A REMARKABLE blend of power and economy is about to put the latest offering from Kia at the front of the compact estate market with a car in which we have just managed to average an astonishing 85 miles per gallon.

Undercutting diesel estates from Ford and Vauxhall the Kia cee'd Sportswagon is good enough to become a benchmark for company car drivers and families seeking a practical all-rounder.

It's priced form £16,895 for a 1.4-litre model which has competitively low emissions and is protected by Kia's industry leading seven year 100,000 mile warranty.

With such credentials it is little surprise that Kia is confident its new estate will be a hit with business users who are expected to snap up 70 per cent of production.

Only diesels are available and of the seven Sportswagon models in the line up it's the 1.4 base version which is most impressive.

On a 100 mile run through the mountains of Slovakia to Kia's European factory in Zilinia we managed to clock up an average of 85.5mpg according to the car's onboard computer.

That was with careful driving to get the best from the 89bhp engine and it exceeded the official 67.7mpg economy figure by more than 20 per cent extending the theoretical range to more than 1,000 miles on a single tank.

Even other cars driven more briskly to the factory where the Sportswagon is built alongside Kia's cee'd hatch and Sportage SUV managed to return fuel figures in the 60s - and these were brand new vehicles with tight engines having covered only a few hundred miles.

Such economy gives the cee'd Sportswagon terrific potential and there is an impressive amount of pulling power in any of the six gears.

It may be only a 1.4-litre engine but it delivers almost as much clout as the 1.6-litre diesel used in all other versions of the Sportswagon.

Top speed is a claimed 106mph and 0 to 60 takes around 13.4 seconds and with a stop/start system as standard it copes with traffic as economically as it cruises on motorways.

Emissions are rated at 109g/km which for the private buyer means an annual road tax charge of just £20 after the first 12 months.

The estate has kept plenty of the good looks from the second generation cee'd hatch and it's a car which looks sleek and low slung, living up to its Sportswagon name.

As medium sized estates go it is nicely practical and has a wide load floor delivering 528 litres of space - bigger than its key competitors in the shape of the Focus and Astra estates.

The Sportswagon has additional storage under the boot floor and a cargo organiser is available to secure items on the move.

Fold down the rear seats and capacity increases to 1,642 litres which is more than you get in Volvo's king-sized V70.

Although it is the base model the 1.4 CRDi Sportswagon comes with a surprising amount of kit including air conditioning and Bluetooth connectivity and the interior is well finished with a smart, functional dashboard.

It is also very well thought out and user friendly with a deep centre console, cup holders and a sensibly sized - and cooled - glovebox.

Roof rails are also standard and so is hill start assist - another driver-friendly feature.

There are four trim levels in the Sportswagon range and on all but the entry level versions the power steering has variable settings which gives the car a little more feel.

An automatic is available in trim level 2 priced from £20,395 while sat nav is standard on the next grade up at £21,095.

The top range Sportswagon 4 Tech includes leather upholstery, a panoramic glass roof, an automatic parking system and lane departure alerts and costs £24,795.

The 1.6-litre diesel with 126bhp on tap is slightly livelier but a touch less economical averaging a claimed 64.2mpg with CO2 emissions of 116g/km. The auto box increases fuel consumption to 50.4 and pushes emissions up to 149g/km.

Realistically the 1.4-litre Sportswagon 1 does all that is needed and while it may not have some of the level of equipment of some of the higher grade versions it is the cheapest of the bunch by some margin - and in this day and age that's about all that matters.

Kia is a brand that is going places and growing in popularity, bucking the trend with rising sales.

Already this year it has sold more than 40,000 vehicles - an increase of more than 20 per cent compared to 2011 - and with models such as the Sportswagon setting new standards it's easy to see why.