d hatchback are thrashier, and need high revs to
extract the best performance. Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate
(2007)
Acceleration (37-62mph)
7.0 secs
Ride comfort
Rating
★★★★
Ride comfort
★★★★
Kia has struck a good balance between body control and comfort with the Cee’d. The
suspension might be a little stiff, but it absorbs road imperfections well, and avoids excessive
roll around fast bends. Heavy loads don’t affect the ride much, either. Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
We use the sophisticated electronic timing
equipment to record standing-start and
in-gear acceleration, and repeat each test
several times.
Rating
★★★★
Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of
thousands of miles in a myriad of different
models.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
On the road continued...
How we test
Handling
★★★★
Handling
The steering is OK, responding a little slowly in fast manoeuvres and lacking somewhat in feel.
But it’s light and accurate. Facelifted models from late 2009 benefited from revised steering,
but it still isn’t the sharpest. Stability control used to be optional for most models, but it’s now standard, which we
welcome. It should help you avoid an accident if you find yourself in an emergency situation.
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Rating
★★★★
On-the-limit handling is explored well
away from public roads to ensure a fair
test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of
the harshest tests in the industry..
Brakes
★★★★★
Brakes
The Cee’d SW comes to a stop in 37.5m when braked from 62mph, which is pretty good.
There’s no fade and the pedal has a solid feel.
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate
(2007)
Braking distance (62-0mph)
37.5m
Rating
★★★★★
★★★★
Refinement and noise
The 1.6 diesel we tried is notably more refined than the petrol models, around town, and at
motorway speeds it’s reasonably composed too. There’s very little wind or road noise, and
there are no squeaks or rattles from the well screwed-together interior.
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Cruising noise
70dB
The Which? Car braking test measures
stopping distance from 62-0mph and is
repeated ten times in quick succession to
highlight any brake fade issues.
Refinement and noise
Rating
★★★★
The Which? Car experts use a decibel
meter to record interior sound levels
at common UK motorway speeds, and
combine this with subjective assessments
to arrive at an overall score.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
On the road continued...
How we test
Cabin and controls
★★★★
Cabin and controls
When you slip behind the fully adjustable steering wheel, the gear lever comes to hand easily,
as do the heating and ventilation controls, although the latter take a bit of getting used to. All
the instruments are well positioned for the driver’s field of vision, but our testers found the
orange lighting made reading them slightly difficult. Note that the indicator stalk is on the righthand side of the steering wheel – there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but you might
find yourself accidentally operating the windscreen wipers at roundabouts for the first few
miles. We really like the steering wheel mounted controls for the iPod-compatible stereo.
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Rating
★★★★
Visibility and parking
★★★
Visibility and parking
There are no problems seeing out of the front of the Cee’d SW, and the electrically-adjustable
wing mirrors work very well. However, when it comes to parking and checking for cyclists,
rearward visibility isn’t very good: the unusually-shaped and very thick rear pillars compromise
sight lines. The 11.2m turning circle is normal for the class and shouldn’t be a hindrance to popping the
car in a suitably sized space.
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
We penalise cars with difficult controls,
and we look for things like backlit light
switches and easy-to-use heating and
ventilation adjustments.
Turning circle
11.2m
Rating
★★★
Visibility is a major issue for motorists
today, so each car gets a 360-degree
swivel view test to reproduce the driver’s
eye view and any obscured areas.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
Comfort and practicality
How we test
Interior space is a Cee’d SW strong suit, with lots of room for passengers and a huge,
practically-shaped boot. Getting in and out
Getting in and out
★★★★
With its low door sills and high doors, the Cee’d SW is easy to get in and out of. Both front and
rear doors are firmly-sprung, so there isn’t any danger of them slamming shut on you if you’re
parked on a hill. Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Seat space and comfort
Rating
★★★★
★★★★
Generous interior space awaits. The cabin is wide and can accommodate very tall people both
front and rear. The front seats are well-contoured and comfortable, while the driver’s seat gets
lumbar- and height-adjustment. It’s a little less comfortable in the rear, where the uncontoured
seats could do with more side support.
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
We take measurements all around the
driver and passenger’s door apertures
and note the height of the seat, door sills
and step down onto the car floor. The
best cars don’t require too much bending
or stretching to get in and out.
Seat space and comfort
Rating
★★★★
We assess seat comfort subjectively,
using our road testers’ expert knowledge
and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head-, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to
see how well the car caters for people of
all shapes and sizes.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
Comfort and practicality continued...
How we test
Boot and storage
★★★★★
Boot and storage
At 460 litres, boot volume is very large. With the rear backrests folded, the boot expands to
885 litres (measured up to the window line).The tailgate opens and closes easily to reveal a
huge load opening with a low load height. The load floor is flat, although you need to be fold
up the seat bases separately before folding the backrests forwards, which is a little fiddly.
There are also underfloor compartments to stow small items of luggage and tie-down eyes for
cargo netting.
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate
(2007)
Boot space (seats up/down)
460 litres / 885 litres
Heating and ventilation
Rating
★★★★★
★★
The standard air conditioning system in the Cee’d SW has few problems getting the front
part of the cabin up to temperature on cold days, nor cooling it in hot weather. However its
effectiveness in the rear isn’t brilliant. Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Carmakers give official stats for boot
space, but our tests are more realistic. We
load the boot up with measuring blocks
only as far as the rear window line, so
that luggage is well secured and won’t
obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test
with the rear seats up, and folded down
(where possible).
Heating and ventilation
Rating
★★
Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm
each car up from a frosty -10 degrees in
our climate chamber. Starting with a cold
engine, we measure how long it takes to
warm up the front and rear of the cabin.
