The Kia Sportage entered the Australian market with aplomb and already bagged the Carsales Best Mid-Size SUV 2024 award. Ample tech features and bold styling elements fashion the Sportage which brings a new dawn upon those who are looking to purchase a powerful and impactful SUV.

Pros

• Packed to the gills with tech
• Choice of petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains
• Interior equipment quality is great
• Good on-road refinement and handling
• Ample storage compartments throughout the cabin
  

Cons

• Steep price climb from petrol to diesel and hybrid
• Service pricing can be tricky
• Touch controls for the climate control are finicky
• Love-it or hate-it front end styling
  

What’s new?

• More airbags in the second row in all variants
• LED projector headlights
  

Kia Sportage is one of the few SUVs here that is offered to the consumers in all powertrains (except battery electric). But in this review, we’re only looking at the petrol and diesel powered variants of this midsize SUV. But does it offer the same amount of comfort and tech as its competitors like the Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai Tucson? Keep reading this review to find out.

If you’re looking to learn more about the Kia Sportage Hybrid. Click here!

These are the different petrol variants of the Kia Sportage:

These are the different diesel variants of the Kia Sportage:

Exteriors

The 2024 Sportage features the new ‘tiger grille’ for a sharper modern look. Another notable change in the design is the boomerang-styled LED DRLs. Now, while the S and SX variants have not received the boomerang headlights, they have gotten an updated headlight design which integrates DRLs. This gives a certain panache to your Sportage.

Styling Elements

The entire game of elements is to fuse family-friendliness with an athletic body form. While the chrome elements are generously used, the rear design is something you’ll expect to find on a fastback. The razor-sharp LED tail lights connected by the slim dark trim enhance the Sportage’s broad form, sure to leave an impression on those behind.

Colour Options

The Sportage is offered to the masses in 8 distinctive colours which come with their own theme and styling elements. However, no extra colour has been added for Sportage Hybrid. The 8 colours are as follows;

Clear White | Snow White Pearl | Steel Grey | Gravity Grey | Fusion Black | Dawning Red | Vesta Blue & Jungle Wood Green.

Wheel Design

With all new exteriors, Kia has also updated their wheel designs. However, you get optional or upgradable wheel sizes in the SX+ and GT-Line variants only.

Kia Sportage S gets 17-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels, but the SX gets 18-inch wheels with a slightly different sharper chrome-finished design. Not too complex, just enough to make you admire it for a few seconds.

The SX+ and GT-Line variants both share a 19-inch alloy wheel design. However, unlike the other variants, the SX+ users get to upgrade their wheel design to that of the GT-Line.

Interiors

Each variant of the Kia Sportage gets variant-specific interiors which are adequate for their respective price points.

Interior Layout & Space

The cabin space and seats are quite comfortable for pretty much every typical size of Australian. Its rear seats have enough legroom and headroom for taller occupants. The front seat headrests come with a coat/clothes hanger which personally, has been useful to me on more than one occasion.

Additionally, the dashboard quality is fairly decent for this segment. Tapping on the plastic would not make a hollow plastic-y sound instead it’s more of a comforting ‘thud’. It also has an updated centre console with added buttons for various vehicle modes.

Comfort & Ergonomics

The seats are cushy and offer good ergonomic support. However, the lack of heated and ventilated seats in the S and SX variants is duly noted and felt. Their cloth black upholstery, otherwise, seems adequate and quite nice.

For SX+ users, there are black quilted artificial leather seats which now come with a cascading mermaid tail pattern in the middle. Finally, the GT-Line variant gets Black leather appointed seats with artificial suede headrests. It also gets a memory function for the electronically adjustable front seats.

Boot

Ideally, we should just stick a photo up there and let you see into the void yourself. With 591 litres of boot space, this SUV’s boot seems endless and you can easily store enough bags (around 5 average sized ones) for your long weekend getaway. The only one to run this space king down is the Hyundai Tucson at 640 litres.

Technology & Infotainment

Kia cars are famed for their technological and infotainment features, they’ve become somewhat of a beacon of tech innovations in the automotive world. Let’s take a look at the list of features in the Sportage.

Technology Features

• Remote smart parking assist
• Wireless charging
• Advanced Smart Cruise Control
• Dual-zone climate control
• Memory seats that are heated and ventilated (Optional for S and SX variants)
• Ambient mood lighting in 64 colours (Not available in S variant)
• Drive & Terrain modes
  

Connectivity Options

• Dual 12.3-inch curved display (S & SX get an 8-inch touchscreen display)
• 8-speaker Harman/Kardon premium sound system (S & SX get a 6-speaker system)
• Android Auto & Apple CarPlay are built-in
• Satellite Navigation
• Radio
• 12V dual-charging ports
  

Performance and Engine

As stated earlier, we’re only sharing our experience of the petrol and diesel variants in this review. You can check out our other review to know about the Sportage’s plug-in hybrid variants.

