This month I’ve been testing a Kia – the reliable and good looking Sportage. It’s always been a nice car throughout its cycle of facelifts and this latest version is, in my opinion, the best yet.

But would a decent sized SUV with a hybrid engine live up to expectations? Personally, I think there’s an issue with the hybrid ecosystem (not just Kia’s), but more on that later.

A truly class-leading infotainment system

The modern iteration of the Kia interior is genuinely nice – comfy seats, quality materials and a truly class-leading infotainment system. There’s one issue in button control, but in fairness it’s more of an idiosyncrasy and something you get the hang of relatively quickly.

It drives well too; balanced in the corners and stable despite its height, and then when you push it, the EV supplements the petrol power to cope with most situations. The kids were happy in the back, and with the seats down it takes an impressively big load.

It’s very well specced too, with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel – a godsend given how cold it was when I tested this. It also has all the bells and whistles in terms of safety: lane assist, adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring.

A fantastic trick when you indicate

In fact, it has a fantastic trick when you indicate. The two digital dials on the dash – speed and power/efficiency – double as rear facing blind spot cameras when the indicator is activated, giving a quick reference to check all is clear.

And safety is where this car kept me ‘on the straight and narrow’. With lane assist, lane monitors and a whole host of audible warnings if you stray from central in your lane, this car is adamant (perhaps a little too militant) at keeping you where it wants you. But is that a bad thing?

Let’s face it, modern driving has more distractions than ever before, so more alerts to keep you on the ball must be a good thing. In fairness, by the end of the week I think I was triggering them less and less.

The fuel economy is not where you’d expect

And now the promised note on hybrid technology – I’ve questioned hybrid tech as a halfway house before. The emissions may appear lower, but carrying two powertrains around affects fuel economy, so while there may be fewer emissions, I think the fuel economy is not where you’d expect.

This car with a 1.6 litre engine delivered less MPG than my ageing 15 year old V6 BMW. Zero emissions are where we need to be and, personally, I’m not convinced that hybrid is a good intermediate step.

The car was a winner. The hybrid element, however, will take more convincing.