What's the news?

Kia has announced high-spec versions of its cars and additional models available with an automatic transmission in the Picanto and Rio ranges.

Flagship of the Kia UK range is the new, £36,495, Sorento KX-4, which features a range of convenience, comfort and appearance upgrades. Parallel Park Assist is fitted, using 10 sensors to steer the car into a parking space. Inside, the driver's seat gets a memory function to store two seat positions and there are sun blinds for the rear door windows. The KX-4 can be identified by its 19-inch wheels and chrome mesh grille with bright surround.

Parallel Park Assist is also fitted to the pro_cee'd SE Tech, which sits above the SE grade and costs £22,795. In addition there is heating for the steering wheel and the seats. The upholstery is a mix of black leather and contrasting mesh inserts. To go with the tech theme there is an LCD instrument cluster that allows the font size to be increased and can be switched from mph to km/h for driving in Europe. It also comes with tyre pressure monitoring and an automatic parking brake.

The Picanto '4' comes with an electric sunroof, rear privacy glass and UV solar windscreen glass; the UV glass cuts glare and ultraviolet light in the cabin. In addition there is a heated steering wheel, a smart key entry system and an engine start/stop button. Also new is the Picanto '3' Automatic; like the '4' it uses a 1.25-litre, 84hp engine, but fitted with a four-speed automatic gearbox rather than the standard five-speed manual transmission. Pricing for the Picanto '4' is £11,995 and the '3' Automatic is £11,045.

Sharing some features with the Picanto '4' is the new Rio '4'; namely the sunroof, heated steering wheel, smart key and start button. It also gets black leather upholstery. A choice of petrol or diesel power is available with prices starting at £15,495.

Previously only available on the Rio '2' Kia is now offering a four-speed automatic option on the Rio '3' with the five-door body and 108hp petrol engine. The stop-start system has been deleted but otherwise equipment levels are identical to other Rio '3' models; the automatic is priced at £15,100.

Anything else?

All the new models can be ordered with Kia's Care-3 and Care-3 Plus fixed price three- or five-year servicing plans. Covering the cost of routine parts and labour the Care-3 packages cost between £299 for the Picanto and Rio to £349 for the Sorento.