This March, Kia puts on sale its new family member, the third-generation Kia Ceed Tourer, which will be an important model for the brand, not so much because of the volume of sales of this type of cars in our market, but rather which represents for Kia now that the Kia Carens disappears and, therefore, takes over as the most familiar option of the offer.
This Tourer version, which in other countries is called SW or Sportswagon, is the third model of the current Kia Ceed family (the fourth comes in October), after the five doors and the shooting style Proceed. The most outstanding? Its huge trunk, of 625 liters. And we have tested it.
The numbers of Kia, which closed 2018 with 63,400 units sold, are the best in its history, and in 2019 they intend to maintain similar sales in a market that, a priori, seems to remain stable instead of growing. In addition, the brand wants the Ceed range to be its main sales pillar, even above the Kia Sportage.
At the design level, Kia says that the front and the general lines of the car take inspiration from his Kia Stinger, the sportiest model in the house. Stand out the typical tiger-nose grille, the LED daytime running lights in “ice cube” design, the series roof bars or lines that, in general, are quite horizontal.
What does the new Kia Ceed Tourer propose?
Like the entire Ceed range, the new ranchera is a model designed, developed and manufactured (specifically at the Zilina plant in Slovakia), and designed exclusively for the customer and their tastes and needs. It will offer 9body colors (7 metallic and 2 solid) and an offer of steel wheels or alloy of 15, 16 and 17 inches, depending on the version.
We speak of a family compact that is almost 30 centimeters longer than the Ceed five doors, with 4.6 meters in length and 2.65 meters of battle or wheelbase. His main bet is, obviously, that of habitability and cargo space, and the truth is that in this aspect meets more.
The rear seats have a large space for the head (four fingers left for people of 1.80 meters in height) and enough space for the legs (about two fingers of space with the driver’s seat adjusted to someone of the same size). As is logical, the central square is narrow and for three adults the space is too fair, something usual in almost any model.
The trunk, meanwhile, in addition to a large volume of cargo (those 625 liters that we have already mentioned, which is 97 liters more than the previous Ceed Tourer), offers a lower cargo mouth, folding backrest in proportion 60:40 and solutions such as a system of rails for securing luggage, hooks or a net to separate trunk and passenger compartment, as well as several compartments in the double bottom of the trunk or automatic hands-free gate optional.
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Elegant and quality interior
The interior of this family looks elegant and sober design, but of quality, with pleasant materials both in sight and touch and a general appearance that does not disappoint at all. Perhaps the only downside that occurs to us is the fact that the screen is floating, a solution that does not convince us (neither in this nor in other models) despite being very fashionable.
The multimedia screen can be 5″, 7″, or 8″ and associated with the navigator and the reversing camera (standard on the Tech and GT Line finishes), and fabric options are available on the fabric level. Fabric and synthetic leather or leather, also depending on the level of finish chosen. The compatibility with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, as well as the USB and auxiliary sockets, are standard, regardless of the multimedia system that is equipped.
The factory supply already includes assistance systems such as the assistant for high beam lights, the fatigue detector, and the assistance of lane change or the frontal collision warning with emergency braking assistant. Optionally you can add the lane maintenance assistant, the adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go, the cross traffic alert, the parking assistant, pedestrian recognition, etc …
Range of engines: Waiting for electrification
While we wait for electrified versions (a mild-hybrid seems to be in the nearest horizon) by the end of this year or the beginning of the following, the mechanical offer of this station is exclusively of gasoline and diesel blocks, three and four cylinders, associated with boxes Six-speed manual or dual-clutch seven-speed DCT automatic transmission.
- 1.0 T-GDi: The access engine is a one-liter three-cylinder that offers a power of 120 HP and a maximum torque of 172 Nm. It announces an acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 11.3 seconds and a top speed of 190 km / h, with a combined consumption that, according to the finish, moves between 5.9 and 6.2 liters per hundred kilometers.
- 1.4 T-GDi: The most powerful gasoline, with four cylinders, develops 140 HP and a maximum torque of 242 Nm. Accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 9.1 seconds and reaches 210 km / h (9.4 seconds and 205 km / h for the DCT), returning an average WLTP consumption of between 6 and 6.4 liters.
- 1.6 CRDi: In diesel there is a single block but two power levels, with 115 or 136 HP. The maximum torque is in both cases 280 Nm, except with the automatic box, with which it increases up to 320 Nm. The 0 to 100 km / h takes 11.1 seconds to the basic, 10.4 seconds to the most powerful and 10.1 seconds to the most powerful with DCT change. The top range reaches 200 km / h with both changes and 192 km / h in the variant of 115 hp. The approved consumption moves between 4.9 and 5.3 liters per hundred kilometers.
At the wheel
Once in the driving position, in which it is easy to find a good posture, highlights the steering wheel, for its touch and appearance, and a clear instrumentation, easy to read and intuitive to use. In addition, the console has physical buttons for all major functions, such as air conditioning, which we think is the ideal option.
In March the first thing that surprises is the general smoothness of the car, the ease with which it moves on the road and, in general, how refined it is and how nice it is to drive it in any situation. It is well soundproofed and the suspension is especially comfortable, as it filters very well the irregularities of the asphalt, offering quite smoothness even on broken roads.
The 1.0 T-GDi engine of three cylinders is somewhat weak for the pair offered, especially at low laps, as it forces us to resort to change very regularly, especially when facing slopes, either on the highway or roads of Mountain.
In this sense it does not seem the ideal option to circulate with the loaded car. When we tried the normal Ceed, in Portuguese roads much flatter, we liked this tricilíndrico considerably but, this time and with a more demanding route, we have been disappointed a little.
In addition, in the manual box of this engine the clutch point is very high, so it is easy to skid the clutch over the account when changing gear, at least until you get the point. It is necessary to get used to it a little since in sloping starts, for example, the car does not start to advance until we have almost completely released the pedal. In any case, the touch of the box is good, soft but pleasant to use.
The 1.4-liter 140 hp moves much better, not because of the 20 hp extra power, but by the additional 70 Nm that make it an engine with better response to almost any regime. Although we have tried the automatic DCT variant and cannot be compared directly with the manual tricylindrical, the sensations are much better and, unlike the 1.0 T-GDi, this does not feel powerless in any case.
In addition, and although during the test route we did not obtain representative consumption figures, it should be noted that the 1.4 liters, despite the power and the extra torque, is not penalized in terms of consumption with respect to the three-cylinder, and although homologous a little else, in practice it seems to be at the same level as the small block in terms of gasoline consumption. For us, the choice is clear.
The automatic gearbox is quite competent, as it is fast enough when necessary but also comfortable in transitions while driving quietly. These DCT versions enjoy a Sport mode that, in addition, slightly increases the weight of the steering.
We have not been able to test any of the two versions of the 1.6 CRDi diesel, although we already know this engine from the Ceed five doors and it is also an option to consider, both for the elasticity that facilitates its generous torque and for its consumption.
Prices Kia Ceed Tourer 2019
The complete list of recommended prices (RRP) of the new Kia Ceed Tourer is as follows, although it should be noted that discounts may be around 5,000 or 6,000 dollars (depending on the version), including promotions and discounts for financing, for example. Thus, the range can start at 14,900 dollars and, like any Kia, has a warranty of 7 years or 150,000 kilometers.
The range has four finishes (Concept, Drive, Tech and GT Line) and the standard equipment already includes Start / Stop, hill start assistant, steering wheel and leather shift knob, 5-inch screen, cruise control, centralized closing, front and rear electric windows, light sensor or air conditioning, among other things.
The top finish of the range or GT Line, in addition to sporting touches, adds for example 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, panoramic sunroof, sports pedalboard, darkened windows, 8-inch screen with navigator, specific upholstery, parking sensors, etc …
