One manufacturer who is really pushing the boat out this year is Kia.

In September alone their sales were up 10 per cent compared to the same month last year delivering 15,340 new cars to satisfied customers in the UK.

Ten years ago few motorists had even heard of Kia let alone driven one. Now they’re the motoring choice of many drivers because they have become a pretty classy operation. Kia have come forward in leaps and bounds in 2016.

So Paul Philpott, the president and chief executive of Kia, is a happy man even though he has Brexit hanging over his head like every foreign manufacturer.

He said: “We have seen more and more UK motorists turning to our brand and our 188-strong dealer network.

“This performance is testament to our excellent design, remarkable quality and durability and the focus on best-possible customer service by our dealer partners.

“I am confident we shall exceed our target of 88,000 units in 2016 to mark yet another record year for the brand.

“And with four all-new models coming in 2017 – two new versions of existing products and two additions to our growing range – I believe that we are set to continue that upward trend.”

Kia’s best seller is the SUV Sportage with the Picanto being the marque’s second-best seller and the number three is Rio.

The September performance means that Kia has now delivered 72,949 new cars during the year to date – up 13.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2015.

Kia is also increasing its performance in the fleet and business market with a near 50-50 split between business and retail sales – in contrast to the market as a whole.

It also means Kia’s year-to-date overall market share has risen to 3.39 per cent compared to 3.06 for the first nine months of last year.

Joining the fleet is the new Kia Optima sportswagon which as an estate car is a rival for the Ford Mondeo estate, the Peugeot 508; the Vauxhall Insignia and both the Skoda Superb and the Mazda6. And as a rival it will do very well.

As well as being a good looking car it handles extremely well and it might even pinch a few customers from the German brands who are the kings in this estate company.

Kia have provided just one engine for this Optima and that’s the 1.7 litre diesel which is pretty good with 139bhp. 0-60mph is just under 10 seconds and miles per gallon is just over 60 which is pretty good for a big car.

There’s a choice of gearboxes which is the six speed manual or the seven speed automatic.

Road tax is just £30 because the CO2 emissions are 113g/km.

Most buyers will go for the Optima SW because of its space and the boot is 552 litres, which expand three times to almost 1,700 when you put down the rear seats.

There is an excellent driving position and certainly no aches or pains after a long journey. On the motorway it has no rivals in the comfort stakes.

Because they have to work harder than the rest of the manufacturers for customers they provide the best equipment and there’s plenty of it in the Optima.

You get one touch folding rear seats, luggage rails and a smart power tailgate. Then as well as the normal stuff there’s a full range of advanced driver systems and then connectivity features including standard Android Auto or Apple CarP.

There are three types of trim and a sporty GT version will be available next year.

Kia still has the seven year warranty or 100,000 miles which motorists feel comfortable with but as a marque Kia are among the most reliable around the world so it is hardly used.