Goodness, is nothing sacred? Every car company has a car you’d rather forget, something that doesn’t quite measure up to the rest of the family.

Kia’s such car was Carens. I say ‘was’ because it has just been transformed from the runt of the litter to top dog, arguably the smartest of a pretty distinguished collection of affordable, sensible yet stylish cars.

That’s some transformation. Badge snobs who want to sneer at Kia will find it that much harder now for these rapidly-expanding marque has had a complete re-think on Carens. It used to be big, but now it’s shrunk a little. It used to be tall, but now it’s shorter and all the better to drive.

And it used to be plain, but now it’s got the familiar Kia style including the ‘Tiger nose’ grille.

At £17,895 to £23,895, Carens is a seven-seater, even in entry-level form, and of course it comes with a seven-year warranty. Seven must be Kia’s lucky number.

So, how else has Carens changed? Previous versions, dating back to 1998, have always majored on size and value and largely forgot about the appearance.

It was still a reliable car and Carens fans I have spoken to love it, but the Kia idea now is to win new, younger drivers without alienating the traditional customers.

Job done, I think. There’s little to dislike. It certainly drives better than previous Carens, thanks to its hatchback-like shape.

Kia has now completed a whole line-up of cars under iconic designer Peter Schreyer (the man who created the Audi TT, no less) so Kia has a solid family look about it.

It’s a car you may choose because you love it and that’s not something you could ever have said about earlier Carens.

Compared to some rivals it has a strong and streamlined profile that echoes the styling cues of its hatchback relative the Cee’d and Rio.

The large glazed area also gives the best view out and helps to make the cabin feel light and airy for occupants.

Showroom appeal is secured but the Carens also needs to deliver where it counts. Sit anywhere in the first two rows and there no shortage of space.

It comes as a seven-seater which is remarkable for a relatively compact car. The rearmost seats are small and largely for children.

Likely to be as impressive is the third row’s ability to fold flat into the boot floor, resulting in a good-size loadspace. Luggage, shopping, cycles and other family-centric clobber should fit without a fuss, with the car’s flexibility boosted by the ability to easily fold the second row of seats to further enhance the car’s carrying capacity.

Furthermore, it does it with ease and the Cee’d-inspired cabin offers the same familiar high levels of quality and aesthetically pleasing design, ergonomics and storage options.

On the road the Carens is equally polished with a ride far more stable than a mini people-carrier should ever be capable of.

Being a family car, running costs are important. As such, Kia’s focus on small, low emitting engines is no surprise. There are three engines, a 1.6 litre petrol and a 1.6 and 1.7 litre diesel.

The petrol option is refined and quiet at modest speeds but the diesels are better and will sell more. The low power option boasts a tax-friendly 124g/km CO2 while the sprightlier variant climbs to only 132g/km. Fuel economy is 60.1mpg and 56.4mpg respectively, and while under light loads the low power diesel is a perfectly useable option there’s no question that if you routinely load up the Carens the high power diesel delivers a more relaxing driving performance.

Rounding off the experience is a good a level of standard equipment – something we’ve come to expect from Kia in recent years. From an abundance of airbags to a electric windows, air-con and a high quality audio, there’s enough here to ensure the Carens can hold its head high.

Factor in Kia’s now familiar seven-year warranty and the admirable build quality and you have a terrific option.