Kia Cee’d Sporty Wagon Premiere

The oddly named Kia Cee’d Sporty Wagon will be on display at the Geneva motorshow early march. The Cee’d is an all new car from Kia and unlike most Kias, the front and rear of the Cee’d actually look like they were put together by the same designer!

“The new Kia cee’d Sporty Wagon retains all the attributes of the cee’d hatchback and offers consumers extra practicality and versatility, with a unique extended tailgate design, while keeping stylish stand-alone good looks with a truly sporty feel,” enthused Mr Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe.

This is no small car, measuring 4.5-metre long, the Kia cee’d Sporty Wagon has an unusually long wheelbase.

Kia says that in Europe there will be a line-up of 18 Sporty Wagons, with three equipment levels (LX, EX and TX), five engines, with manual or automatic transmissions, and an extensive range of optional equipment. No actual details are confirmed for Australia yet.

“With ride, handling and performance every bit as responsive as the hatchback, the Sporty Wagon will be available with a similar choice of engines and specifications. The Sporty Wagon is sure to delight existing Kia customers and to attract European consumers who have not yet considered our brand.” Lievens said.

To boost load carrying ability and versatility, the wagon’s overall length is increased by 235 mm, with all of that increase behind the rear wheels, and overall height is up by 10 mm. Luggage capacity goes up to a total of 534 litres – loaded up to the bottom of the rear windows – almost 200 litres more than the cee’d hatchback.

The tailgate on the cee’d Sporty Wagon is unique in the C-segment, and designed to give excellent access to the load area. The top hinges have been moved forward by 225 mm (compared to the cee’d hatchback), so the tailgate has reduced outswing and upswing, allowing users to stand closer to the car and the tailgate to be fully opened, even in restricted parking spaces.

Kia says that both petrol and diesel engines will be offered, including an all-new, 1.6-litre 86kW diesel engine made in Slovakia. 2007 is a big year for Kia with the Kia cee’d family – five-door hatchback going on sale late last year and the five-door Sporty Wagon starting in August 2007 whilst the three-door Sporty Hatch goes on the market in December 2007.

No official word from Kia Australia so far.