Kia Venga 2 1.4 5dr Car Review - February 2012

The 1.4 litre engine proples the Venga from 0-62 mph in 12.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 104 mph. With 89bhp and 101 lb-ft of torque, the Venga is underpowered and is out of its depth on faster roads.

The engine is relatively quiet at cruising speeds. The level of wind noise is moderate but road noise is audible. The suspension is also a little noisy.

The Venga is most comfortable when in town as it is light and easy to drive at city speeds. The steering can be vague and the gear change is imprecise. Firm suspension allows corners to be taken with little body roll, however, bumps and potholes can be felt throughout the cabin.

The Venga is as long as a supermini, but it is taller, so you can expect a roomy cabin. Its similar to the Honda Jazz, Nissan Note and Toyota Verso-S but looks slightly more European. Front quarterlight windows and thin front A-pillars give the car great all round visibility from inside the cabin.

The extra height gives the passengers not just more space, but a great view of the road ahead. The dashboard has been well made, but the finish still leaves room for improvement. Some of the plastics used for the dash and centre console feel scratchy and hard. A separate cowling for the instrument dials adds flair to the design, making this conventional hatchback a bit cooler.

Equipment wise you get: air-con, electric windows, central locking, cd player, 16-inch alloy wheels, iPod connection, steering wheel-mounted controls and electric mirrors.

The Venga's interior is positively cavernous. There are also lots of cubby holes which are very handy for storage.

The Venga really outshines its competitors though when it comes to space in the rear - even long legged travellers are unlikely to complain about legroom. On top of that, the extra height you get with the Venga means that there is also plenty of headroom. The boot is impressive, holding 440 litres, and if you include the under floor storage this is increased to 570 litres. With the seats flat you get 1,253 litres of storage which is significantly more than the Honda Jazz offers.

Kia has been building up a name for itself for a while now and is considered to be one of the most reliable budget carmakers. The seven year/100,000 mile warranty means that even if something should go wrong, you will be covered.

Safety kit wise you get: stability control, front, side and curtain airbags and active anti-whiplash head restraints. It's all very effective, as the five-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating shows.

The Kia Venga 2 1.4 will return a reasonable 45.6mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 147g/km put the Venga under VED band F. Priced at £12,995, it isn’t massively cheap, and the cheaper models in the Venga range make more financial sense.