If cars were root vegetables, the Kia Sportage would be a swede. For starters, it’s nourishing and good for you: prices are reasonable, the interior is practical and the technology you get with it has always been there or thereabouts. And it comes with the added benefit of Kia’s whopping seven-year warranty. All wholesome stuff.

The Sportage is a little different to the norm, too. It isn’t your common-or-garden potato or carrot, its Porsche-Cayenne-through-a-distorted-lens styling meaning it stands out from the usual pack. It’s also a slightly left-field alternative to the Ford, Vauxhall or Volkswagen Group default choices in this class. 

For all that, though, you’d never really choose to subsist...