By on 2010-12-26 -
Kia Venga 2 1.4
HAVING been writing about cars since the early days of Kia, it is gratifying to see the progress achieved by the South Korean firm in recent times.
From my early days penning paragraphs about early products such as the likes of the Kia Pride and Mentor to today's world in which Kia walks tall as a member of the third largest car maker on the planet much has been achieved including UK sales of more than 50,000 vehicles in 2009.
One of the latest in the line of quality family models to leave Kia's parent company Hyundai's new Nosovice plant in the Czech Republic is the Kia Venga, a compact MPV which comes with maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating.
Having already made its mark as a prize winner, picking up a Best In Class gong at the Auto Express New Car Awards, the Kia Venga has also proved itself to be very much a family affair.
Obviously, to qualify as a small family motor with sufficient manoeuvrable room, while being practical and versatile, the Venga also has to fall into line with the tighter economics operating within many household budgets and this surprisingly roomy little motor ticks all the required boxes.
While rear head and leg room can have their limitations in some of the supermini/MPV class this is certainly not true of the Kia Venga which features a pretty long wheelbase for its size which also helps its stability when linking together a series of twisty bits.
The Venga has a thoughtfully laid out cabin within which versatility is very much the order of the day. The split rear seats slide fore and aft to maximise passenger accommodation. However, should your priority be luggage capacity then the two-tier boot with moveable floor can extend the standard 444 litres of cargo to 570 litres.
In addition, should further luggage space be required, the rear seats have a "Fold and Dive" function which makes them fold into the floor, leaving a completely flat load area providing a huge 1,253 litres of stowage space, an impressive boot space for a supermini.
Kit levels are good, all Vengas coming with air con, electric front windows, remote central locking and driver's seat height adjustment while a six-speaker sound system with RDS radio, CD player and complete MP3 capability provides the entertainment for your journey.
Safety, too, has been well accounted for, Kia having included the likes of six airbags, ABS braking with electronic brake force distributionĀ and brake assist, electronic stability and traction control plus hill start assist in the Venga 2 model driven here.
Created for the European market, the Venga looks good on the tarmac, its sporty appearance making quite a hitĀ on the tarmac judging by the reaction of bystanders as we drove by.
While perhaps not quite as refined as some contenders, paired with a well sorted five-speed manual gear change the 89bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine proved pretty flexible through the urban trawl thanks to some flexible mid range torque and was no slouch when tackling the long haul.
The Kia Venga also delivered a firm, but not unresponsive ride and, when linking together a series of twisty bits, some decent grip and road-holding proved equal to the task.
Overall, this is a sporty looking supermini which comes with a surprising amount of space.
Kia Venga 2 1.4
Price: £12,695
Mechanical: 89bhp, 1,396cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max Speed: 104mph
0-62mph: 12.4 seconds
Combined MPG: 45.6
Insurance Group: 8
C02 emissions: 147g/km
Bik rating: 18%
Warranty: 7yrs/ 100,000 miles
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