At the top end of Kia’s new Sportage mid-size SUV range is an outstanding example of the breed
The fifth-generation Kia Sportage is a quantum leap in every sense. From its styling, dynamic competence, safety technology and interior comfort, could it be the definitive mid-size SUV? Here we test the top-shelf Sportage GT-Line in 1.6-litre turbo-petrol form – and with only a few reservations, the answer to that question is very nearly ‘yes’.
The modern era
Times have changed since the first, unimpressive, Kia Sportage hit the Australian market in 1996.
For both the Korean company and the Sportage, there’s been a seismic shift in status that would have been unimaginable at the beginning of the 1990s when Kia was really only known in Australia for its Ceres dump trucks.
The company’s epiphany as a car-maker came in the early 2000s with, of all things, the help of a feted German designer. It might sound passe to say it today, but the Korean car-maker’s status worldwide took off on a new trajectory when designer Peter Schreyer was appointed design chief for the Hyundai/Kia group in 2006.
Schreyer’s distinctively European influence had a big impact on both Kia and Hyundai brands that is still evident today. It has played a big part in Kia’s role as a car brand to watch.
What will happen after the winding-up of Schreyer’s executive role at Hyundai/Kia in late 2021 will unfold in the next few years, but his legacy will be felt well beyond that. He remains with the organisation as a technical adviser, a role he took up after leaving the executive team at the end of 2021.
Developed during the Schreyer years, the latest 2022 Kia Sportage – currently the company’s top-selling model in Australia, alongside the Kia Cerato – has hit the market with the hope that the momentum gathered with the help of the German designer over the years will continue.
The new mid-size SUV comes with a degree of swaggering confidence that promises, after a few years in decline, to see a resurgence in Sportage sales.
Launched in November 2021, the fifth-generation Sportage is still too new for any conclusions on its sales potential to be drawn – particularly with supply shortages across many brands upturning the market – but the signs are all positive.
Bristling with good stuff
As tested here in GT-Line turbo-petrol form, the 2022 Kia Sportage asks $49,370 plus on-road costs.
Against similarly-specified (but not necessarily flagship) competing vehicles, that tends to make it pricier than some others except its soul sister, the latest Hyundai Tucson released mid-2021 which spans a slightly higher price range.
The diesel version of the GT-Line Kia Sportage is tagged at $52,370 plus on-road – the most you can currently pay for a new-gen model.
The Sportage range spans from the base six-speed manual or six-speed auto 2.0-litre petrol S (from $32,445) through SX (from $35,000) and SX+ (from $41,500), where a new 1.6-litre turbo-petrol driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto becomes available.
At the top end there’s the GT-Line, which offers the choice between the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol or the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.
At GT-Line level the new Sportage fairly bristles with goodies.
These include a classically simple, curved-glass instrument panel containing a sizeable 12.3-inch LCD touch-screen (4.2 inches on the base S), a 360-degree bird’s eye view parking monitor informed by four cameras, combination leather/fake-suede seat trim, heated, ventilated and powered front seats with memory settings on the driver’s side, a panoramic sunroof, 19-inch alloy wheels, a full-size spare, power tailgate and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is standard across all Kia Sportage models, as are LED headlights and, from SX upwards, sat-nav.
Safety assured
Although Kia makes a good fist of standardising major safety items across all 2022 Kia Sportage models, the GT-Line does pick up a couple of extras over less-pricey models including the in-dash blind-spot views, 360-degree parking monitor and rear parking collision avoidance.
This is in addition to the Shortage’s impressive, across-the-board safety suite which includes things like a front centre airbag, tyre pressure monitoring and Junction Assist to mitigate the risk of collisions with oncoming vehicles when making a right turn across an intersection.
There’s also blind spot collision assist to avoid hitting or being hit by a car in an adjacent lane, rear cross traffic collision assist and post-impact multi-collision braking to help prevent secondary, post-impact crashes.
The new Kia Sportage also gets safety benefits from the new-gen N3 platform it shares with the Kia Sorento and related models such as the Hyundai Tucson and Santa Fe.
These include the adoption of the latest technologies providing improved structural strength and impact protection.
The new Sportage has not yet been tested by ANCAP, but we’d expect a solid result. The related Tucson has also achieved a maximum five-star rating.
Forced aspirations
The newly-adopted 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine in the 2022 Kia Sportage replaces the previous normally-aspirated 2.4-litre petrol.
It is already in use across the Korean brand’s range including the Kia Cerato and Seltos, and is expected to serve in the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Sportage as well as the regular Hyundai Tucson PHEV which is also being considered for Australia.
Producing 132kW at a conservative 5500rpm along with a solid 265Nm of torque at just 1500rpm (the 2.4-litre made 135kW/237Nm), the 1.6-litre turbo deals comfortably with the new Sportage’s tending-to-hefty kerb weight which – like most of its competitors – hovers around the 1.7-tonne mark and is virtually identical to the previous model.
