These two Korean cars have sort-of SUV styling, yet they count as hatchbacks and both come with a good amount of kit and space. Of the models available, we’ve chosen the Kia Soul 1.6 CRDI 134 Connect to go head-to-head with the Ssangyong Tivoli 1.6 D EX. So which of them is going to go Gangnam-busters?

Both represent excellent value, although neither is going to actually light the tyres. With two 1.6-litre diesels to compare, they’re both powerful enough for everyday driving though. The Kia has the more refined engine of the pair, although the Ssangyong’s actually pulls better from lower revs. This means you don’t need to use its gearbox as much. Which is handy, as it’s a bit notchy and reluctant.

Both vehicles have fairly high centres of gravity with their boxy bodies, but neither is going to fall off the road. They both tend to roll and sway through the corners to a degree, but it’s the Tivoli which will start to understeer first. Neither has communicative steering so you’re not tempted to push either that hard.

The quality of ride is perhaps more important than outright handling in these, and here the Kia takes the lead. It’s not great, but it handles bumps and thumps rather better than the Ssangyong, which also suffers from larger wheels with lower-profile tyres – they don’t help the handling and don’t help the ride either.

Inside those boxes there is plenty of room in both. This leads to good headroom both front and rear, and they both have similar sized boots. The Tivoli’s cabin perhaps feels slightly less well made with slightly cheaper materials than the really quite sturdy and chunky Soul’s cabin, but neither is a disappointment for the price point.

There is plenty of kit to be found in both. Either will give you as standard a surprisingly long shopping list of good stuff, including alloys, air-con, reversing camera, cruise control and DAB radio. The Tivoli adds climate control and heated leather front seats to that list too. Amazing for the price.

These cars are more likely to be bought as a private purchase, although there’s not a great deal to separate them over the three years running costs. As a company car the Ssangyong makes considerably more sense as it has lower emission levels to go with its lower list price. However, the Kia gets the usual 100,000-mile warranty, against the five-year unlimited warranty of the Ssangyong.

Ssangyong has certainly come on a long way with the Tivoli. It’s an economical and practical proposition if you’re looking for maximum interior space and practicality for low exterior size and low costs. However, for the Tivoli not everything in the garden is rosy, and the Kia Soul is a noticeably better car, coming with the reassurance of that warranty and a growing reputation.

Kia Soul

Engine size: 1.6-litre diesel

Price from: £16,600 (list)

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 192lb ft

0-60mph: 10.9 seconds

Top speed: 112mph

Fuel economy: 44.9mpg

CO2: 128g/km

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Ssangyong Tivoli

Engine size: 1.6-litre diesel

Price from: £15,850 (list)

Power: 114bhp

Torque: 221lb ft

0-62mph: 10.8 seconds

Top speed: 109mph

Fuel economy: 45.5mpg

CO2: 113g/km

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