Kia Sportage SUV (2022 - 2025) review

Once considered a ‘value brand’, Kia’s pricing has risen with its reputation for building quality, well-equipped cars and, while you get a lot for your money, the Sportage isn’t a cheap option by any means. Navigating the pricelist can be a little complicated as well, so it helps to understand your needs before drilling down the options. Private buyers are served by regular petrol and diesel engines, which feature mild hybrid (branded as MHEV) assistance with the optional automatic gearbox for small improvements in efficiency. These models offer a good balance of purchase price and running costs, the full hybrid more expensive to buy but a tad better on fuel and priced competitively against key rivals like the Toyota RAV4. Fleet buyers are an important target market for the Sportage, and will like the mild-hybrid diesels or pending plug-in hybrid, or PHEV for short. The latter is expensive to buy but company drivers will soon recover that in cheaper Benefit In Kind, while others can save on fuel costs by charging every night and doing shorter journeys on electric power alone.

Where the related Hyundai Tucson and rivals from Toyota, Renault and others offer five-year warranties Kia’s seven-year cover remains a key selling point, and reassurance that a Sportage is a safe place to put your money. That the warranty will more than out-last most finance terms is also attractive, both to original owners and those picking them up as used purchases down the line. Whether the Sportage delivers on the hoped-for reliability is too early to tell but that warranty at least shows Kia has faith in its own products to be dependable.

Automatic emergency braking with alerts for pedestrians, cyclists and at junctions is standard, as is lane following and lane keeping assistance. Unfortunately these prove very intrusive on the move, the constant corrections to the steering and frequent false alarms from the forward collision system infuriating enough that we turned both off. Which is kind of counter-productive, and they reappear every time you restart the car. ‘Highway Driving Assist’ is, meanwhile, standard if you choose the automatic gearbox, this combining ‘smart’ cruise control and the ability to stop and start automatically in heavy traffic. It’s a little disappointing blindspot alerts and automatic braking to stop you reversing into unseen obstacles is only included on fancier trim levels, especially given your over-the-shoulder visibility is badly obscured by the shape of the rear windows.

The Sportage is bigger than its predecessor and a little larger than immediate rivals like the Qashqai, so there’s plenty of space inside for all occupants and, so long as you’re not using child seats, the rear bench is viable for three people. USB ports and coat hangers built into the backs of the driver and passenger seats are typical functional details demonstrating Kia understands the practical needs of a family car like this, and it all feels tough and well-made. The boot is big with additional storage under the floor and SUV fans will appreciate the elevated driving position, though the rear doors are quite long so if you fail to score one of those coveted parent and child spaces at the supermarket you may struggle getting smaller kids and child seats out of the back. Light steering means the Sportage is easy to manoeuvre in tight spots and urban driving but we were disappointed with how harsh the suspension felt, especially on the bigger 19-inch wheels fitted to the fancier models. It’s a common problem in cars of this type, the tall stance meaning stiffer springs are required to stop them rolling about in the corners. This comes at the cost of comfort, especially around town. The mid trim level on the 18-inch wheels was a little better but none of the cars we tried were especially soothing over the lumps and bumps British roads tend to throw up.

With a five-step trim ladder and a multitude of engine options across all of them the Sportage pricelist looks intimidatingly complex at first glance. While the entry-level ‘2’ trim hits the price points it does without some basics like lumbar support and misses key tech, like the bigger 12.3-inch central touch-screen infotainment hub, its built-in navigation and the seven-year subscription to Kia’s connected services. That alone makes it worth going up a grade if you can, the mid-level ‘3’ introducing the full wide-screen display and digital instruments for a proper premium feel. You also get power-operated front seats with heating for these and the two outer ones in the back, the steering wheel also heated for those cold winter mornings. If creature comforts matter this is the one you want, the GT-Line versions offering a slightly sportier look if that’s a greater priority.

1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines are the basis of all the various powertrain options, which is bigger than those used in rivals like the Nissan Qashqai or Peugeot 3008 but needed on the basis the Sportage is larger and heavier. Performance is comparable across the board with rivals as a result. On all but the base trim you have the option of an automatic gearbox, this including MHEV (or mild-hybrid) technology for marginal efficiency gains. We started in the petrol manual, which is adequate if not sparkling and marred by the illogical position of the electronic parking brake to the right of the wheel, which is a faff in stop-start traffic. The mild-hybrid petrol and automatic gearbox are a much more satisfying combination, the all-wheel drive option an option if you need the extra traction for muddy car parks and wintry conditions. Best of the bunch was the new hybrid, the seamless integration between electric and petrol power making it very easy to drive, capable of purring away at low speeds with the engine off and injecting some welcome get up and go for merging onto motorways. Diesel-like economy with petrol refinement and running costs make this our pick of the range.