2020 Kia Sportage review & buyer's guide
The Kia Sportage is one of the most exciting SUVs in Australia. Like its dizygotic twin, Hyundai Tucson, Sportage has exactly what it takes to keep Mazda's CX-5 honest.
STOP! If you’re about to drop a deposit on a current Kia Sportage, you need to put down the credit card, and check-out my first-look at the all-new 2021 Hyundai Tuson here >>
Elephant in the room
I really enjoyed driving the Kia Sportage, but let’s acknowledge that elephant. It’s here in the room, after all. Kia says the all-new Sportage is “modern, progressive, taut and strong” … with a “dynamic, always-on-the-go, stance”. The company says this is “sure to leave an impression on admirers and passers-by”. Really.
In reality, it’s ugly - in my opinion. But even that determination needs qualification. A marketing person, backed into a corner by a journo, might say it’s designed to “polarise opinion”. But it’s more than that. It’s not that awful, obsequious, shrinking violet kind of ugly. Not that at all. It’s a completely different flavour of ugly. It’s ugly with flair. Like: Yeah, ugly - you got a problem with that? It’s ugly in a low-cut black dress and six-inch Christian Louboutin pumps, striding across the dance floor, grabs you by the lapels, says ‘buy me a drink; I’ll sleep with you after.” That kinda ugly. Ugly with a twist. Boldly ugly. You might like that; you might not.
You'll either like it or loathe it. There's no middle ground with the 2016 Kia Sportage's aesthetics.
Ownership fundamentals
If you’re thinking about spending the early $30s to about $50 grand - the price range for a 2016 Kia Sportage here in Australia - here’s what you need to know:
Kia has just an awesome warranty - seven years plus unlimited kilometres. Plus annual servicing (or 15,000 kilometres - whichever comes first). So for most Aussies that means just one trip to the dealership for a capped-price service every year. There’s a full-sized alloy spare wheel and tyre - not a hateful space-saver - and a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
See ANCAP's Kia Sportage findings >> and the full crashworthiness technical report >>
Kia is also remarkably good at customer support, in the rare cases of problems I’ve been hands-on with. I’ve probably referred about four genuine complaints to my contact in Kia Oz - and they just jumped on it and fixed it. This is real peace of mind - when you compare this with other brands - many offering three-year warranty, two services a year, a space-saver spare tyre and a general approach to customers aftermarket where you get treated like shit, as opposed to like an actual customer, with at least vestigial respect, when you really need support. This is something that not nearly enough car buyers think about, up front.
And it bites them.
Kia Sportage model Range
The Sportage range is pretty easy to wrap one’s cognitive awareness around: Three grades for 2020, re-named: base model S, mid-spec SX and top-shelf GT Line.
ENGINES
You can have S or SX with either a 2.0-litre atmo petrol engine or a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel - both four-cylinders. The diesel comes with lockable all-wheel-drive and the petrol is a front driver only. They’re both six-speed conventional autos. No manual transmission option is available, if you want a manual you’ll have to shop for a Hyundai Tucson Active or Active X. Auto for auto - Sportage is roughly $1000 cheaper than Tucson.
GT Line Sportage comes with the diesel too, but the petrol is upgraded to 2.4 litres, it’s all-wheel drive, and it’s about 12 per cent quicker than the 2.0-litre petrol in S and SX, based on power-to-weight ratio. But it’s making more like 23 per cent more power at about 4000rpm - so it’s pretty strong in the mid-range, and the six-speed auto is brilliantly smooth.
COMPARED WITH HYUNDAI TUCSON
So here’s the first thing that hits me with the 2.4-litre engine in the Sportage: the competitor at house of Hyundai - the Tucson - is a 1.6 turbo petrol with a dual-clutch transmission. The turbo Hyundai makes slightly less power, ultimately, but a heap more torque across a broad rev-range - so it’s stronger in the mid-rev range - but the trade-off is driveability at low speeds, because the dual-clutch in the Hyundai isn’t especially smooth at low-speed manoeuvering. And of course you need to get a minor service done on Hyundai’s 1.6 turbo to change the oil every six months or 7500 kilometres.
Visit my Tucson buyer's guide >> or Hyundai's Tucson page >>
This is a real point of difference, between the two models, and my take on that is the 2.4 in the Sportage is a better, more refined and intuitive overall proposition than the 1.6 turbo in the Tucson - for the vast majority of drivers. If you just want the best performance in a straight line, however, the Tucson turbo wins.
The other two engines are basically identical to the Tucson. The 2.0-petrol is a reliable entry-level budget workhorse, and the diesel is just outstanding - but bear in mind diesels need about 40 minutes of freeway or open road driving a fortnight to stay healthy. If you can’t offer a diesel that, yours will be a better home for a petrol. The diesel out-points the petrol in the low and middle revs.
Towing capacity
Tow capacity is interesting, too. Here are the Sportage towing limits with a maximum towball download limit of 100kg on all drivetrains:
Diesel Sportage - 1900kg.
Two-litre petrol - 1600kg.
2.4 petrol - 1500kg.
