The first generation Sportage, sold here from 1997 to 2002, scored the lowest ever ANCAP crash score on record, and the second generation wasn't exactly a looker, either.
The third generation car from 2010 to 2015 improved things markedly, while the current Sportage is as far from the first generation car as it's possible to get. The medium five-door SUV is based on the Hyundai Tucson platform, but trim and spec levels - which start at the $32,995 Sportage S (fwd) and end at the $55,420 Sportage GT-Line HEV (fwd) - between the two companies means the smaller Kia brand can often outplay its bigger brother in the value stakes. The company also pioneered the seven-year warranty in Australia.