The first generation of Kia Sportage that was sold in North America had a less-than-stellar reputation. As cute as a basket of kittens, it was plagued by unreliability and quality-control issues. It almost finished the Korean manufacturer’s foray into SUV territory before it really got started.

The new version seems much better. Whether it’s because parent company Hyundai is at the helm is hard to say, but after a compete redo in 2005, the latest version of the Sportage seems well on the way to redeeming the model.

Some of the turnaround can probably be attributed to the fact that the Sportage is now built on the same unibody platform as the Hyundai Tucson, whereas its predecessor used a truck-type frame. You’d think the latter would be better than the former, but not in this market. Compact SUVs seem to fare better when they’re carlike, and the Sportage is no exception. This market is all about practicality and comfort, and, if nothing else, the Sportage is about as drivable as these things get.

Theoretically, the key to this pint-sized ute’s success is its affordability. For a base price under $22,000, you’re getting a pretty well turned-out vehicle with most—but not all—of the bases covered. Standard equipment for the base LX version, which has a manual five-speed transmission, includes power windows and door locks, cruise control, tilt steering, power side mirrors, and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS. The engine for this version is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder that develops 140 horsepower, and it’s front-wheel-drive only. You can also get this power-train combo with all-wheel drive, which bumps the price up by more than $4,000 and gets you air conditioning, remote keyless entry, heated outside mirrors, and roof rails—the so-called Convenience model.

I drove the full-zoot, top-of-the-line Luxury model this time around. It’s propelled by a 173-horsepower V-6 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission with the Steptronic manual-shift feature and full-time all-wheel drive. This drive-train combination is just about right for this rig. I’ve driven the four-cylinder model as well, and it’s a tad too buzzy and underpowered for my tastes: not much in the way of reserve power and nowhere near as comfortable on the highway. Considerably better fuel economy, though.

My tester had all the bells and whistles, including a power sunroof, Sirius satellite radio, a leather interior, heated front seats, and, most importantly, a full-time all-wheel-drive system. The Sportage is a perfectly acceptable vehicle without this feature, but it’s nice to have, nonetheless. With a front-wheel-drive bias, it sends power to the back wheels via an electronic differential and is virtually undetectable until you start to lose traction. I had my tester during a wicked winter snowstorm, and it wasn’t half bad through the deep snow. Incidentally, this model has slightly larger four-wheel disc brakes than the other trim levels, and features the highest fuel-consumption numbers.

Aside from the cuteness factor, the Sportage isn’t the kind of car that leaves you breathless. Even with all the goodies, it’s pretty utilitarian and is primarily designed to give an efficient, seamless driving experience. It’ll seat five in relative comfort; all of the controls are sensibly designed, with large easy-to-read instrumentation; and there are plenty of flow-through ventilation ports. Fold down the 60-40 back seat and you get a reasonably flat floor with about 1,886 litres of storage room. You don’t have to remove the headrests when you lower the back seats, and the bottom cushion slides ahead automatically to accommodate the folded seat back. Clever. By way of comparison, Kia’s own Rondo sport ute proffers 2,083 litres, while the ever-present Honda CR-V—a direct competitor—is good for 2,064 litres and the Toyota RAV4, also a serious rival, reveals 2,074 litres. In terms of overall storage capacity, the Sportage is almost in a dead heat with Mazda’s Tribute.

My biggest beef with the Sportage is that I think it looks funny. Kia’s aforementioned Rondo, for example, is a nicely styled compact ute that’s very easy on the eyes. The Sportage—and the Hyundai Tucson, for that matter—looks kind of strange, with straight-cut wheel wells, a topsy-turvy body style, and undersized wheels and tires. If I were in the market for this type of vehicle, this would probably be the determining factor for me—I would, quite frankly, choose the Rondo over the Sportage, hands down. As well as featuring infinitely better styling and a more commodious interior, it’s also considerably cheaper, starting at some $1,700 less than the Sportage.

If I went with the Sportage, I would stick to the base model; my test car rang in at a titch under $31,000 with this equipment level, and there are plenty of other, better compact utes out there with much more competitive price tags.