Car Star: Kia Venga

March is a difficult month to choose a Car Star, it’s the month when almost every carmaker releases something new or at least something face-lifted just as the new ‘10’ registration plate comes out and buyers hit the showrooms in droves.

As the Geneva Motor Show kicked off this month, we saw a flood of new product details coming through, from tiny cars to massive, luxurious ones, from quirky concepts to the downright dull mid-life alterations.

So when it came to looking for a new Car Star we are almost spoilt for choice and that is why we settled on a good all-rounder that could satisfy any number of buyers.

Like Skoda, I am constantly surprised by the brand snobbery still expressed by many people toward Kia. Explain it how you like and no matter what virtues you bestow on a Kia model, you will still get some people who turn their noses up and proclaim that they wouldn’t be seen driving a car with this carmaker’s name on. Those people are mad and should be rounded up like cattle and put somewhere safe for their own good. After all, Kia’s seven-year warranty alone is a pretty strong argument for selecting one of its cars but it latest market-offering is its most compelling word yet; Venga.

OK the name sounds awful and seems to inspire people to sing about Ibiza but in Spanish it actually means ‘to arrive’. So perhaps that sounds too grand, but apart from the unfortunate name, the Venga is a winner. The line-up of small MPVs seems to be ever-growing; yet Kia has managed to produce belter despite the stiff competition.

So what makes the Venga great then? Well firstly it is priced to competitively starting at £11,495 perfect to compete with the likes of the Nissan Note, Citroen C3 Picasso and Vauxhall Meriva. While such cars are often seen as simply being taller versions of superminis, the Venga is actually quite generous in legroom despite its compact dimensions. Sat in our car park next to a Ford Fiesta, the car is clearly only slightly longer yet its boxy shape and tall rear make it much more family friendly and open up a whole new market for the car compared to a true supermini. There is nothing worse than trying to get a small infant in and out of a three-door supermini without hitting your own or the child’s head or bashing your knee. A model such as the Venga is almost an essential to family life, especially for those trying to limit their motoring expenditure.

The Venga achieved an impressive overall EuroNCAP score of four stars, despite a small hiccup with the function of the front seat belts (see story). Thankfully this was caught so early in the car’s retail that the carmaker only had to fix four cars in the UK that had already been sold. A remedy has now been introduced onto other models.

For safety and security all Vengas are well equipped, as standard featuring six airbags (front, side and curtains), active front head restraints, two ISOFIX chid seat mounting points, anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Brake Assist (BAS) and Traction Control (TC).

The new model is based on the new small-car platform first used on the Kia Soul and is intended as a replacement for the Kia Rio- a model which did not sell as well as the Korean carmaker might have hoped. Despite being 37mm shorter than Soul, Venga has a 65mm longer wheelbase, an important contribution to its outstanding interior space and versatility. With split rear seats that slide fore and aft by up to 130mm, passenger accommodation can be further stretched when luggage capacity can be sacrificed.

With a choice of three torquey and fuel-efficient engines and the option of manual or automatic transmissions, Venga buyers should have sufficient choice without being overwhelmed. Diesel versions will wear Kia’s EcoDynamics badge, as they utilise fuel-saving, CO₂-cutting technologies including the carmaker’s own stop/start system called Intelligent Stop and Go (ISG). This switches off the engine when the car comes to rest and the gearlever is put into neutral, and restarts it the instant the clutch pedal is depressed.

Thanks to a standard six-speed manual gearbox and EcoDynamics technologies, the EcoDynamics model can cover 62.8 miles on a single gallon of diesel in the official combined cycle, and emits just 117g/km of CO₂. This is sufficient to give it significant tax advantages for both private and fleet users. Benefit-in-kind taxation for company drivers is only 13 per cent, while the annual Vehicle Excise Duty is a mere £35.

The two petrol engines in Venga are 1.4-litre 89bhp (90PS) and 1.6-litre 124bhp (125PS) units from Kia’s Gamma family. The 1.4 is familiar from the Kia cee’d. In Venga it is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The 1.6 is the same engine used in the Kia Soul, but in Venga it comes with a four-speed automatic transmission.

Motor-driven electronic power-assisted steering is standard as a further fuel-saving measure, and all models have an all-disc braking system with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Also standard is Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Traction Control (TC) with Brake Assist (BAS) to ensure the car always remains under control, even in the most difficult conditions, and can stop in the shortest possible distance in an emergency. As a convenience function, Hill-Assist Control (HAC) is also fitted as standard.

Despite being a practical motoring solution, the Venga is far from dull. The standard 1.4 petrol engine delivers 0-62 in 12.4 seconds, beating the performance of rival 1.4 petrol engines installed in Vauxhall Meriva and Nissan Note models. And despite being tall, the Venga keeps the body roll to a minimum. Overall it offers a comfortable and responsive drive, coping well will all but the biggest potholes and provides the driver with a commanding driving position. OK it’s no rocket, but it will accelerate up to motorway speeds without shaming you.

For comfort and convenience, every Venga comes with air conditioning, driver’s seat height adjustment, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, electric front windows, remote central locking and tinted glass.

Starting from £11,495 for the Venga 1 1.4-litre petrol, rising to £15,395 for the Venga 3 1.4-litre CRDi EcoDynamics, the Venga offers the perfect balance of space, fuel efficiency, low running costs and purchase price, safety features and driving functionality and that is why it is this month’s Car Star.

Author: Faye Sunderland, March 10th, 2010
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