Diesel cars usually take longer. We also
check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
Running costs and depreciation
How we test
The Cee’d SW is competitively priced, and as an all-new Cee’d is due in 2012, some big
discounts should make it even cheaper. The flipside is quite severe depreciation. Insuring a Cee’d won’t be too hard on your wallet, with all models in low groups. Car tax
bandings aren’t too punitive either, with the 1.6 CRDi EcoDynamics diesel in the £30-a-year
VED tax band. Servicing is a little more expensive than you’d expect for a budget-brand car, but the
seven-year warranty will take care of unexpected repairs; it’s also great if you’re buying used. Fuel consumption
The Cee’d is a frugal car across the range, and fuel consumption was improved in updates in
both 2009 and 2011. Kia claimed that the pre-facelift 1.6-litre CRDi 115bhp diesel should achieve
57.6mpg - we got 52.3mpg out of it.
Petrol (combined mpg, claimed)
40.9 mpg - 45.6 mpg
Diesel (combined mpg, claimed)
47.1 mpg - 62.8 mpg
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Urban (claimed/measured)
47.9 mpg/47.1 mpg
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Extra urban (claimed/measured)
65.7 mpg/61.4 mpg
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Motorway (measured)
45.6 mpg
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Combined (claimed/measured)
57.6 mpg/52.3 mpg
Fuel consumption
We test fuel economy under strict lab
conditions – using realistic test cycles – to
reveal the facts behind the figures. Our
figures rarely match manufacturer claims
as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold
engine, and on the motorway.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
Running costs and depreciation continued...
How we test
Emissions
Emissions
CO2 emissions are relatively low: the 1.6 petrol puts out 148-151g/km, and the 1.6 CRDi
EcoDynamics diesel falls below the 120g/km barrier; more powerful diesels emit 122-124g/km. Petrol (CO2, claimed)
148g per km - 165g per km
Diesel (CO2, claimed)
119g per km - 159g per km
Model tested
diesel 1.6CRDi (115bhp) manual 5-door estate (2007)
Emissions (claimed/measured)
128g per km/140g per km
Safety
Safety and security
Euro NCAP score
While testing fuel economy, we also
collect exhaust gases to enable us to
measure the amount of carbon dioxide
(CO2) emitted. We also check whether
particulate filters are effective at removing
sooty emissions from diesel engines.
★★★★★
Here is the video of the 2007 Kia Cee’d Euro NCAP frontal crash test.
Adult occupant
Child protection
Pedestrian protection
★★★★★
★★★★
★★
Which? safety rating
★★★★
Active (crash avoidance)
Passive (crash safety)
Child
Pedestrian
57%
80%
77%
50%
Security
Theft of car: Theft from car:
★★★★
★★★
We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP
crash test scores (where available),
alongside our own comprehensive safety
checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results
from our accident avoidance test – after
all, it’s far better to steer around a crash
than rely on the airbags...
Security
Security scores come from the security
experts at Thatcham, who break into
hundreds of cars each year. Most modern
cars are very difficult to drive away, but
are still too easy to steal from.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
Which? Car Survey results
About our survey
The Which? Car Survey is the UK’s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In
2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous
12 months (that’s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique
feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars.
Note: Star ratings below are from 1-5 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages
shown under ‘Most common faults’ indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem
in the past 12 months.
Brand
Sample size: 1,339 people
Kia ratings
Overall owner satisfaction for this brand
Brand reliability
Dealer Servicing & repair
Sample size: 75 people
Ownership ratings
Overall owner satisfaction for this range
Driving enjoyment
Ease of driving
Comfort
Dash layout and controls
Practicality
Value for money
Running costs
In-car technology
-
Everyone who takes part in the Which?
Car survey tells us about their car and
the dealers who sell and service it. We
analyse this feedback across all cars to
give top-level satisfaction ratings for each
brand, including the brand’s reliability
record over the last eight years. All star
ratings are out of five.
Model ownership ratings
★★★
★★★
Dealer Sales Service
Model: Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
81%
Brand ratings
These show how owners score this car
in 12 different areas, from performance to
heating. Owners’ ratings are subjective –
so may differ from Which? Car test scores
– but they give a good idea of what the
car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars
are scored against other cars in the same
class (e.g. for space).
80%
★★
★★★
★★★
★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★
★★★
-
Owner’s View
An extremely reliable,
comfortable and very
practical car. The engine
is willing, quiet and
smooth and the brakes
are progressive and
reassuring. It is spacious in
cabin and luggage areas.
Owner’s View
A big load carrier with a
lively performance and
decent fuel efficiency. Good
storage spaces in the under
floor area of the boot.
Which? Car review
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012)
Estates
Which? Car Survey results continued...
About our survey
Reliability ratings
Reliability ratings
Overall Reliability
Petrol cars
Reliability
Breakdowns
Average annual repair cost
Diesel cars
Reliability
Breakdowns
Average annual repair cost
All cars
Reliability
Breakdowns
Average annual repair cost
★★★
Up to 3 years old
4-8 years old
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
★★★
7%
£214
We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts
need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where
the car has been on sale for some time,
and we have numerous survey responses
from owners, we also split scores by the
age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are
out of five – the more stars, the more reliable the car.
Most common faults
Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months
Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12
months
Most common faults
Up to 3 years old
-
-
-
4-8 years old
-
-
-
Suspension components
Air Con
Battery
Mechanical braking
Other Minor
Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year
10%
5%
5%
5%
5%
Want to know what’s most likely to go
wrong as the car gets older? These are
the five most common faults reported by
owners, grouped by age into new, recent
and older cars. A score of 40% means
four out of 10 owners reported problems
with that part of the car over the previous
12 months. Engine electrics and non-engine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause
more headaches than mechanical parts in
most modern cars.