New Sportage announced

Badged ‘KX-4’, the new trim line is in response to customer demand for a specification level to match the car’s extremely desirable shell.

The Sportage is a great-looking car in any company and buyers are turning to it from more expensive brands as their first Kia.

As such the most expensive Sportage carries full leather upholstery, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry, an engine start/stop button and stylish stainless steel scuff plates in the door apertures.

Also standard are 18-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, a seven-inch touchscreen sat-nav system with EU mapping, automatic xenon headlights, automatic windscreen wipers, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, heated front and rear seats, cruise control, iPod connectivity, colour reversing camera and a seven-speaker stereo complete with external amplifier and sub-woofer.

The KX-4 is unique in the Sportage range in that it is only available with ‘Intelligent All-Wheel-Drive’, which means that in normal driving 100 per cent of the engine’s power goes to the front wheels only, with up to 40 per cent going to the rear if conditions and traction require it.

The engine, dubbed the CRDi R, is based on Kia’s existing 2.0-litre diesel but with a 47bhp increase from 134 to 181bhp and a torque jump of 46lb.ft from 236 to 282lb.ft.

That shove is spread across a broad span of revs and the Sportage KX-4 takes 9.4 seconds to hit 60mph from rest. For the manual, top speed is 120mph, with CO2 emissions of 158g/km and fuel economy in the mid-40s miles per gallon.

A six-speed automatic option is available, which produces slightly more torque to partially account for the increase in wasted thrust through a conventional automatic compared to a manual.

The KX-4 manual is priced at £27,195 with the auto tipping the financial scales at £28,500. Both are available from dealers now.