Kia brings the Sportage SUV bang up to date

Good-looking SUV is a useful improvement on the popular outgoing model
Kia Sportage
Mike Stone11 February 2022

Kia’s smaller family-orientated SUV, the Sportage, has been with us since 1995 and the new fifth generation version brings it bang up to date.

Like its predecessors it was designed for the European market and there are 18 models in the range, with eight powertrains, five model grades, most of which are available now, and will be followed by a plug-in hybrid version in April.

This is a good-looking car with boomerang-shaped daytime running lights which enclose the rather elegant diamond-shaped headlamps, a piano black lattice front grille and sleek rear styling. It is slightly bigger than before but pulls off the trick of looking less bulky than the outgoing Sportage.

The range starts with a 1.6-litre T-GDi petrol with a six-speed manual gearbox, and although the “3” spec model I tried lacked some of the plushness of the more upmarket grades you would not feel shortchanged. The front seats and steering wheel were electrically heated and it shared the same twin 12.3-inch curved touchscreens as the more expensive versions.

Supportive

On the road the engine feels a little low-geared but it pulls well, rolls very little in the bends and has pleasant, well weighted steering. The cloth-covered seats are comfortable and supportive and the boot is usefully bigger than before with 591 litres of cargo space, or 1,780 litres with the rear sears lowered. There is also extra storage under the boot floor and the rear seats can split 40:20:40.

Kia Sportage

At the other end of the range is the full hybrid GT-Line S. I tried the GT-Line version, with front wheel drive, although all-wheel-drive is available.

The model has 226bhp and an automatic gearbox, which makes progress effortless and relaxed. This plusher grade has large amounts of piano black around the dashboard and larger centre console. The treatment is similar to Kia’s excellent EV6 model, which is no bad thing.

Piping

The seats were covered in a mixture of perforated black leather and black suede with white piping. Attractive and comfortable. Rear-seat passengers are well catered for with a large folding central armrest with cup-holders and hooks on the back of the front seats and coat-hangers incorporated into the slim-line front head restraints. Legroom and headroom were adequate rather than generous. Being aimed at the family market there is a plethora of cubbies and storage places.

The diesel versions were not available for testing at the Sportage’s launch but the 1.6 CRDi version has 113bhp and a 134bhp mild hybrid model will also be available.

One feature the Sportage shares with its cousins from Hyundai and Genesis is a wing-mounted camera on each side, which, when you indicate to turn or overtake, gives you a dashboard view of any vehicle in your blind spot.

Autonomous

Equipment levels are good, especially on the top two “4” and GT-Line S trim levels, which get autonomous parking on hybrid models, Harmon Kardon premium sound system, blind spot collision assist and high-speed wireless charging for your mobile phone.

Lane follow assist and lane keep assist are available on all models as well as smart cruise control with stop and go functionality and paddle shifters on all automatic versions.

Priced from £26,745 to £38,645, the new Sportage ticks most boxes for reliable family transport. Dynamically it won’t set the world on fire but it is absolutely fine for most requirements and is better looking, roomier and better equipped than before. It should do well.

The Facts

Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi GT-Line S AWD

Price: £38,445

0-60mph: 9.4 secs

Top Speed: 117mph

CO2 emissions: 158g/km.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in