There is no denying the success of Kia’s flagship Sportage model. After all it accounts for 27 per cent of the company’s UK sales and this year alone is expected to sell in the region of 22,500 units to us Brits.

The athletic-looking Sportage has always been very pleasing on the eye, incredibly practical and economical to buy and run, so Kia obviously had to be extra cautious not to scare off the faithful client-base when introducing an all-new fourth generation model at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Gregory Guillaume, Kia’s European Chief Designer explained how the company approached the development of new Sportage: “It was the Sportage that first attracted me to Kia in 1990. It’s one of our most successful cars in Europe, so how do we move forward?

“We approached it like an Olympic athlete who has achieved gold medal status. What do they do? They train harder and continue to succeed. And that’s what we have done with the Sportage.”

New Sportage has undergone a complete make-over with new styling at the side and back, but it’s the face that’s really been transformed with the headlight clusters no longer integrated into the grille. Instead, they are now positioned high on the bonnet which leaves the stand-alone grille that has become such a trademark design trait on the latest Kia models.

The interior features better quality materials and a modern, fresher look plus plenty of technical advancements to improve connectivity, safety and comfort. In addition, there will also be further powertrain and transmission choices to maximise efficiency.

And for the first time, customers will be able to select a new GT Line specification which has been designed and engineered to appeal to buyers looking for a sportier driving experience.

Prices are yet to be released and are unlikely to be available until much closer to the launch date early next year, but Kia will clearly be aiming to remain very competitive in the hotly-contested compact SUV sector.