Review of the new Kia Venga 1.4 CRDi

As car buyers we like our preconceptions. Without them how would we possibly make sense of the monumental range of choice we're faced with? There are just too many cars out there and it's really useful if we can dismiss some of them out of hand based on what we think we know about the companies that make them. Now get ready for the bad news, if you don't occasionally revise these prejudices towards certain makes or models, you might end up missing out in a big way. For example and like it or not, anybody looking for a small family car with a diesel engine should at least consider the Kia Venga 1.4 CRDi.

If you're thinking that Kia makes basic, cheap cars that fall below the quality standards set but the big name brands, you've just proven the point about revising those preconceptions from time to time. Much to the consternation of Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Renault and the other companies that UK car buyers gravitate towards by default, Kia has been on the up.

We've seen a concerted effort by the Korean firm to up its game and compete on an equal footing with the big players. The Venga is a supermini MPV and prime evidence of the progress that has been made. It's built in Europe to European quality standards and designed to European tastes for sale on the European market. As Europeans and with Kia having gone to all this trouble, we really should give it a chance.

It's the diesel Venga we're concerned with here, a model that will be crucial to the car's success in its intended European heartland. The engine is a 1.4-litre CRDi common-rail injection unit with 89bhp at 4,000rpm and 163Nm of torque between 1,750 and 2,750rpm. On power it's competitive against other engines of its type but the torque, which gives you the low-down pulling that's so handy in stop-start motoring, is a little down.

Acceleration from 0-62mph takes 14s which is far from lively but the engine gives up its power in a smooth manner with good flexibility. It's not the most refined unit, filling the cabin with booming sound when pushed hard and coming over a little coarse on part throttle.

".the car rides well and is perfectly straightforward to drive in an urban setting"

The actual handling of the Venga is worthy of praise with the well-weighted steering provoking crisp responses. Don't expect anything too dynamic because this is a taller vehicle than a conventional supermini and its height is felt in corners through a bit of body roll. The chunky steering wheel feels good in the hands and the upright driving position affords good visibility, although the A-pillars do obstruct your view on roundabouts. The ride is comfortable, the suspension taking bumps in its stride, and the Venga generally feels very at home in the urban streets where most owners will use it.

Despite being only 4,068mm in length, the Venga has a wheelbase that's just 35mm down on the cee'd five-door, a car that's a good 200mm longer in total. As well as maximising the amount of space that the interior designers have to play with, the Venga's wheel-at-each-corner stance helps give the car a purposeful, bottom-heavy look out on the road. It's a smartly styled car with a sporty flavour that might give it an edge over the frumpier supermini MPVs.

The cabin is what it's all about here and the Venga's is certainly roomy with plenty of legroom and a boot of 440-litres. Kia has put particular thought into how owners will accommodate their luggage and the boot area can be extended to 570 litres by sliding the rear seat forward or through the two-tier boot floor, even before you get involved in folding the rear seats down. When you are forced to employ Kia's Fold & Dive seating system, which operates with a reassuring solidity, the 60:40 split rear seats drop to create a flat load floor with a 1,552mm load length and a 1,253 litre capacity.

Kia's quest to enhance the quality of its products has been a successful one and the parts of the Venga that you look at and touch most regularly appear to be a match for the sector's finest. The design is uncomplicated and there are nice details like the tactile metallic bezels on the main dials and the crisp illumination of the instruments.

What's still slightly lacking is attention to the minor details that come together to create that crucial impression of quality. Some of the materials on the door inserts and below the steering wheel are cheap and ill fitting, the glovebox closes with a plastic clang and a resolute slam of the door provokes a slight rattle. With a few minor niggles tightened up, the Venga could be a real contender.

Before it began clambering up market, Kia was known for low prices and lots of equipment. You still get a fair bit of kit for your money in the Venga put the prices reflect Kia's desire for parity with mainstream rivals. The trim levels are handily dubbed 1, 2 and 3. The entry-level 1 featuring basics like electric windows, a CD stereo, the Fold & Dive seating system and a centre armrest. The car comes in a single five-door bodystyle with six-speed gearboxes for the diesel models featured here.

So which cars does the Venga count as rivals? They're a capable bunch of supermini-based models with extra versatility and space inside, hence the supermini MPV billing. Vauxhall's Meriva, Renault's Modus, Nissan's Note and Citroen's C3 Picasso are amongst the market leaders and there's no doubt that the Venga deserves consideration alongside them.

The diesel Vengas come with the EcoDynamics badge on their tailgates which refers to the presence of Kia's EcoDynamics fuel saving technology. The highlight of this is the ISG stop-start system which turns off the engine when the car is stationary and restarts it automatically when it's time to move off. The Venga also has gear-shift indicator lights and low rolling resistance tyres on versions with 15 or 16" wheels. The 1.4 CRDi diesel returns close to 63mpg on the combined cycle with emissions of 117g/km. This doesn't make it the cleanest car in the sector but it comes close.

Kia is worryingly close to making the breakthrough into the mainstream of the European car market. That's worrying for the established brands that have held sway there for so long, not for motorists, for us it's great news. Not only will cars like the Venga 1.4 CRDi keep the big names on their game, it gives supermini MPV buyers another viable option to choose from.

So should you choose the Venga? The car has good looks and a spacious, well-thought out cabin but aspects of the build quality do fall slightly short of the standards we'd expect at the very top of the class, especially as Kia's asking prices are on a par with the best alternatives. The diesel engine is competent but it's up against some superb units and is let down by its torque and refinement. On the plus side, the car rides well and is perfectly straightforward to drive in an urban setting. The 1.4 CRDi models probably don't show the Venga at its best but they do show how far Kia has come and with the price negotiated downward, they'd be a fine bet.

TOP 5 VENGA DEALS

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Kia Venga 1.6 CRDi EcoDynamics 3 5dr diesel hatchback
Price £13,735 Read Venga Reviews	Save £3,240
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Price £14,375 Read Venga Reviews	Save £3,385
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Price £9,593 Read Venga Reviews	Save £2,002
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