It is just over a year since Kia launched the Venga in the UK to some fair acclaim writes Sharon Walters.

At the time, car buyers were looking more and more at smaller and cheaper cars as the recession was still biting hard.

And 12 months on nothing seems to have changed, with taxes rising and fuel prices going through the roof!

• Click on the gallery to your right for more pictures

The good thing for buyers looking ‘down’ was that they discovered the cars were as big and had as much specification as the more expensive models.

Fair enough, finish might not have been as high and interior quality a little bit plasticky, but you do indeed get what you pay for. And while it is nice to have the best, today’s finances for many makes this one luxury too far when mortgages have to be paid for.

And Kia’s big advantage is that seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. Now that attracts buyers for two reasons: first, the company has such faith in its product; second, there’s a lot to be said for the extra peace of mind.

Kia is, without doubt, one of the most improved motor manufacturing companies in recent years.

From cheap-and-not-so-cheerful cars made in Korea and shipped over here, they now make decent cars and, more importantly, manufacture them in Europe for the European market.

And so back to the Venga – rather oddly named after the Spanish for ‘come on’. Now Kia call it a ‘B-segment’ car alongside the likes of a Ford Fiesta hatchback. But when you look at it and drive it, it feels and looks like a compact MPV with plenty of room for five.

And it’s also like a compact MPV in terms of versatility.

The rear seats split and both recline and slide, meaning that you get more boot space. With the rear seats set in the median position there is still enough legroom for adults.

And if you reduce boot space to the smallest even six footers feel comfortable. The high roofline of the Venga also provides plenty of headroom.

With the rear seats fully back there is a capacity of 444 litres, more than some competitors, and an underfloor storage area adds another 126 litres.

Another plus is that when you tower the rear seats (and you don’t have to take off the headrests!)the seats fold flat to the boot floor.

The Venga’s cabin is very functional and instruments are easy to use. I have to say it isn’t all that inspiring – again we’re back to what you pay for – but it is not really cheap or tacky.

There is a good array of cubbyholes of varying sizes which will store away a fair amount – useful when travelling with children.

As for specification, the Venga comes in high. An entry level Venga 1 has manual air-con, electric front windows, remote-control central locking, and a USB port in its stereo system.

Venga 2 has a leather-rim steering wheel, aluminium alloy wheels and an iPod plug.

The top-trim Venga 3 has a panor­amic glass sunroof, and automatic air-conditioning.

Options inc­lude a rear-parking camera with display screen that appears within the interior mirror.

I drove the 1.4 petrol which was very quiet and refined.

Gearchange is light without being vague, and Kia has tuned the Venga’s suspension set-up for mainland Europe, for British roads. Kia UK says it did this because it felt the Venga’s European specification was too stiff for our not so-smooth roads.

The result is that the Venga turns with remarkably little body roll and feels nimble when cornering, and grips more strongly than you would expect.

There has been criticism that it is not fun to drive – but that’s not top of everybody’s list, and it’s a criticism that could be levelled at many a reasonably priced family car.

Driving on very bumpy country lanes the Venga coped well and in town was more than adequate.

There’s a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel, with prices starting at £11,495 on the road with that all-important seven year/ 100,000-mile warranty.