It drives the on-demand all-wheel drive system through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, powering the front wheels most of the time in the interests of fuel economy and automatically bringing the rear wheels into play when necessary.
If the driver wishes, AWD Lock can also be selected via a rotating button on the centre console.
A willing performer, the turbo-petrol emits a pleasantly muted growliness and has the accelerator responses to make for confidence on the road.
The only issue is the dual-clutch transmission’s over-eagerness at dropping down a ratio when it seems unnecessary. This happens regardless of the mode selected – there are four: Eco, Normal, Sport and Smart – even though most of the time we chose the economy setting in an attempt to minimise unnecessary revs.
The paddle shifters helped, but only to a limited extent.
The diesel version of the Sportage gets a more sophisticated AWD driveline with a torque-converter eight-speed auto gearbox and a Terrain Mode setting designed to cope with an array of varied on- and off-road conditions.
The 1.6-litre turbo is, let’s say, competitively economical, more so than the previous 2.4-litre petrol engine.
Against the official combined fuel consumption figure of 7.2L/100km – improved over the 2.4-litre’s quoted 8.5L/100km and pretty much in line with bigger-capacity, normally-aspirated competitors such as the Mazda CX-5 and Mitsubishi Outlander – our review Sportage returned an average 9.0L/100km.
This was a bit disappointing for a supposedly efficient, small-capacity turbo and might limit the cruising range offered by the now-smaller 54-litre fuel tank. Fortunately, it’s happy to operate on regular 91-octane unleaded fuel.
Space-age and spacious
In its latest guise, the bigger and more accommodating 2022 Kia Sportage has stepped up in terms of dynamic refinement.
The locally-tuned MacPherson strut front/four-link rear suspension combines with well-weighted steering to provide a ride and handling balance which is altogether more resolved than previous-generation Sportages.
At 2.4 turns from lock to lock, the impression is that the steering is relatively fast but that turns out not to be so because the turning circle is not particularly tight at 12.2 metres – quite a bit more than most of its competitors and more than the previous Sportage.
The quiet, bump-absorbing ride and the linear steering responses both help contribute a more dynamic feel, with road grip aided by the GT-Line’s 235/55R19 rubber.
There is a nagging feeling that the seats, though nicely cushioned and profiled for comfort, could do with a bit more backrest shaping to help lateral support on the move.
That said, there’s a noticeable degree of surprise and delight inside the new Sportage.
There’s more space than before – it’s the longer-wheelbase version of the two Sportage variants available in other markets – as passengers are welcomed aboard an airy, capacious interior with heaps of rear legroom (increased by 80mm) and an added 7mm of headroom that comes despite the GT-Line’s standard panoramic sunroof.
All this in a cabin that’s clearly been rethought to provide a verging-on-premium look and feel.
With its leather/suede-look seat trim, air vents for the back-seat passengers, soft-touch padding where it’s most appreciated and the majestic big-screen dash that’s a bit of a standout in the mid-size SUV segment, the Sportage almost outdoes Mazda for attention to detail and tasteful design restraint.
But while it matches, or even betters Mazda for visual impact, the Kia’s touch-screen-dependent control functionality trends away from the safer, more intuitive systems that are being adopted by some progressive car-makers.
The wow factor of the Sportage’s super-large high-res display is unquestioned, but the familiar touch-screen foibles continue – difficulty of use and driver distraction when on the move, plus the need to navigate menus to locate a basically simple function.
It’s all very spectacular but that doesn’t mean it’s an ergonomic step forward.
In purely practical terms, the Kia Sportage scores with one of the biggest boot areas in its class. At 543 litres with all seats upright and expanding to a seats-folded 1829 litres, it’s more capacious than the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and the (seven-seat) Mitsubishi Outlander.
And there’s also the hands-free ‘smart’ tailgate operation.
Subjectivity reigns?
Completely new looks inside and out, a new 1.6-litre petrol drivetrain complementing a revised diesel and a new-found dynamic competence help rate the fifth-generation 2022 Kia Sportage as a standout in the mid-size SUV segment.
Subjectivity will determine whether or not the Sportage’s in-your-face styling is destined to sit comfortably in the segment, but initial sales suggest Kia might have hit the right nerve.
The Sportage is something that few new-car shoppers will fail to notice.
With only a couple of question marks, the all-new version of Kia’s Sportage could see it contending for a place among the outright top-sellers in one of the most popular categories in Australia.
It’s that good.
How much does the 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line 1.6L Turbo Petrol cost?Price: $49,370 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrolOutput: 132kW/265NmTransmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automaticFuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 164g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested
Ratings:Price & Equipment 18Safety & Technology 18Powertrain & Performance 12Dynamics & Comfort 17
Editor’s Opinion 15
Ends
Keyword: Kia Sportage GT-Line 2022 Review