The new Kia Sportage offers generous equipment levels and impressive refinement
If you’re not familiar with the shape of the new Kia Sportage, the chances are you soon will be. Only the Nissan Qashqai outsells it in the fiercely competitive mid-size SUV segment, meaning that school runs and Sunday morning rugby matches across the country will soon be saturated with them.
It’s easy to see the appeal. Kia has taken the Sportage’s traditional strengths of strong value, generous equipment and plentiful interior space and applied them to a sharply-styled new model that features a wide range of engines, including the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versionsthat we’re driving here.
INSIDE
Apart from the entry-level ‘2’ model, all Sportages come with a giant wraparound touchscreen display that lends the cabin a distinctly high-tech feel. It’s crisply rendered, responsive and easy to read. While you don’t get many physical buttons, you do get a dedicated touchscreen panel beneath the main display that toggles between the heater controls and the navigation shortcuts, so it’s relatively easy to find the functions that you need.
The interior feels nicely put together, although there’s a fair amount of shiny plastic and faux leather on display. Where it really scores is its equipment, with mid-range ‘3’ models – arguably the pick of the bunch – including front and rear heated seats, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, smart cruise control and a heated steering wheel as standard.
There’s plenty of head and legroom for rear seat passengers, while the boot sits towards the larger end of the class. The rear seats fold at the touch of a button, plus the large rear hatch and flat loading area should make short work of those trips to Ikea.
HOW IT DRIVES
Soft suspension means that the Sportage rolls a fair amount in the corners, but the payback is better ride quality than you’ll find in most of its rivals. Noise levels are low too, especially in the hybrid models. Even the regular hybrid seems to spend a significant amount of its time running on electricity alone, and when the petrol engine does kick in, it’s quiet and unobtrusive.
Opt for the plug-in hybrid model and you get a substantial 43 miles of zero emissions range (that’s the official claim, expect low 30s in the real world). It uses it intelligently too – automatically saving the battery when you’re on the motorway, for instance. Performance is adequate rather than electrifying, but that suits the Sportage’s laid back demeanour just fine. Its low benefit in kind (BiK) rating will also appeal to company car drivers.
FINAL SAY
The Sportage offers strong value for money and excellent hybrid engine options. Our only criticism is that it feels a little generic compared to Kia’s all-electric EV6 and it lacks the dynamic sparkle of the best in this class. As a traditional family SUV, however, there’s much to recommend it.
SPEC AND TECH
Price: Sportage Plug-in Hybrid ‘3’ £40,350 (range from £27,250)
Powertrain: 265PS plug-in hybrid with 13.8kWh battery, six-speed automatic gearbox, all-wheel drive
Performance: 0 to 60mph in 7.9 seconds; top speed 119mph
Electric range: 43 miles (claimed)
Fuel consumption: 252mpg (claimed)
