The world according to Kia is simple. Build good cars cheaply and they will sell.

It’s of little consequence that Kia is a new brand, nor that the car industry is traditionally snobbish.

But Kia doesn’t pay too much attention to the competition. Rather, they have confidence in their products, and a stunning seven-year warranty, to know that they will sell in growing numbers.

Of course, there are some who sneer at Kia, for whom this brand will be dismissed for not being European.

Thankfully for Kia, those blinkered types are a diminishing force. Kia continued its record-breaking year with its best-ever August performance in the UK new car market.

Kia’s cars, it’s fair to say, used to look dated and out of kilter with European tastes. Not any more. Rio and Optima especially look very European as any Ford or Vauxhall, and while those brands have shifted upmarket, Kia is happy to take their bread-and-butter sales.

Kia has moved upmarket too in terms of style and equipment but it still undercuts competition.

So, here we have the latest Kia contender, Cee’d Sportswagon. It’s an estate in all but name with Kia preferring the German-style title.

Apparently, in Germany estates are considered sexier and more sporting than saloons or hatches, which is in contrast to the British tradition.

It costs from £16,895 to £24,795. In short, it is admirable. Following just three months after the launch of the Cee’d hatch, it is a mid-sized estate car but it is a huge loadcarrier for a compact model. It only comes as a diesel which may seem strange, but these are supersmooth engines and are designed to appeal to business users.

Replacing the Cee’d SW, the newly-named model aims to be adventurous, sporty, modern and technologically advanced, but with even more of the practicality and value which made its predecessor a major success.

In fact, it’s a bit of a jack of all trades.

It has few faults but lots of strengths.

If you were really critical you might think the style is a tad anonymous and it won’t stand out in the car park.

But that may be a plus point. Kias used to stand out for being a bargain choice but these stand comparisons with Peugeots, Renaults, Vauxhalls and Fords, in fact any mid-market load carrier.

It’s built in Zilina, Kia’s state-of-the-art factory in Slovakia. I’ve visited a few factories in my time but few are as clean and efficient as this factory.

Cee’d Sportswagon is exclusively for Europe.

There are two engines, 1.4 and 1.6 litre diesels.

For me the 1.4 is the pick, but both are clean, quiet and smooth. The entry-level 1.4 is an 89bhp unit while the 1.6 offers 126bhp.

With prices from £16,895 to £24,795, and low maintenance and insurance costs, it will be an inexpensive car to run.

At just over 4.5 metres long it is more compact than its major European rivals, and just 15mm longer than the Cee'd SW.

Yet it offers greater luggage capacity than the majority of the competition – 528 litres up to the load cover with all seats upright and 1,642 litres up to the roof with the 60-40 split rear seats folded flat.

The equipment of the previous SW – including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and six airbags - has been supplemented with new features in the Sportswagon.

All have Emergency Stop Signalling. Depending on model, static and active cornering lights, a reversing camera, a Parallel Park Assist System which steers the car into kerbside spaces and a Lane Departure Warning System are also available.

It’s a car which further reinforces Kia’s improving image.