New Sportage lifts KIA SUV stakes

The updated KIA Sportage, finally the sum of its parts

A JOY of this job is tracing the evolution of cars over the ages, from sometimes shaky beginnings as they turn into graceful swans.

The KIA Sportage is one these, from my first experience in 2005, through to the latest update released this year.

Particularly in the early years, the Sportage was Camry-like, reliable, capable, but not inspiring in terms of styling and performance.

The arrival of design guru Peter Schreyer from Europe in 2007 revitalised KIA, with a mix of new designs and a steady overhaul of the ‘heritage’ models.

The 2010 Sportage was the first to be ‘Schreyerised’, going from stolid and dependable to borderline sexy, shedding the bulbous waistline and gaining a leaner, angular, look.

Despite the revamp, including new petrol and diesel turbo engines, the Sportage always felt a little underdone, the ingredients were there but the finished product wasn’t all it could be..

Fast forward to the latest version, and finally all the pieces of the puzzle are in place, and the Sportage is the car we hoped it would become.

The body lines are a further refinement of the 2010 look, with muscular, pumped, guards front and rear, and a sharp swage line running the length of the body just below the height of the door handles.

Using the LED Daytime Running Lights to define the front as they highlight the full-width black grille, flanked by vertically-stacked headlights, the Sportage makes a visual statement of intent from the outset.

With more angles than Hollywood, the Sportage literally cuts through the air, while the rounded lip of the bonnet’s leading edge eases airflow across the bonnet and then over the roofline, a long, slightly convex, curve that also boosts interior headroom, before sloping into a sharper decline for the tailgate.

Despite the windowline angling upwards from the rear door, the cabin is not claustrophobic, with the extra sheetmetal adding privacy to the luggage area.

The door mirrors sit proud of the body, the body-coloured housings, with integrated indicator repeaters, sit on stalks to improve the driver’s rear vision.

Our test car was the mid-spec SX Hybrid Electric Vehicle, finished in Wolf Grey, riding on 18” alloys with 235/60 tyres.

Comfortable, functional and with a touch of funky, the updated Sportage is a nice way to spend a drive

KIA has always done well on interior fitout, the SX is comfortable, trimmed in black with a grey rooflining, the cloth-faced, manually adjustable, front seats were supportive, I appreciated the height adjustable seatbelts, it made getting comfortable easier.

Headroom was excellent, at 183cm, I like a bit of space above me, even though it is a mid-size SUV there was plenty of room for four adults, plus luggage space, while the sloping tailgate does eat into that space, there was still room for a week’s groceries and then some.

Electronic controls give interior designers greater freedoms placing switchgear, for the Sportage this means a flat centre console with a low-line rotary gear selector, engine start button and two cup holders, plus a storage bin between the seats.

While flat surfaces abound, the Sportage does not feel two-dimensional, it creates a spacious cabin, blending hi-tech elements with functionality.

The only disappointment was the two-spoke, D-shaped, steering wheel, while it boosted thigh and belly room, the thin rim feels too light, although the face-mounted buttons offer control of the main vehicle settings.

The instrument panel and central display screen, although separate units, are mounted in a single broad housing, the 12.3” widescreen is accessible to driver and passenger, not only does it manage navigation and vehicle settings but also the infotainment system, complete with plug in Apple and Android functionality.

The driving position is good everything falls to hand easily, there is a cutout in the door armrests for knees, letting you brace during energetic driving.

With maximum power of 169Kw and 350Nm, the Sportage is no slouch, but delivers it in a usable manner, rather than a neck-snapping burst of acceleration.

The hybrid battery is relatively small, mounted under the rear seat, power discharge is rapid, allowing it to constantly harvest energy while driving, for first time hybrid drivers this creates a more passive experience, with no significant braking during power generation.

This is backed by a traditional six-speed automatic transmission, rather than a CVT, so the experience is more ‘normal’.

The transmission is a slick-shifting unit, working through the gears with barely a jolt, reinforcing the overall quality of the driving experience.

One area not really boosted by the hybrid driveline not having a more aggressive energy harvest is the brakes, you use them more than in other hybrid vehicles, this is an observation rather than a criticism, with greater use of regenerative braking, the wheel brakes do less work, reducing brake pad and rotor wear.

Ride and handling, areas where the Sportage previously felt ‘not quite right’, are excellent, despite, or perhaps because of, the best efforts of authorities to create a lunarscape road system.

Nothing will stop a big pothole from jarring the cabin, but careful driving to avoid the worst of corrugations, coupled with the sidewall compression of those 60-Series tyres, makes for a more comfortable and compliant ride.

The suspension is set on the soft side of stiff, while this adds a touch of body roll, the acceptable trade-off is greater in-cabin comfort and smoothness.

Steering is another area that feels to have lifted a notch, the firmness and directness are improved for an even more enjoyable driving task.

So, do I like the new Sportage? Yes, and I am happy to say it has come a long way in the last 20 years, and if you are looking at a mid-size SUV, it needs to be on your list.