Kia Sportage Review (2022)

Read Caroline’s Kia Sportage review for everything you need to know about buying the new Sportage in Ireland in 2022.

The Kia Sportage is a bit of an icon, one of Ireland’s favourite family cars and the bestselling Kia here for over ten years.

Now the 2022 model looks set to continue this success with a new look and refreshed engine line-up. There’s a new hybrid on sale now, to be followed by the first ever Sportage plug-in hybrid before the end of the year.

The fifth-generation Kia Sportage has been specifically designed and developed for Europe, sitting upon the new ‘N3’ architecture.

It goes on sale priced from €34,300 for an entry level diesel, rising to €43,000 for a top of the range GT Line diesel mild hybrid.

The new Sportage Hybrid is available at €43,150.

What’s so special about the Kia Sportage?

The Kia Sportage has always been a bit of a looker. Stylish and sporty, this new model has a great stance on the road. It plays the part of a mid-size SUV exceptionally well.

Kia’s new design language has transformed this car at the front, with a modern ‘tiger nose’ grille and characteristic new boomerang shaped LED daytime running lights helping it to stand out from the crowd. Standard equipment includes 17″ alloys, LED headlights and roof rails.

The sporty GT Line is back for this new generation of the Sportage. It sits at the top of the range with 19″ alloys as standard, bespoke glossy black trim elements and a chrome coated front and rear skid plate.

Inside there is an all-new interior design, which really moves the game on for the Sportage. It’s a latest generation Kia interior, with some of the brand’s best digital technology on show.

All but the very entry model get an impressive 12.3″ curved touchscreen with navigation. The K4 and GT Line complete the look with a full digital instrument panel for the driver.

It’s a suitably plush and modern cabin for the new Sportage that balances style with functionality and comfort.

Is it practical?

The Sportage is a mid-size SUV with a five seat layout and good interior accommodation for this class of vehicle. It slots into the range below Kia’s larger, seven seat Sorento.

The new platform improves boot space, headroom and legroom compared to the outgoing model. There’s plenty of space up front and in the rear for a family SUV. The rear bench has reasonable width and large footwells too. The rear seats split fold 40:20:40 and the outer rear seats have ISOFIX child seat fixtures.

There’s plenty of room in the boot too with all models getting over 500 litres: the hybrid offers 587 litres, the diesel offers 571 litres, while the diesel mild hybrid offers 526 litres. For an SUV, it also has a useful low loading sill.

A powered tailgate is available and comes as standard on GT Line models.

Driving the 2022 Kia Sportage

On the road the new N3 platform influences new Sportage’s driving characteristics though it doesn’t feel like a massive step forward. The Kia Sportage offers a stable and comfortable drive with agile handling. It’s not the most engaging of the SUVs to drive – a Mazda CX-5 or Ford Kuga would have the edge on it there.

There’s a new-generation Electronic Control Suspension (ECS) for more comfort and safety thanks to its continuous damping control. It works by reacting quickly to the Sportage’s body movements and steering inputs, making rapid damper adjustments to counteract heave, pitch and body roll through corners. It also adapts the damping force of the suspension to comfortably accommodate obstacles and reduce wheel impact from aftershocks.

For now the 1.6-litre diesel is prominent in the Sportage range in Ireland, with 115 hp or 136 hp. Gearboxes include a 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual clutch automatic. Both the Sportage Hybrid and Sportage Plug-in Hybrid models are equipped with the latest-generation six-speed automatic transmission.

On test was the flagship GT Line sold exclusively as a diesel mild hybrid with a 6-speed manual gearbox. With 136 hp, it has plenty of power and is responsive to the throttle. You will know you are driving a diesel but it is efficient and user-friendly. Over a week of driving my average fuel consumption was 5.2 litres per 100 km.

When it arrives, the plug-in hybrid will be the most powerful of the range with 265hp and the ability to drive electric for a limited range. The Sportage Hybrid is already on sale with 230hp. It uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine, electric motor and small capacity battery.

Did you like it?

The Kia Sportage is back for a new generation and gets a welcome boost in its design and interior.

Kia does modern, intuitive interiors very well, with a stunning digital display, particularly in the higher trim levels of the new Sportage. It matches the Sportage’s trendy urban image, and this car’s dramatic styling is sure to turn heads quickly.

While new hybrid options keep the Sportage in tune with market trends, it’s the diesel that is the most accessible in the range at the moment. It’s not the most refined offering on the market, but it does deliver in terms of efficiency.

Like all competitors, the Sportage has gone up in price, but all models come well equipped with a full suite of safety equipment.

It also offers great practicality for this class of vehicle with plenty of clever features and space inside. For this reason it remains a stylish and sound buy in the Irish new car market in 2022.

Model tested: Kia Sportage GT Line 1.6 diesel MHEV
Price: €43,000
Engine: 1.6-litre diesel
Power: 136 hp
Torque: 320 Nm
0-100km/h: 11.4 seconds
Top speed: 180 km/h
CO2 emissions (WLTP): 132 g/km
Motor tax: €210 per year

____________________________

Written by Caroline Kidd

Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes