In 25 years Kia has built five million Sportages, their 4x4 international best seller, which just happens to be the most popular Kia in the UK as well.

Probably the best recommendation for the Sportage is the number which are bought by motoring journalists because of their quality, the fact they are good value for money and their unique seven-year guarantee.

A number of my colleagues drive the Sportage as their second vehicle and use it to compare with the latest cars which come from other manufacturers.

And Kia like to tell you that last year they built a new one every 69 seconds of which 40,000 went exclusively to the UK.

There are a number of variations in the latest model with prices varying from £20,000 to £34,000. This is the fourth Sportage on the line from a Korean manufacturer which just gets better by the year.

The refreshed Sportage isn’t much difference from the previous model. There have been alterations to bumpers, new lights and there’s more quality on the inside.

Under the bonnet there is a new 1.6 diesel engine which replaces the old clunky 1.7 variation. The new CRDi produces either 114bhp or 134bhp, with 126g/km emissions and comes with front-wheel drive as standard.

There is a 2.0-litre diesel which includes a mild hybrid 48V system which is bit of a waste of time because it is just like an assist for the engine.

There is a four wheel drive if required and there is a petrol alternative if required, which will probably do well because some drivers are frightened of what the government says.

Kia expect that their new 1.6 diesel engine will be the most popular while the mild hybrid will contribute no more than 10 per cent of the sales.

There are no plans for a GT version nor or a full hybrid model. But watch this space.

Taking the 1.6 petrol engine for an example the Sportage can do around 113mph and 0-60mph in 11 seconds. And you should be able to easily get to 40 miles to the gallon. These figures improve as you switch your models.

The best in fuel economy is the twin-clutch 1.6-litre diesel model will give you almost 60 miles per gallon with 129g/km emissions.

Practically all Kia cars are great fun to drive and perform well. The Sportage is no exception.

There’s bags of room for a couple and three children and the Sportage is certainly on a par with the SEAT Ateca and the Nissan Qashqai.

All Kias have plenty of kit as normal and the Sportage is no exception. The Grade 4 model gives you an 8-inch screen, leather, electric seats, an upgraded sound system plus like blind-spot warning and forward-collision-avoidance assist. This stuff seems to have become standard in all 4x4 these days while perhaps the last items a little bit unnecessary. After all we do want to drive our cars rather than give everything to a machine.

As with all Kia vehices, the Sportage has the seven-year warranty. The Kia Care has been extended, so you can pay for the first seven years of servicing and get more with your car.

And if that wasn’t enough Kia have more fantastic offers available for customers looking to buy in the remaining months of the year.

Q4 sees a range of finance offers, with an attractive 2.9 per cent APR available on the New Sportage and All-New Ceed and 5.9 per cent APR paired with low monthly payments across the rest of the range alongside generous deposit contribution levels on PCP contracts available for most models.

New models have been added to the Kia scrappage scheme as well with the Niro HEV now available on scrappage with a £3,000 saving, the Picanto with a £2,000 saving and the Stonic with a saving of £2,500. The scrappage scheme is available with 5.9 per cent APR finance but is in lieu of all other offers.

The award-winning All-New Stinger, Kia’s ground-breaking gran turismo, is available from just £29,995. Finance options are available with up to £2,500 contribution towards PCP.