How did the Kia Sportage quietly develop from also-ran to front runner in the budget SUV stakes?

By offering more of what people want, that’s how.

This fourth generation car now packs in more equipment, tidies the styling, sharpens the dynamics a tad but keeps the same value, practicality and great aftersales care.

The motto here seems to be ‘If it aint broke, give it a better stereo’.

As before, buyers get a choice of both front and four wheel drive models, with changes to steering and suspension promising a slightly more involving on-tarmac experience.

If that’s a priority for you, then you might want to look at one of the GT Line variants, which are supposed to feature sharper, more athletic handling and deliver a slightly firmer ride.

At the rear, this fourth generation Sportage features more horizontal forms and clearly defined feature lines, with smooth bodywork on the tailgate, emphasising the car’s width and giving this compact SUV a more stable appearance.

Inside, there’s a completely new interior, with higher quality materials and a central console that cascades downwards.

The 30mm increase in this model’s wheelbase means that the cabin is more spacious too, with greater headroom front and rear.

At the back, the seats recline further than before for greater long distance comfort.

Out back, bootspace is up from the previous model’s 465-litre total to 503-litres here.

Have the updates made to this fourth generation Kia Sportage been sufficient to keep buyers loyal?

It’s true that they could have been more far-reaching, especially beneath the bonnet but there’s just enough here to keep existing customers loyal, we think.

That’s important as Kia is fortunate enough to have quite a few of these people in the UK, thanks to the impressive sales success achieved by the third generation version of this car.

This MK4 model offers these folk a little more attitude and they’ll like the much more up-market interior.

Ultimately, it’s a car you sit in and wonder just how a Honda CR-V or a Toyota RAV4 can be worth around £5,000 more.

That says it all really.