The latest Kia Sportage is far superior to the model that went before it. The new car to wear the name, which comes from Britain's fastest growing car importer, is head and shoulders above the model it replaced, which was really just a pastiche of what 4x4 models were supposed to be. When most makers preach evolution it's good to see such radical change. There were awkward touches to the old Sportage like a spare wheel that sat on a frame and had to be swung out of the way before the rear tailgate could be opened. That, thankfully, has gone along with any need for Kia to stick the spare on the back in typical 4x4 style. It's now well hidden beneath the boot floor, where it really belongs. If the previous Sportage was a pretend 4x4, the latest car to bear the name is a far more serious contender. Like rivals such as the Honda CR-V, it has full time front wheel drive and a four wheel drive that cuts in when needed. It can also be locked in permanently, unlike the Honda. The Sportage is a bargain 4x4 that should tempt buyers into this class where they might have fought shy before. The Sportage makes a sensible and attractive alternative to smallish estate cars and gives the advantage of good traction no matter what the road conditions. That's even a major plus point for the previous model, despite its other shortcomings, and it's still worthy of consideration especially as its prices are good value. Talking of value, Kia has been doing deals lately that see diesel models going out of the showroom door for the same price as their petrol relations. This makes the diesels exceptional value and as a result you should avoid paying over the top for a used one. There's a two litre petrol model, rising to the very best 2.7 litre V6 petrol with automatic transmission. But you would be daft to buy either of these, for there's only one engine option to have in the Sportage and that's the diesel. With many car purchases in mind, I would suggest to people that the petrol makes as much sense as the diesel if it costs substantially less and you don't do a huge mileage. All that price difference, maybe more, will remain on resale so buying the diesel will not really cost you money. I know from past experience with the Hyundai just how capable this car is off-road, should you ever want to go there, and mild green laning or crossing muddy building sites would not faze it. The latest model was launched in 2005 with a diesel engine that was a shade lacklustre. It has since been replaced by a much better turbodiesel which you may be lucky to find on the used market. But remember my earlier warning about paying too much. The Sportage is an object lesson in how to make cars both well specified and cheap to buy and I doubt Korean labour costs are much less than ours. Add to that bringing the car halfway round the world and I'm amazed at how they do it for the money. Service intervals are 6,000 and 12,000 miles on earlier cars and a consistent 10,000 miles on the latest versions, which is much more convenient. Insurance starts at Group 9 for the older cars, Group 10 for the latest, reflecting their higher specification. This new Sportage is around in limited numbers used but the earlier cars are more widely available, all with petrol engines and a 53 plate GSX excellent value at £5,350. Maurice Hardy