SIMPLE question ⦠is it a hatchback or a small SUV? I'm talking here about the diminutive Kia Stonic, and the answer is probably: a bit of both.

Now on its second facelift, it has adopted a similar visage to the South Korean firm's hugely successful EV range. But that's as far as electrification goes, because the Stonic has its feet mostly planted in the ICE age with a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine, albeit aided by 48valve mild hybrid boost in 113bhp form as reviewed here.

With a price tag of below £30,000, the five-door Stonic doesn't set out to get your adrenalin pumping, nor is it pretentious enough to pose as a luxury carriage - its aim is to provide no-nonsense, easy driving transport for folk who don't want to lash out big bucks on a simple runabout.

And with an easily attainable 50mpg within your sights, it's appeal to the budget conscious is clear. A further bonus is Kia's seven year, 100,000 mile warranty.

The tall cabin is easy to access and exit via reasonably wide-opening doors, and space between driver and passenger is adequate. The new facia follows the oblong trend of other recent Kia models and is easy to work with.

There are two matching 12-inch digital screens and below is a multi-mode tech display that lets you adjust climate settings and the infotainment menus.

There are quite a few hard, plastic surfaces - a reminder of the car's budget nature, but seats front and rear are soft and comfortable. Legroom in the front is ample and those in the back also have little to moan about. Headroom all-round is generous.

With 352 litres of cargo space, the boot is a decent size and well-shaped to swallow up holiday luggage. Rear seats split and fold in the usual fashion to increase carrying capacity. There's no shortage of space for oddments with decent sized door pockets and a storage space in the front central armrest.

Despite its lack of dynamic pretentions, the Stonic is a capable drive with a reasonable turn of speed that allows the little three-pot engine to dispose of 62mph in under 11 seconds. The engine sounds quite busy when revved but it's smooth and eager enough and has a bit of character that's hard not to like. There's some road noise from the tyres, however, but not sufficient to become irritating.

Cornering is safe and predictable with ample levels of adhesion in both dry and wet conditions. There's a degree of cornering roll in spite of the ride being on the firm side. Steering is light and the gear change is slick enough.

With frugality as the main aim, we drove gently and managed to squeeze 62milies out of a gallon of E10. On normal running our average was around the 50mpg mark, still very reasonable then.

So whether it's a jacked-up hatch or a genuine high-rider, the Stonic offers high value, economucal family transport with a huge warranty to safeguard buyers.

£24,995

1.0-litre, 3cyl, 113bhp, mild hybrid petrol engine driving front wheels via manual gearbox

113mph

10.6sec

49.5

12

128g/km

31%

7yrs/100,000 miles

4.1