The new Sportage is Kia’s replacement for what was a quantum-leap model for the Korean company. The third-gen model added striking looks and a strong drive to the sensible ownership proposition that was its predecessor’s strongest suit – and it sold like hot cakes.

So, a hard act to follow. And here’s the car to take on that job.

The new Sportage is longer in both body and wheelbase, making it more spacious for all concerned. With the back seats down you get a big, near-flat cargo bay, and reclining back seats are a very nice addition to the usual SUV fare.

It’s comfortable up front, too, where you sit up high and survey a dashboard whose design and material quality are much improved over what went before.

We’re testing the 1.7 CRDi diesel here. Costing from £19,745, this 114bhp unit will be the highest-seller in the range.

Those figures make it both cheaper and more powerful than the comparable Nissan Qashqai, which is the one to beat in the Sportage’s corner of the market. The engine is loud, which counts against it, but what it lacks in refinement it gains in grunt, pulling strongly from down in the depths of the rev range.

Similarly, body control is tidy but ride is coarse – especially in higher-spec models with lower-profile tyres. There are SUVs that deal worse with imperfections in the road, but more to the point there are those that do it better.

Something Kia has always done well, though, is load you up with kit. All models get alloys, air-con, DAB and all-round electric windows, but the mid-range 2 model adds climate, sat-nav, rain and dusk sensors plus a lane-keeping function. There are 3 and 4 models, too, but their prices climb faster than their desirability so we’d suggest sticking with one of the first two.

We’re less than impressed, though, that the extra kit on premium models includes safety staples like autonomous braking. Do only rich deserve to stay safe?

Despite this aberration, the Sportage is a much-improved vehicle in many ways. If only the 1.7 diesel was one of them, however, it would be much easier to recommend.

There’s a 2.0 CRDi in the range, as well as an entry-level 1.6 petrol unit, and we’re confident that both will do the Sportage more justice than the rather witless 1.7 unit – whose ability to disturb the cab is matched only by its ability to churn out CO2.

Either of those engines is likely to transform the Sportage. As it is, however, the model tested here is not going to move the game forward.

Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDi 114

Engine size: 1.7-litre diesel

Price from: £19,745

Power: 114bhp

Torque: 207lb ft

0-62mph: 11.1 seconds

Top speed: 109mph

Fuel economy: 61.4mpg

CO2: 119g/km

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