88: Kia Sportage – Good looks let down by average drive

The odd thing about the current Kia Sportage is that it appears to be trying to do some sort of Porsche Cayenne impression. And not the new, slick-looking Cayenne either, but the original bug-eyed version.

The styling just seems purposely odd, to the point of parodying the Porsche, and the interior layout also seems to have been nicked from Weissach. No wonder the Hyundai Tucson, a much more conventionally handsome car, and mechanically identical to the Sportage, is selling so much better.

That’s not to say that the Kia is bad - far from it. It’s very spacious, with a rear seat just about broad enough to take three child car seats abreast, and it’s very well made, backed up by that seven year warranty. It’s not exciting to drive, though. In fact, it’s really very dull from behind the wheel. Just goes to show that the Porsche impression only goes so far.

Best model: 1.7 CRDI Platinum