Kia Sportage review

You don’t always need an all-new model or a name change to turn your fortunes around. Sometimes, the answer is staring at you right in the face.

The Kia Sportage was a long-established and mildly successful model in the Korean manufacturer’s line-up before it was drastically reimagined for its third generation in 2010. Until then, the line-up had featured worthy cars with lengthy warranties, but there was precious little to get excited about. Then out of the blue came what was rather a handsome family SUV.

Predictably, the Sportage flew out of showrooms, helping Kia more than double its sales over the following six years. However, as striking as that car was to gawp at, it was never particularly great to drive.

This fourth-generation model is designed to fix that while building on the visual appeal of its predecessor and taking the sales battle to the likes of the Skoda Karoq, Nissan Qashqai and Seat Ateca.

But does the latest Sportage deserve a place on your SUV shopping list? And if so, which version should you spend your money on? Read on to find out. And if want to buy one, visit our New Car Buying site.