Kia Sportage Titan 2-litre diesel turbo road test

There have been many, many horrible diesel manifestations. Like Ford's 1980s Fiesta which fitted a dumper truck engine to a small hatchback. But without the economy.
Then there was the perception of who would drive a diesel car, chaps called Norma who subscribed to magazines with names like 'the joy of glow plugs.'
Back in the real world the only useful purpose served by diesel cars was the same as that of the bell in the ball at a blind school football match, you could hear them coming on a foggy day.
Somewhere along the way we started a misguided love affair, cheating on a petrol wife who promised racy excitement with a low-maintenance chip-eater with the sexiness of tummy control tights.
Modern diesels may be smoother than suede under garments, satisfyingly quick and green as penicillin but the basic attraction is the promise of day trips from here to eternity on just a cuckoo's spit of fuel.
More than 50% of new cars sold are diesels. And therein lies a problem. Demand for the fuel has outstripped refining capacity. You think diesel is expensive? Get used to it.
You can make diesel pay, by shopping wisely and venturing into parts of the badge jungle stalked by prejudice as inappropriate as a royal nickname. Like Kia.
Although it is improving, Kia's UK radar signature is close to a stealth bomber. Which is a real shame because the Sportage, for instance, is a lot of car for little cash.
Think of the Sportage, we'll focus on the £19,000 140bhp 2-litre turbodiesel Titan, as an able and robust alternative to the Freelander. Nip-tuck improvements last year raised the standard of interior trim and retuned the suspension.
The result is a firm ride which shows UK roads up for the patchwork of craters they are. And while the Titan is well able to cope with moderate off-roading, Sportage is a car that will spend most of its life on the road. Which is why it also comes in 2WD.
Plenty of pulling power from well down the revs makes this a relaxed engine but at 12 seconds to 62, a far from fast one. Well come on, what did you expect, Paris-Dakar?
While we are on the numbers, 40mpg is realistic as a combined consumption figure and carbon emissions will be sub-200g/km.
Right then, so what about this Harrods crackers interior with its gold inlay and frankincense air-conditioning? Well, not quite. Allot wheels, roof-rails, CD player, electric windows and even leather seats are all standard.
There is also plenty of room with an arrangement called dive and fold, as opposed to duck and dive, which lowers the rear seats flush with the floor. Neat idea.
In all a good small 4x4 at a price which makes diesel viable. Of that I'm certain.