It’s a phrase you’ll read in most of the earnest car magazines: “You get a lot of car for the money.” Most of the time it means you’re buying a car that is cheap but there’s plenty of it. All well and good, but like an all-you-can-eat buffet you can quickly lose your appetite.

In the case of the Kia Sportage you do indeed get a lot of car for the money. When it goes on sale in March the entry-level diesel Sportage will cost about £15,000 and comes with an overflowing equipment list containing some of the expected items — alloy wheels, air-conditioning and power steering — and some that will be a nice little surprise, such as a CD player with MP3 playback.

However, the crucial question here is: has the Kia managed to bring a bit of quality to the experience? It has to be said that the previous generation Sportage lowered expectations to the point where its successor would have struggled to disappoint. The car looked so bland it should have had a Tesco barcode on the side. The on-road dynamics were abysmal and the interior had all the ambience and character of an A&E waiting room. It gamely took on the likes of Toyota’s RAV4 and the venerable Land Rover Freelander — and lost. Pound for pound the new Kia is a more worthy rival.

Kia, a subsidiary of Hyundai of South Korea, is Europe’s fastest-growing motor manufacturer for the second year running and sold more than 30,000 vehicles in Britain last year. The company saw critical success with the Picanto, whose bigger brother the Sedona has become one of the country’s bestselling large MPVs.

The new Sportage has one immediate drawback, however: it is still slightly odd to behold. For one thing the wheels look too small and those big claddings over the wheel arches — supposed to add a sporty aspect — appear to belong on another car entirely. There is no question that the best view is from behind, where the Sportage’s huge expanse of glass has a touch of Volvo’s XC90 off-roader.

As a veteran of the old Sportage, my first big surprise came when I tucked in behind the wheel. The cabin doesn’t scream “Korean bargain bin”. You’ll know it isn’t European but this could easily be a mainstream Japanese cabin. In other words, quite good fit and assembly, yet with the occasional plastic surface feeling a bit cheap.

There’s also quite a generous amount of space: two 6ft-plus blokes can sit comfortably one behind the other. Likewise two guys can sit side by side in the back without any undue shoulder contact.

The other neat thing about the interior is the 60/40 split-folding rear seats. When you lower the backs, the squabs slide down into the footwell, which means the seats fold perfectly flat for a nice level load floor. It might not seem like much, until you try fitting that sideboard in.

There are also three-point safety belts for five occupants, with Isofix mountings in the rear for child safety seats and up to six airbags — including the latest impact-severity and weight-sensing dual front, side curtain and seat airbags — providing state-of-the-art passenger protection.

The Kia has a nifty top-hinged tailgate with a glass screen that opens separately, so you can pop small things in the boot without the hassle of opening a heavy boot lid.

The new car is better to be in than the old Sportage and better to drive, too. It has independent suspension all round along with rack-and-pinion steering. You can drive it surprisingly quickly over some pretty challenging roads, and it’s easy to place accurately through corners. While not as much fun as a RAV4, the Sportage is not the tedious companion it once was. It even manages to ride well.

I drove the 2 litre 110bhp turbodiesel with a five-speed manual. I have to say that the engine’s torque impresses — all 181 lb ft of it. And this is available from as little as 1800rpm, which means that the Sportage has lots of kick without you having to rev it like Schumacher.

The gearbox also felt nice to use, with mechanical precision and a smooth action. Even though the Sportage is four-wheel drive, power usually goes to just the front wheels unless they lose their grip, at which point it is sent to the rear wheels, too.

I tried the diesel engine with the optional four-speed automatic transmission, which felt even slower than the claimed 0-62mph time of 13.8sec. Nor was I impressed by the 2.7 litre petrol V6 version (on sale now along with a 2 litre petrol), which was thrashy and unrefined when pushed, and greedy at the fuel pumps. No question, the manual 2 litre diesel is the one to go for.

It’ll return nearly 40mpg combined, according to Kia, and the performance is perfectly adequate.

So has the Kia elevated itself to the point where the fight isn’t just over money? In my view, cash is still going to be the decider, and only a Kia dealer would argue that the Sportage is a more satisfying car than a RAV4 or the Freelander. The Sportage, however, has closed the gap significantly.

Vital statistics

Model Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi
Engine type Four-cylinder, 1991cc
Power/torque 110bhp @ 4000rpm / 181 lb ft @ 1800-2500rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 39.7mpg (combined) / 187g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 13.8sec / Top speed: 105mph
Price £15,000 (estimated)
Verdict A better car than the one it replaces, but destined to struggle against established players

The Opposition

Model Toyota RAV4 2.0 D-4D XT3, £18,245
For Probably the best-looking small SUV
Against It's been around for quite a while

Model Land Rover Freelander 2.0 Td4, £17,200
For The most credible-looking off-roader, with a fantastic heritage
Against A history of less-than-impeccable quality and reliabilit