New Kia Sportage KX-4

This sounds crazier than a rabid badger... but some people think the Kia Sportage KX- 4 is a low-spec car.

This sounds crazier than a rabid badger... but some people think the Kia Sportage KX- 4 is a low-spec car. Why? Because of its unpretentious badge. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. This, you see, is the highest-spec Sportage in the history of black and white mammals. As such, one of its skills is to steer itself into parallel parking bays. Drivers simply control the throttle, brake, and transmission. This complements the reversing camera, parking sensors, leather seats, key-less entry system, touch-screen sat-nav, duel-zone climate control, and its seven speaker audio system that includes a subwoofer.

Low-spec? The Sportage KX-4 is better equipped than an army of ninja badgers. The Kia Sportage KX-4 is the most powerful in the range too. As such, its 2.0-litre diesel engine produces 182bhp and 383Nm of torque in six-speed manual guise, and 392Nm when bolted to the automatic transmission. And, unlike its lesser siblings, the KX-4 is only available with four-wheel-drive. In normal conditions, one-hundred per-cent of the engine's power is sent to the front wheels - but this torque is automatically split up to sixty/ forty between the front and rear respectively if required. Motorists can also lock the Kia Sportage to 4x4 mode – with a fifty/fifty split – at speeds of up to twenty-five miles per- hour. That sounds perfect for chasing those ninja badgers over rough terrain. Kia Sportage KX-4 prices start at £27,195 for a manual, and £28,500 for an auto. Low-spec? No chance.

By Stephen Turvil, motoring.co.uk