Engine Specification

The Kia Sportage comes with two petrol and one diesel engine options. ,  of 137kW 2.0L Turbo Diesel engine. SX+ and GT-Line enjoy a slightly more powerful petrol engine than the S and SX variants.

SX+ and GT-Line get 132kW 1.6L Turbo Petrol engine and the S and SX variants get a nimble 115kW 2.0L Petrol engine.

Transmission and Drive System

The petrol-powered S and SX variants only get front wheel drive with the naturally-aspirated engine offering the choice of 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Meanwhile, the turbo-petrol and diesel variants feature all-wheel-drive and only offer an automatic transmission – 7-speed DCT for the turbo-petrol and 8-speed automatic for the diesel. While the all-wheel-drive system makes for a better drive experience in varied conditions, its ground clearance is limited and the Sportage is not meant for hardcore off-roading.

The drive systems also complement the overall driving experience. However, petrol-powered variants are expectedly more thirsty than the diesel option. But if fuel efficiency is your main focus, you can also look to stretch the budget to the Sportage Hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Efficiency

The Sportage has a decent fuel economy. With manual variants being a bit more thirsty than the auto variants. The manual variants which are petrol-powered give an economy of 7.7 litres for every 100km as compared to the auto variants which are petrol-powered and give an economy of 8.1 litres for every 100km.

However, when you switch up to the diesel-powered Sportage, the economy becomes quite handsome with around 6.3 litres for every 100km. With this considered, we believe that the diesel-powered SX+ is the best Sportage you can get without compromising or missing out on much.

Handling and Driving Dynamics

While the makers at Kia would want you to believe that this is a family-friendly car which can take on the terrains of Australia. The suspension does not offer impressive ride quality, but it can deal with speed breakers quite well. Mind you, they have given Terran and Mode select features in the car, but the Sportage fails to strike the balance between City and Country. The car swerves smoothly in city and level 3 terrains but definitely not an off-roader.

With that being said, the Sportage has a good grip on the road and rarely will skid or spit. It has a good rollover point which adds onto a safety feature than a driving feature.

Safety Features

Kia has impressed a lot of consumers who are in the market looking for a family-friendly car. Sportage also enjoys this long list of features which are standard in most of the Kia Sportage variants.

• Collision warning
• Electronic stability control
• Road sign recognition with speed limiter
• Blind spot alert
• Rear parking camera
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Driver attention alert
• Side door exit warning
• Lane departure warning
  

Advanced Safety Features include

• Blind spot view monitor
• Intelligent speed limit assist
• Safe exit warning
• Blind spot collision avoidance assist
• Lane the following assist
• Autonomous emergency braking system for Car, Pedestrian and Cyclist
  

Crash Test Ratings

• Adult Occupant Protection - 87%
• Child Occupant Protection - 87%
• Vulnerable Road User Protection - 66%
• Safety Assist - 74%

Ownership Experience

The users who drive the Sportage around sleep easy knowing they’ve made an excellent choice. Some of the owners boast the fact that they’ve invested in an overall good SUV. While the SUV market is already flooded in with more coming, the price point at which you can avail of this car makes it extremely practical and sensible.

Some buyers also claim that a hybrid powertrain is not available in lower variants and even Kia has kept mum on that topic. It would be wonderful to see if Kia chooses to cash out this car in lower-level variants with a hybrid powertrain. After all, Sportage is in the top 10 sold SUVs this year and last.

Major Drawbacks

• Lower-level variants have not received a ‘proper’ upgrade
• Ride quality and suspension need tuning as it has a stiff ride
• While the base engine might feel underpowered for some drivers, especially when loaded with passengers or cargo, opting for the turbocharged engine comes at an additional cost.
  

Major Strengths

• Maxed out on safety with advanced safety tech and added passive safety system features
• Offers a lot of features for the price, including a comfortable cabin. This makes it a compelling option for budget-minded buyers.
• Plenty of engine options to choose from depending on the variant.

Maintenance & Warranty Information

Kia Sportage comes with the assurance of Australia’s First 7-Year Unlimited Kilometre Warranty, unlike offerings from other car brands which cease to operate after you hit a certain mileage. Kia understands the necessity of going the extra mile because a longer warranty is a better warranty.

Kia, to improve customer satisfaction, has capped the service price for 7 years. As long as the service is maintained and the logbook reflects the same, the warranty is effective as well. In addition, you can drive into any Kia-authorised dealer and get your car serviced without the fear of any hidden charges.

Kia also offers a free of cost 12-month roadside assistance. Now, Kia has taken an extra step and has made room for increasing that year-long roadside assistance for up to 8 years. We would suggest you take this extension, as the service time and resolution window are as good as they can be.

Verdict

Kia Sportage is definitely a car worth considering if you’re looking to purchase a good family SUV without much fuss. It would be in your best interest to opt for the SX+ trims that are cost-effective and extremely functional. Of the three engines on offer, the diesel would be our pick despite the steep price jump.

Reference

Owners Manual

Brochure