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Our Fleet Test Drive Kia Ceed SW - 16th report
Date: 19 August 2014 | Author: Hugh Hunston
Seeing and being seen may not be statutory duty of care requirements for car designers, but the European team that crafted our Kia Ceed SW already fulfils some sort of vision brief.
The smartly sculpted five-door estate car body has a distinctly cab-forward front profile, while the triangular quarter lights built into the windscreen pillars combine form with function. They provide extra sighting on tight left and right corners, while complementing directional headlights, linked to steering input, pick out wildlife, potholes and hazards otherwise concealed on dark, rural and urban roads.
LED technology applies to the effective front daytime running lights as well as the rear lamps and the high-level third brake light.
The excellent main beam reach contrasts with only adequate dipped headlight coverage.
The car's all-round visibility exceeds the C-sector (lower medium) estate car norm, with a large glasshouse area enhanced by a bespoke set of rear passenger wagon doors and windows that aren't hatchback hand-me-downs. This helps with the driver's over-the-shoulder view and makes sitting in the back a brighter experience.
In other news, Oxford dealer Humphris traced a fault with the reversing camera, which had ceased to work, to an uncoupled connector pin. Perhaps having to slam the boot to shut it properly jolted the connector adrift.
