YOU can spend more than £40,000 on a new Kia today but there are strong signs the company has not forgotten that many buyers think of it still as a brand with value to the fore.

So, while the big new Sorento grabs the headlines and tops the forty grand mark in its plushest version, there remain a pack of high value machines at more modest price points, with the car you see here a prime example.

The Venga is a smallish hatchback with a mild feel of mini-MPV thanks to a taller than usual body. A midlife restyle saw modest changes to front and rear and a gentle refresh of trim and finish to the interior.

Nothing radical, mind, to a car that needs to be well priced and practical far more than it needs to set the pulses racing.

To emphasise the value part of the deal, Kia has introduced a special edition SR7 trim level, sitting between the '1 Air' and '2' trim grades and available with either the 1.4-litre petrol engine of this car or a 1.4 diesel costing another £1,300.

The latter provides better economy and has usefully more pulling power, meaning fewer gearchanges through the six-speed gearbox it uses, instead of the five speeds that come with the petrol SR7 Venga.

Even so, you'd expect the majority of people looking for modest transport at modest prices to take the petrol version. They won't feel shortchanged either, with a car that goes well enough not to make you fret as the motorway slip road approaches and showed 38mpg over a week's varied use.

The lack of a high top gear does mean the Venga buzzes a bit at motorway speeds and had me reaching more than once for a non-existent sixth gear. After an hour or so at speed I simply didn't notice the revs any more, and carried on listening to the radio (with the volume turned up a bit).

The SR7 sits between '1 Air' and '2' trim grades and has automatic headlight control and privacy glass on the rear windows and tailgate in addition to the VR7 key features of air conditioning, reversing sensors, Bluetooth, USB and AUX ports, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors and electric windows.

The 16-inch alloy wheels are the same as those fitted to Venga '2', '3' and '4' grades, while the one solid paint option (Arctic White) and three metallics (Silver Storm, Phantom Black and Infra Red) are those offered with the latest Venga '1' and '1 Air'.

Kia is keen not to have the Venga thought of as a small MPV, but rather as a small car with lots of space. Fair enough, if you're bothered with precise definitions.

I think it's a bit of both; enjoying the upright driving position and ease of access of a typical MPV, while having loads of interior space in a car that's shorter than you think. A rear seat that split folds and slides forward a few inches when you need extra boot space, simply increases this useful car's usefulness.

That's not a word much loved by advertising types, who prefer all cars to be exciting, dynamic and sporty. Lots of people in the real world of everyday motoring couldn't care less.