MORE than ten years ago, a Korean upstart gatecrashed the burgeoning 4x4 club with a cheap and cheerful, but also crude, offering - the Sportage.
Sportier, better looking, more spacious and more adaptable, the latest version is radically different to the original.
The name may be the same, but this is a completely different car, that, in pure value for money terms, is a serious alternative to market leaders such as the Land Rover Freelander and the Toyota RAV.
The Sportage is never going to impress the judges in the beauty catwalk, but then again there are not many beautiful 4x4s around.
It is more musclebound than svelte with a squarish shape dominated by flared wheel arches. It features a raked windscreen and a roofline dominated by integral roofbars.
At the rear it features a neat split tailgate, which allows for the top hinged glass window to be opened independently.
The interior is impressive with masses of leg and headroom all round. Although the legroom does prove a problem for anyone of short stature. To depress the clutch pedal my wife, who is a shade over 5ft tall, had to take the seat to its forwardmost position, but still struggled to fully depress the pedal.
As is typical with Korean cars, standard equipment is lavish. The entry model costs £15,295 and includes powered windows and door mirrors, automatic headights, CD and MP3 players, air conditioning and remote central locking.
Safety features include twin front airbags, front side and full-length curtain airbags, front seat belt pre-tensioners and three point rear seat belts.
The higher spec XS models offer leather trim, front seat warmers, cruise control, privacy glass, sunroof and self-dimming mirror.
The cabin is laid out in neat and logical manner, but I always have a problem with the wiper and indicator stalks that are reversed on Korean cars.
Going to turn right can end up with the wipers going full pelt with sun beating down from above.
Luggage space is surprisingly good for this size of SUV. The boot area accommodates 667 litres via the versatile one touch fold flat rear seats plus a fold flat passenger seat.
The line-up starts with a 140bhp two-litre petrol engine while the flagship version is powered by a 173bhp 2.7-litre V6 engine with four-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.
But with diesel now the fuel of choice for the majority of cost-conscious SUV buyers, the 138bhp two-litre common-rail turbodiesel is particularly attractive.
Although more of a 'soft roader' rather than a full-blown off-roader, the Sportage four-wheel drive copes well with tricky conditions thanks to the Active Torque Transfer system, which progressively transfers drive from the front wheels to all four wheels if slippage is detected.
In severe conditions, four-wheel drive can be engaged manually with a lock function to override the programme. In addition, traction control is fitted as standard equipment on the XE while the XS version also has ESP stability control.
Other standard specification includes 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, a JVC CD audio with MP3 player, electric windows and door mirrors, front fog lamps, auto light control, remote central locking, tilt steering column adjustment, roof rails, a sunglasses holder and a wide range of handy storage areas.
FAST FACTS
Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi XS 5dr
Price: £18,195
Mechanical: 138bhp, 1,991cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving all four wheels wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 104mph
0-62mph: 13.8 secs
Combined mpg: 39.8
Insurance group: 10
CO2 emissions: 187g/km
BiK rating: 27%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage, 3yrs paint, 6yrs anti-rust