Kia Sportage

The same displacement means different things on either side of the ocean, and that is the first thing that misleads a buyer.

The 1.6 turbo in Europe is the expensive car. The GT-Line, the full hybrid and the plug-in are all 1.6, from 230 to 265 hp. Anyone reading "1.6" and thinking small and frugal is actually looking at the top of the range.

The 2.0 is the reverse. In America it is the most powerful petrol engine in the line-up, 240 hp of turbo. In Europe the same figure on the boot lid is a diesel of the middle of the range. Two cars that price completely differently, wearing the same badge.

The 2.4 and the 2.5 were never sold in Europe in either generation. No twin here, no service habit, no part on a shelf — but also no European car to be compared against on price, which usually works in the importer's favour.

Four-wheel drive divides them too. In Europe it is a paid option on the higher trims; in America it is cheap and available across the range. So an American 2.5 AWD is a configuration Europe does not offer at all, and usually for less money than a European front-wheel-drive 1.6.