Kia makes it very easy to want a new Venga.
The Venga is the Korean firm's new five-seat mini MPV. The versatile five-seat car has a small footprint and relatively large interior, yet it comes with a surprisingly small price tag.
It is not only practical but very good-looking, too. If that is not enough to tempt you, it also comes with Kia's industry-leading, seven-year warranty. The Venga has been styled for Europe by a team headed up by the guy who gave the world the Audi TT and the result is a chunky, appealing exterior. It could easily carry a Ford badge without fear of raising an eyebrow - and that's a compliment.
The car is built in Kia's latest manufacturing plant in the Czech Republic, not too far from Kia's Slovakian plant. It was there a few years ago that Kia put its money where its mouth was by offering a seven-year warranty with the Cee'd. This warranty is superb. No other manufacturer comes even close to offering the same level of guarantee. This will help residuals as it stays with the vehicle for the duration.
The Venga is spacious inside and this is the big appeal. The car has a large wheelbase (2,615mm), which frees up a lot of legroom, similar, in fact, to cars a full segment size up. There is plenty of space up front and nice instrumentation. The rear seats can slide forward and back and this makes the boot very adaptable also. LX and EX are the specification levels. Air conditioning, Bluetooth, USB & Aux iPod connectivity are standard on the range. EX spec adds 16" alloys, front fogs, rear electric windows, privacy glass, leather covered steering wheel and gear lever and electric folding side mirrors with built-in turn indicators. Prices start at €18,395 with the EX costing €19,695. The Venga also qualifies for the Government's scrappage scheme.
Ireland gets one engine, a 1.4 turbodiesel with 90bhp/220nm. It falls into the lowest tax band, 'A', with CO2 of 117g/km (€104 road tax). Kia Ireland has specified the 'Ecodynamic' kit, which makes Venga the first car in its class to benefit from 'stop/start' technology. Fuel consumption and emissions are low.
The Venga is not a particularly dynamic performer but still drives well. Once you get used to finding where the power is in the rev range you can make reasonable progress using the six-speed manual gearbox without too much fuss. On the open road the cabin is quiet and this makes the Venga a serious contender as a budget all-rounder. After the recent spell of bad weather many drivers may have stayed on the road if they'd had ESP, which comes as standard on the Venga along with six airbags. The Venga performs well in crash tests, too.
It's all good so far, but there must be a downside? Just one, really - the 'A' pillars can obstruct forward vision. On twisty roads I found myself having to peer around them at times and this was a little annoying. Otherwise the Venga is an excellent effort.
The Kia Venga is handsome, well engineered and versatile.
Michael Sheridan
