by Richard Dredge (28 Jan 10)

You can just picture the scene. A Kia executive based in Korea, tells his European team that he's come up with the perfect name for the company's new small car: Venga. There’s a stunned silence as he's informed that in Europe the name brings with it connotations of trashy Europop music – but it's no good, the deal is done.

Overlook the grating pop connotations and the Venga is every bit as good as you'd expect of a modern Kia. Long gone are the spartan cabins and low-rent plastics, while the styling – inside and out – are very European. That's no surprise, as the Venga was styled entirely at Kia's Frankfurt design base, with ex-Audi man Peter Schreyer making sure the team didn't go off the rails and stick on a huge grinning chrome grille.

However, while the Venga's styling is inoffensive, you also won't be excited by it. The lines work well but there's little in the way of clever detailing, although it's a damned good effort from a company which is growing quickly in the UK. Thanks to a decently large bodyshell and clever packaging, the cabin offers plenty of space for five, and because the rear seat slides fore and aft, its possible to juggle rear legroom with boot space. As a result, you can have a load bay capable of swallowing anywhere between 444 and 1486 litres.

There are three engines on offer, kicking off with a 1.4-litre petrol unit that's hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox. Knocking out 89bhp and 101lb/ft of torque, it promises a 45.6mpg average and CO2 emissions of 147g/km. Kia claims that 0-62mph takes 12.4 seconds, which sounds about right – this isn't a powerplant that will set your trousers alight, although it's perfectly adequate. If you want a bit more urge, there's also a 124bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, but for some inexplicable reason you have to have this with a four-speed automatic gearbox. The result is claimed fuel consumption of 40.4mpg but disappointingly high CO2 emissions of 164g/km. However, you can get to 62mph in a neck-straining 11.8 seconds before topping out at 110mph.

If you're not a petrolhead, you can always opt for the diesel, a 1.4-litre unit badged CRDi and packing 89bhp along with 163lb/ft of torque. With fuel consumption pegged at 62.8mpg and CO2 emissions of just 117g/km, it's an enticing prospect. However, the diesel is coarse under acceleration and doesn't feel as sprightly as you might hope, even though it's hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox (there's no auto option).

Buyers can choose from three different trim levels; logically, they're tagged 1, 2 and 3. Even entry-level cars come with air-conditioning, electric front windows and remote central locking plus a six-speaker hi-fi with USB and iPod connectivity. Move to the Venga 2 and 16" alloys are added along with a multi-function steering wheel. Buyers of a Venga 3 can also delight in a panoramic glass roof, rear electric windows, climate control and privacy glass.

Kia is also playing the safety card pretty heavily, with all Vengas having as standard ESP, Isofix mountings, active head restraints and six airbags. Choose a higher trim level and there's no extra safety kit because it's all fitted to the cheaper models already. While the car hasn't yet been smashed into a concrete block, Kia is confident that when it is, a five-star Euro NCAP rating will follow.

It's looking good so far, then; there's space, equipment and competent – if not class-leading – dynamics. The killer punch, though, is Kia's seven-year 100,000-mile warranty. That's how much faith Kia has in its new baby, and judging by recent efforts from the company, it isn't taking much of a gamble.

The flipside to such brilliance is a relatively high start price. Kias aren't the bargains they once were, but then you're now less likely to lose your shirt on one when you come to sell. The entry-level 1.4-litre petrol Venga costs £11,495, while the 1.6-litre petrol is £14,095. If you want to go diesel you'll need a minimum of £12,795; order a range-topping Venga 3 1.4 CRDi and you'll get stung for £15,395. However, while these prices are hardly bargain-basement, Kia claims the Venga comes loaded with kit for which some rivals charge extra.

So all in all, the Venga is a worthwhile addition to the sector, and Kia is being realistic with hopes of shifting between 4000 and 5000 each year. Arguably the worst thing about this new arrival is the Eurotrash connotations. Still, things could have been worse - it could have been called the Black Lace. Maybe they're saving that one for a special edition.

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