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The Kia Sportage is the first vehicle we tested that could do the shimmy and shake – when parked.

Yup, at a slam of the door, the subcompact sport-utility vehicle would do a little dance.

If the Kinks supplied background music, it would have been show time.

But that was the mid-’90s, when a Sportage arrived in a Detroit hotel parking lot. The sport-ute was to serve as the wheels for a test drive back to civilization about 300 miles west of the “Welcome to Detroit” sign.

That Sportage was a crude machine from a newcomer to the U.S., Kia of South Korea. It was small, cramped and underpowered and made the 300-mile trip feel as if it were a coast-to-coast trek.

But the little sport-ute that couldn’t then is a larger sport-ute that can now. After a nearly three-year absence from the market, it is back and atones for transgressions.

The 2005 model has been given a fashion and size makeover. A little boxy before, it now sports slightly rounded sheet metal, large plastic rocker panel extensions and large headlamps/taillamps that are more design accessories than necessary evils.

While the wheelbase is shorter, 103.5 inches versus 104.3 inches, the SUV has grown 1 inch in length, to 171.3 inches; 2.5 inches in width, to 70.9 inches; and 2.7 inches in height, to 66.7 inches .

And the wheels have been pushed to the corners for a larger footprint to give it better ride and handling. Also it rides on larger, wider-profile 16-inch radial tires, rather than 15-inch treads, for better road grip.

The previous Sportage was built off a rear-wheel-drive/four-wheel-drive truck platform. The new one is built off a modified car platform shared by the Kia Spectra and Hyundai Elantra sedans. That means more civil, car-like manners. The Hyundai Tucson sport-ute shares the platform.

By being car-based, Sportage supplies smoother ride and handling and noticeably less road harshness and noise filtering into the cabin.

It also helps that stability control and traction control are standard along with four-wheel anti-lock brakes. With stability control, sensors detect wheel slippage in lateral moves and activate the ABS or reduce throttle to keep it under control. Traction control comes into play when sensors detect slippage while moving from the light, and it activates ABS or reduces the throttle to keep you going in a straight line.

Just in case things don’t go as planned, Sportage comes with front- and side-impact air bags and side-curtain bags.

Sportage is offered in base LX and top-of-the-line EX versions. Both offer a choice of front-wheel- or full-time four-wheel-drive.

You also have a choice of a 2-liter, 140-horsepower 4-cylinder with manual or automatic transmission or 2.7-liter, 173-h.p. V-6 with an automatic and manual-mode shifting. The old Sportage had only a 2-liter, 130-h.p. 4-cylinder built for mileage.

The Sportage tested was an EX with the 2.7-liter V-6. It has sufficient power to merge, pass or climb but don’t expect to do any of those as swiftly as you would with a larger V-6, or at least with one delivering more than 178 foot-pounds of torque.

But with a 19 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway rating, the V-6 should give you a week’s worth of motoring without having to sacrifice the lunch money.

Kia has devoted attention to detail, so Sportage has many “surprise and delight” features.

These include a series of hidden storage compartments under the rear cargo floor (the spare tire is underneath) to store valuables or, Kia suggests, a first-aid kit. Storing a first-aid kit upfront where you can get to it without stopping and removing the cargo floor cover, however, makes more sense.

There are also power plugs front and rear, a small stowage compartment in the rear wall, map and beverage holders in all four doors and cupholders in the center console upfront. Additional cupholders slide out of the center console for passengers in back. And obviously the legal department had to sign off on the vehicle because those cupholders come with a sign reading: “Don’t use as a step.”

Other nice touches include grocery-bag holders built into the second-row seat backs and pull-out cargo shades to hide objects. The shades pull from the front or rear of the holder. When pulled out from the rear, it attaches to the pillars on the rear-seat headrests, though that’s easier said than done.

There’s also a large cargo net in back. Though it keeps items from bouncing around the cabin, the net also snags watches, rings and buttons when loading or unloading. The automaker that invents a less troublesome alternative stands to win the Nobel Peace Prize from those missing watches, rings and buttons.

The rear hatchlid also opens in one piece or the window by itself at the pull of a lever. But you have to put up with high liftover height to load items that way.

Thanks to the added height and width, the rear seat is spacious with plenty of room for legs, arms and melon. Rear seat backs recline for more relaxing travel. They also fold flat quickly if you need more cargo space.

Andrew Kim, product strategy manager for Kia Sportage, says the expected buyer profile are those in their 30s without kids and with household incomes of $50,000 to $60,000. And 60 percent of the buyers are expected to be women.

He said Kia expects sales to reach 30,000 units or more annually.

“The target is first-time SUV buyers as well as recapturing those who had owned the previous generation Sportage,” he said, referring to the 62,000 who bought one in 2000, its best year on the market.

He said he’s also counting on higher gas prices to get folks to at least look at Sportage.

Base price of the EX in 2WD is $19,999. The 4WD version starts at $21,500. Standard equipment includes air conditioning; power sunroof, windows, door locks and heated mirrors; cruise control; rear window washer and wiper; defroster; and fog lamps.

The test car added a $1,300 luxury package, which included leather seats (heated front) and an AM/FM stereo with cassette and CD changer.

If you can do without the luxury package, and most could, $19,999 is a very respectable price for a vehicle offering not only good room, looks and comfort, but also stability control, traction control and side-curtain air bags as standard.

A navigation system isn’t offered.

Another plus.

For the Snow Belt, you’d probably want to spend the extra $1,501 for 4WD all-season security. But it doesn’t come with a “low” setting so you’ll have to avoid mountain climbing.

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TEST DRIVE

2005 Kia Sportage EX V-6 2WD

Wheelbase: 103.5 inches

Length: 171.3 inches

Engine: 2.7-liter, 173-h.p. V-6

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 19 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $19,999

Price as tested: $21,299. Includes $1,300 for luxury package with leather seats (heated in front), automatic-on headlamps, automatic dimming rearview mirror, AM/FM/cassette/CD changer and body-colored bumper. Add $590 for freight.

Pluses: Larger and more dressed up. Not an SUV on the cheap. Roomier, quieter, better ride and handling thanks to larger dimensions and more attention to detail. Choice of two engines for higher mileage or improved performance. Choice of two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive. It offers lots of features for the price, such as standard stability control and traction control as well as side-curtain air bags.

Minuses: Cargo net designed by Satan. V-6 could use a tad more oomph.

Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays.

jmateja@tribune.com