2016 Kia Sportage Platinum

Kia has refined the overall driving experience of the new model. Ride and handling and isolation from noise are impressive. The diesel engine is a little raucous under load but is a quiet and smooth operator around town and out on the highway. There is 400Nm of torque, should you require it, but you're really only going to call on that if towing or under swift overtaking manoeuvres. There are paddle shifters on the steering wheel, but six-speed auto is quite intuitive and we didn't see much need for them.

Fuel economy is good. Kia claims a combined figure of 6.8L/100km and we achieved 7.7L/100km in our real world testing – not bad for a medium SUV.

As with the recently launched Optima, Kia has done a good job on the ride and handling package. Developed in Australia for Australian conditions, the suspension is well damped, not easily upset by larger bumps and has a good low speed ride unlike the previous generation which we criticised for being overly firm, crashy over large bumps and jiggly at low speed. The ride is particularly impressive given the Platinum sits on 19-inch wheels. At highways speeds, rebound is good with the Sportage settling quickly and not 'floating'.

Kia says it paid attention to the handling of the all-new Sportage and, as with the suspension, it appears the engineers have done a good job. The electrically assisted steering is well weighted and you feel a lot more connected to the black stuff compared with the previous model. In fact, the new Sportage, dare we say it, is actually a little sporty. Body control is good and there are larger brakes for better stopping power. In this segment, it is certainly up at the top of the class.

The new Sportage is stronger and stiffer, with 51 per cent of the body now made of advanced high strength steel (compared to 18% in the previous model).

The Sportage's good chassis, handling and steering will go a long way to keeping you on the black stuff, but the Platinum also boasts an array of active and passive safety systems. The Sportage scored a maximum five stars for Euro NCAP crash testing. Platinum models gain autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane change warning, blind spot monitoring and lane change assist systems. There are also six airbags, a reversing camera with dynamic guide lines, Smart Park assistance, and front and rear parking sensors. The systems work well, although the blind spot monitoring can be overly cautious.

The all-new Kia Sportage is a big step up from its predecessor and will certainly put rivals on notice. Add to that the industry leading seven-year warranty, capped price servicing, great ride and handling package, and strong safety armoury, and it is certainly a strong proposition. That said, the Platinum will cost you $50,411($50,947 for premium paint) on the road (2000 postcode) while the mid-spec (but still well-equipped) SLi diesel is considerably cheaper at $43,181 ($43,716 premium paint). Depending on your needs the SLi may well fit the budget better. We'd suggest it's worth comparing both.