The Kia cee'd Sportswagon has come out on top of the best estate car category in Diesel Car magazine's annual car of the year issue.
Faced with stiff competition from the likes of the Jaguar XF Sportbrake and the Mazda 6 Tourer, the cee'd Sportswagon was successful in picking up the vehicle's first award.
The second generation cee'd Sportswagon was launched in Slovakia in September last year – and those hoping to purchase the motor after checking out the latest Kia deals can choose from the two engine types 1.4 litre 89bhp and 1.6 litre CRDi 126bhp.
Individuals hoping to get behind the wheel of the auto are not alone in their admiration of the car, as the vehicle has accounted for 16 per cent of total cee'd family sales since registrations for the new generation of the collection were introduced in May 2012.
Of these, 75 per cent was made up by fleet sales, while the remaining 25 per cent related to retail sales in the UK.
Ian Robertson, editor of Diesel Car magazine, praised the cee'd Sportswagon for its ability to combine practicality and driving calibre in an attractive package.
Paul Philpott, president and chief executive officer of Kia Motors UK Limited, said: "We are delighted that Diesel Car has awarded the cee'd Sportswagon best estate car for 2013. It's unrivalled combination of space, functionality and engine performance … gave us great confidence that we had a best-in-class product."
Kia also enjoyed success in the awards from Diesel Car magazine – which is in its 25th year of operation – in other segments. The Sorento was highly commended in the mainstream 4×4 class, as was the Rio in the mainstream small car category.
One man who has been enjoying life as a Kia owner is Garreth Hardstaff, who recently won a prize draw to drive away in a Kia cee'd.
Mr Hardstaff beat off competition from 8,000 entrants to receive the keys to the vehicle.
Posted by Peter Murray
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