What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

whatcar.com August 2020 19

FIRST LOOK FIRST DRIVE

Dashis nicelymadeandtouchscreenrespondsswiftly

Four-wheel drive is offered on some E-Class models

Kia Ceed

Focus-sizedfamilyestateoffersgreatvalueandis nowavailable

withplug-inhybridpowerOn saleNow Pricefrom£2 9,9 95

IFYOU’REAFTERapracticalplug-inhybrid,

Kiawouldappeartohaveyourback.TheCeed

SportswagonPHEVcombinesa1.6-litrepetrol

enginewithabigbatterypackandelectric

motortogive139bhpandanofficialall-electric

rangeof29.2miles,anditdoessowithout

skimpingonday-to-dayversatility.

Howdoesitdrive?Well,thingsarepretty

leisurelyinelectricmode,soexpecttohear

theenginechiminginifyouneedtogetupto

motorwayspeedspromptly.

Thetransitionbetweenelectric

andpetrolpowerissmooth,

buttheenginedoesgetalittle

gruffifyouwringitsneck.

Thestandardsix-speed

automaticgearboxdoesn’t

shiftquiteassmoothlyasthe

SkodaSuperbPHEVEstate’s

butisalittlelesshesitant.The

rideisfirmyetcomfortable;

bumpsarefeltbutarenicely

cushioned,andbodycontrol

overwavycountryroadsis

tighterthanthatoftheSuperb.

TheCeed’ssteeringhasaconfidence-

inspiringweightanddecentamountof

precision.ThePHEVhidestheadditional

weightofitsbatterieswell;there’snotmuch

bodyleananditfeelsmoreagilethantheroly-

polySuperb.Wedoubtyou’llfindmuchjoy

drivingithard,though;itsperformanceisbest

describedasadequate.ThePeugeot 508 SW

PHEVandSuperbPHEVarebothmuchbrisker.

Theinterioriswellconstructed,ifnot

particularlyexcitingtolookat,andyou’llfind

acomfortabledrivingpositionthat’shelpedby

standardadjustablelumbarsupport.

A 10.3in touchscreen infotainment system

with sat-nav and Apple CarPlay and Android

Auto phone mirroring is standard; its screen is

responsive to inputs and has sharp graphics.

Keenlypricedandpractical

plug-in estate is well worth

your consideration

SAYS

There’s no issue with the

amount of room up front,

but there’s less rear leg

room than in the similar-

sized Ford Focus Estate, let

alone the sizeable Superb.

Even so, a six-footer won’t

feel squished. The hybrid

setup robs you of underfl oor

storage and reduces overall

boot space signifi cantly over

the standard Sportswagon,

but the load area is still very

practical.There’sabig boot opening, no load lip

andhandilyplaced levers to fold the rear seats.

Thesoletrimlevel substantially undercuts

the 508 SWandSuperb Estate PHEVs on

price,byenoughto offset its slightly higher

BIK tax band. It’s quite a bit cheaper on PCP

fi nance than those rivals, too. Put simply, if

the fi nancial factors of a plug-in hybrid

appeal, the Ceed makes a lot of sense.

Mercedes-Benz

E-Class Coupé

and Cabriolet

Facelifted coupé and drop-

top get mild hybrid power and

advanced driver aids On sale

AutumnPricefrom£45,000(est)

KiaCeedSportswagonPHEV 3

BUYER’S FILE

Price £29,

Engine 4cyl, 1580cc, petrol, plus

electric motor

Power 139bhp (combined)

Torque 195lb ft (combined)

Gearbox 6-spd dual-clutch automatic

0-60mph 10.5sec

Top speed 106mph

Fuel economy 188.3mpg (combined)

CO 2 , tax band 33g/km, 12%

ALTHOUGHTHEMERCEDES-BENZE-Class

saloon makes a  ne luxury car, it doesn’t

exactly scream “exciting weekend on the

Amal Coast”, does it? No, if you want to

mix grand-touring luxury with the kind of

stylish looks that will get you noticed on

the Riviera, you’ll want this updated E-Class

Coupé or its convertible sibling instead.

Along with a facelift that brings a new-

look front end with  atter, all-LED headlights,

the engine line-up has been revised,

with all options now being mild hybrids,

including our recommended E220d diesel.

With a 48-volt electrical system and a

small electric motor, this EQ Boost system

can allow for periods of ‘coasting’ with the

engine off under light loads to save fuel, or

it can boost power under acceleration by

recovering otherwise lost energy.

Inside both cars, you’ll  nd two 10.25in

screens as standard: one for the digital

instruments and the other for infotainment.

As with the saloon, both screens can be

optionally upgraded to 12.3in.

The E-Class’s semi-autonomous driving

aids have been improved, too. There’s

now a ‘capacitive’ touch system to detect

whether your hands are on the steering

wheel when the car is partially steering

itself. In plain English, that means you just

need to rest your hands on the wheel,

rather than having to provide a steering

input to tell the car you’re still in control.

Mercedes’ Urban Guard anti-theft system

is also available; this can send noti cations

to your phone if your car is moved or even

knocked when you’re away from it.

As with the E-Class saloon, we’d expect

a modest price increase for the revised

E-Class Coupé and Cabriolet, starting at

around £45,000 and £50,000 respectively.

It’s worth noting, too, that savvy buyers can

nab a hefty discount on current versions of

both models through our New Car Buying

Service, with savings of up to £7507.

Darren Moss

[email protected]

Alan Taylor-Jones

[email protected]