When I review cars made by Korean companies that only the automotive anoraks have heard of I always seem to reach two depressing conclusions. The first is that although the cars are cheap they're not nearly as good as their big-brand competition. And the second is that despite the low list prices they depreciate horribly fast - which actually makes them bad long-term value.

But this really could be the car that breaks the mould. The Clarus is a big family car that starts at a fiver under £11,000. Even in these post competition commission days that's still dirt cheap, because even the entry level 1.8 SX comes with air-con, central locking and power assistance for the bits that need it. However the £12,495 2.0 GSX is the one to have, because the larger 2-litre engine also comes with ABS brakes and alloy wheels.

I'm not going to claim that this is the best looking family car you'll ever see, nor that the interior is the smartest, but I did a 500-mile day-trip in the Clarus and I climbed out of it smiling. If I'd attempted the same journey in a Vauxhall Vectra I would have had to be winched out, because the seats so uncomfortable.

The Clarus drawbacks aren't too terrifying. The first minus mark goes to the fuel consumption, because the 2.0 litre manual can only manage 27.4mpg overall. And that's simply not good enough if you're a high-mileage driver. The second area of weakness is that the safety equipment isn't great. There are endless warning tones to inform you if you've forgotten to do up your flies or whatever, but you'll only find one airbag. And these days that's 3 short of the full set.

These downsides are indicative of the fact that this isn't what you'd call a cutting-edge car - although that doesn't mean that it isn't well- engineered and it is supported by a 3 year/60,000 mile manufacturer's warranty plus roadside assistance.

So that just leaves one question - will your shiny new Clarus plummet in value the second the Kia dealer waves you off the premises? To find the answer I asked CAP Monitor, whose job it is to estimate the likely future value of today's new cars. And at first sight their estimate of the £12,495 Clarus 2.0 GSX's value after three years and 30,000 miles looks much worse than average for the class - because CAP think the Clarus will be worth just £4,400.

However, the Clarus is far cheaper than big-brand cars in its size category, and for £12,500 you're usually only in Vauxhall Astra territory. Now the Astra is a very good car, and CAP confirm that a £12,495 example will indeed be worth £800 more than the Kia when you come to sell. But if you really need the Clarus's extra space then I bet you'd willingly pay an extra £20 a month or so to keep the kids from disembowelling each other on those long journeys. I know I would.