Model Review
The Sportage has recently celebrated its 25th birthday since Kia brought the once budget SUV to the UK in 1993.
The first-generation of the Sportage was built in Kia’s infancy, where value for money was everything, although it lagged some way behind rival SUVs. The second-generation model reached showrooms in 2004, and was a step forward for the South Korean manufacturer, if not quite on the money just yet. It was the first Kia to be manufactured in Europe when Sportages started rolling off its Slovakian production plant in 2007, with all European Sportages being built there since.
The third-generation model – on sale in 2010 – can be pinpointed as the turning point for the Sportage, which then saw the firm’s cars suddenly grow to become compelling rivals to mainstream models from Ford and Skoda.
The latest generation of Sportage debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, with a new look showing Kia’s ‘Tiger-nose’ grille – the same as seen on its other models - as well as a sporty-looking GT Line specification and a range of new engines. The new Sportage borrowed a number of design cues from the Cee’d hatchback at the time
At the start of 2018, Kia celebrated the five millionth global sale of the Sportage, while the model now regularly sneaks into the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK.
Latest model
Kia unveiled the Sportage facelift in May 2018, with a revised look featuring on the updated model.
A range of new wheel designs were offered, as well as new bumpers and adapted front and rear lights. GT-Line models featured a gloss black front grille, while there’s further chrome accents fitted to the car than before, too. This trim also features distinctive and intricate ‘ice cube’ LED front fog lights, too.
Other changes included the addition of a comprehensive range of safety technologies – such as blind spot monitoring, emergency braking and a system that can sense if a driver is tired at the wheel, although sadly this kit is not offered as standard.
The engine line-up was also varied, with the main adjustment being the addition of a new 48V mild-hybrid powertrain with the 2.0-litre diesel engine. The 1.7-litre unit was also replaced by a more efficient 1.6-litre diesel.
Value for money
The Sportage is fantastic value for money, with new prices starting from £20,305. It’s even better value when you consider that it’s more practical than many of its rivals and offers a hugely impressive standard equipment list.
All models come with a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera and cruise control to name but a few features. Our favourite trim is the limited ‘Edition 25’ model celebrating the Sportage’s 25 years, which comes laden with equipment such as adaptive LED headlights, heated seats and a 360-degree around view monitor for an attractive £25,655. That said, the top spec models are on the pricey side, so the Sportage makes far more sense if you go for mid-spec versions.
Prices for early Sportages start from under a £1,000, but our pick would either be a third- or fourth-generation car, with used values for the former starting from £5,500, and the latter from £11,000. If you fancy a pre-facelift model, we recommend a car in ‘3’ spec. A 2016 model with around 40,000 miles on the clock costs from £14,500.
At the time of writing, the facelifted model has only been on sale for a few months, with just a handful of pre-registered models for sale, albeit with a small saving on the list price.
Looks and image
As crossovers go, the Sportage has quite bold styling – particularly at the front. The latest model’s revised bumpers and new front and rear lights have only built on the striking image of its predecessor. If looks are important, though, the models to look for are the top-spec GT-Line versions. These feature gloss black styling details, large 19-inch alloy wheels and quirky ‘ice cube’ fog lights, making them the best-looking models in the range.
The interior isn’t quite as stylish, with the dashboard being quite cluttered looking, while even with its standard seven-inch touchscreen (eight-inch on higher-spec models) it doesn’t look as modern inside as other rivals. That said, build quality is impressive, and shows where Kia has seriously upped its game in recent years. It’s well-built, while all models come with a leather steering wheel and gearstick. Top spec versions also benefit from leather upholstery, electric front seats and a panoramic sunroof, which are all luxurious touches. There are certain plastics which feel a bit low rent, but these are few and far between.
