The Kia Sportage must make the gurus at Toyota cringe. Not only is the Sportage becoming a far more sophisticated package than it once was, Kia keeps throwing more value into it.

The most recent addition is a free, limited edition TrailRider pack promotion. It gives you side steps, roof racks, ski or bike rack, nudge bar, boot liner and special mat set worth about $2500 retail.

Considering the price of $30,990, it's $8500 less than the RAV4 Cruiser, but basically only missing the side airbags, stability control and climate control.

Test driving the Sportage again a year after its launch was quite a pleasant surprise, especially with regards to running errands in heavy traffic (just in case you aren't really going to be a full-on trailrider).

Visibility is great being that little bit higher, and the V6 was a bit more responsive than I remembered, although when stirred it isn't the most refined powerplant on the market.

The 2.7-litre donk produces a robust 129kW of power at 6000rpm and maximum torque of 241Nm at 4000rpm mated to a four-speed, tiptronic-style transmission and puts its power to the ground through an electronically-controlled, part-time all-wheel-drive system.

There is a tiptronic-style manual gear selection if you want to drive with more zest.

Driving around town or on the open road, the Sportage operates in front wheel drive.

If slippage is detected in the front wheels, 4WD is automatically engaged, with up to 50% of power transmitted to the rear wheels.

When going bush, or up the beach, you can manually engage 4WD by pressing a lock button.

There's no doubt the Kia has decent off-road capabilities, and it performs most tasks with the minimum of fuss though and is simple, safe and fun to drive.

Fuel consumption, becoming more important by the day, is reasonable for the class at an average of around 11 litres for every 100km covered.

One of the most impressive aspects of this all-rounder is its deceptive roominess, flexibility and comfort.

Good styling cleverly conceals a roomy interior that comfortably accommodates five adults.

Standard features include traction control, ABS, air-conditioning, power steering, remote central locking, remote mirrors, six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system, cruise control, 16 inch alloys, roof-rails and tinted glass.

Parents with young children will love it as there's three anchorage points and putting the kids in the back is as easy as it gets.

The Sportage is an example of how far its Korean maker has come with regard to build quality and driving enjoyment.

One would doubt whether it can ever have the prestige that RAV4 seems to hold, but the Toyota execs (and several other small 4WD makers) should be nervous to say the least.