The Sportage is a model that’s tailored more towards comfort than performance, which is a good attribute for a family crossover to have. Cushioned seats, excellent refinement and a fantastic cruising ability are all things the Kia takes in its stride. It also handles well with decent grip levels and less body lean than you might expect from a high-riding car. Sure, rivals such as the Seat Ateca and Mazda CX-5 are far more engaging to drive, but for those wanting a comfortable crossover, the Sportage is a vehicle that’s hard to fault. Our only gripe is with the top-spec models fitted with the large 19-inch alloy wheels, which make the Sportage a bit too firm for our liking.
Space and practicality
The Sportage can’t offer class-leading levels of practicality – that award goes to the Skoda Karoq – but it’s a good size for a crossover.
The boot offers 491 litres of boot space, which is plenty for family life, and folding the rear seats down increases the room on offer to 1,480 litres. The mild hybrid’s practicality is a bit underwhelming, with the extra battery taking a chunk out of the boot – leaving 439 litres to play with.
The long wheelbase provides plenty of rear seat space, as three adults should be able to sit comfortably in the back. Models fitted with the panoramic roof (standard on ‘4’ and ‘GT Line S’ models) will have less headroom than those without it, which is something to consider if you regularly carry adults. There’s no shortage of interior storage spaces either.
The facelifted Sportage has not been tested by Euro NCAP yet, although the 2015 model scored a five star safety rating, with impressive marks for its adult and child occupancy safety ratings. That said, safety has moved on since then and while the Sportage is available with a number of safety aids, it’s disappointing that these are not offered as standard. Models from ‘2’ upwards come with lane-keep assist, high beam assist and a speed warning, but it’s only once you get to the Edition 25 models that autonomous emergency braking is fitted – something that all models should now have. These edition models also come with an impressive 360-degree around-view monitor and blind-spot warning, too.
Engines
A good range of both petrol and diesel engines are available on the Sportage.
On the petrol front, there’s the choice of a naturally-aspirated 130bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, or a turbocharged 1.6-litre unit producing 174bhp. The former is equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox and the latter a manual or seven-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive only. The 174bhp petrol unit is the quickest engine in the range, with a top speed of 127mph and a 0-60mph time of 8.8 seconds.
Three diesel powertrains are offered. The first is a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, which produces either 114bhp or 134bhp. The lower-powered unit is paired to a manual gearbox only, while the latter has the option of both automatic and manual transmissions. The range-topping engine is the aforementioned 2.0-litre CRDI engine with mild-hybrid setup, which comes with a 48V battery, and produces 182bhp.
Running costs
Despite largely being fitted with small engines, the Sportage is not quite as efficient as some of its rivals. The diesel engines are unsurprisingly the cleanest – particularly the 1.6-litre diesel unit, which returns up to 57.6mpg in its most efficient guise, with CO2 emissions of 128g/km. The mild-hybrid, even with its additional battery, is not quite as good on fuel as you might anticipate, with CO2 emissions of 152g/km and a claimed economy figure of 48.7mpg. Both petrol engines are on the thirsty side, particularly the more powerful 174bhp unit which returns just 36.7mpg, and emissions of 179g/km.
Insurance groups range between 13 and 25 depending on which you version you decide to go for, which is comparable to its key rivals.
Things to look for
Kia puts a lot of faith in its models with its leading seven-year warranty, and for good reason, as its cars have a fantastic reliability record. Reported issues have been with isolated models and are not widespread issues. There’s been a couple of owners who have reported a loss of power with the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, but that’s the only tiny gremlin the Sportage has suffered.
Rivals
The crossover class is a hugely lucrative market for manufacturers, and one that has grown considerably in recent years. This means that the Sportage is not short of rivals, with the best-selling Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson and Ford Kuga being the nearest competitors. Other rivals include the Peugeot 3008, Renault Kadjar, Seat Ateca, Vauxhall Grandland X and Skoda Karoq to name but a few.
Depreciation
Demand for the Sportage has kept used values up, although that’s not to say there aren’t savings to be had. With 2016 Sportages costing from £11,000 and a few thousand pounds available off nearly-new models, it’s a car we definitely recommend on the used market.