If you’re planning on towing, the extra 300-400 kilo capacity on the diesel could be a real winner. Remember it's the same 2.0 diesel engine in the Tucson, where it tows a maximum of 1600 kilos. Mazda CX-5 tows 1800 kilos and the diesel X-TRAIL tows 1500 kilos with a CVT and 2.0 tonnes with a manual. More on CX-5 >>
Get the complete guide to heavy towing >> and advice on choosing the right tow vehicle for you >>
On the road
Driving the Sportage is, frankly, a joy. It’s just really well sorted out, dynamically. This is something Kia’s invested a lot of resources in, locally, and the suspension tune is excellent for Australia’s generally shit roads. As a whole package, from the ergonomics to the control feedback and the response to bumps and other non-ideal road inputs, the Sportage gets a big tick - it’s well damped and agile when you’re on the move without feeling bulky and cumbersome. Controls, layout and comfort levels are excellent, too. It’s also pretty intuitive to get in the first time and get set up - everything is where it should be without having to search. Noise levels are minimal and it does what you tell it to, when you tell it - without disrespecting his laws of motion, obviously.
Equipment levels
When you look at the model grades, Kia has an excellent comparison tool on its website, in which you can highlight the differences and get the granular detail. Visit the official Kia Sportage features comparator here >>
Here are the highlights.
KIA SPORTAGE S
The base-model S is pretty well equipped. Autonomous emergency braking and forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, auto headlights and high beam, 17-inch alloys with matching full-size spare, reversing camera and rear sensors, heated electric folding door mirrors, cruise control, Bluetooth and six-speaker audio system, seven-inch LCD centre screen, two USB chargers and three 12-volt power outlets (two up the front and the third behind the centre console so the kids can fight over it, the entire roadtrip).
The Si is not exactly ‘poverty’. And there’s now Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which does away with S not having GPS sat-nav. It no longer has the same sized centre LCD colour touch screen as SX (formerly SLi) and GT Line (formerly Platinum) which get GPS with traffic updates. Which one could guess remains a somewhat cynical attempt to upsell you into the SX. But at least the phone software is there on S now.
KIA SPORTAGE SX & SX Plus (nee Si Premium & SLi)
The renamed mid-spec Sportage next year will become SX and SX Plus. But for MY2019 vehicles, you’ll have to tolerate the previous four-tier model structure’s Si Premium and SLi nomenclature.
So, choosing an MY19 Sportage right now, going up from Si, it’s going to cost you another $2000 for the same incremental jump from petrol to petrol or diesel to diesel in Si Premium, or $9000 (to petrol) or $7500 (to diesel) in SLi. Still following?
But for 2020, SX to SX Plus, it’s $7000 extra petrol to petrol and $5000 diesel to diesel.
For all intents and purposes, SX gives you 18-inch alloys with matching full-size spare (up from 17s) and the SX Plus adds tyre pressure monitoring.
SX (in addition to S) gets front parking sensors, satnav, the eight-inch touchscreen and DAB digital radio plumbed through JBL premium speakers, a moderate front lighting upgrade, leather (which is not actually leather in some places, when you read the disclaimer), plus electric adjustment on the driver’s seat (goodbye, undignified manual pumping, which should be made criminal). You also get rain-sensing wipers, privacy glass, styling garnish, climate air, and the notably absent from Si GPS.
SLi - sorry, SX Plus - is a reasonable step up for the price. And finally gets a proximity key with push-button start. Hello? SX (Si Premium) costs you nearly $40k but the Kia Cerato sedan in Sport Plus variant (only $28K) gets a proxy key. This is bizarre, to me, given the Cerato is closer to the stripped-out fleet vehicle and Sportage is aimed at wealthier private consumers.
The Sportage SLi’s flip-out key might seem quite the novelty in that case - but on a comparative basis, a flip-out key is a joke on a mid-40-grand SUV. And the Monty Python-style ‘fart in your general direction’ is the fact the mid-spec Hyundai Tucson Elite also gets a proximity key.
KIA SPORTAGE GT Line (nee PLATINUM)
It’s a fair old hike uphill to Sportage GT Line - about $7000, petrol to petrol, and $4500 diesel to diesel. But if you’re stepping up, petrol SX Plus to petrol GT Line, a big chunk of that is absorbed by the upgrade from front-drive to all-wheel drive. And that’s why it’s ‘only’ a five grand step up from the diesel SX Plus to diesel GT Line. There’s a flat-out tsunami of additional equipment in the top-spec, too - especially on the safety side.
You’ll enjoy 19-inch alloys (with matching spare), a proximity key (finally), a flat-bottom steering wheel with paddle-shift, and the front passenger gets a power-adjustable seat, meaning no undignified/illegal manual pumping for her. Or him. Them, whatever.
Front seat heating and ventilation suit both our hot and cool seasons, bi-xenon lights will cut through the night, there’s a panoramic glass sunroof, and plenty of extra garnish. There’s a satin silver ‘Schreyer’ front grille and a LED foglamp design. Plus, there’s a powered tailgate that detects your presence and re-opens automatically when you’ve got both hands full of - I dunno - adult reading materials, if those whom still haven’t learned about the internet.
Wireless charging
A couple of interesting points about the GT Line. There’s a wireless phone charging pad in the centre, below the air conditioning controls.
Obviously you need a phone that knows how to stimulate itself 'down there', in the battery compartment, wirelessly. Otherwise it’s just a rubber mat to put stuff on.
It’s quite a neat feature when you consider how much cumulative time is spent plugging your phone in, over the ownership term.
Active safety
There’s also a major active safety inclusion, with adaptive cruise control (which is not listed under safety, strangely), plus blind spot detection, lane-change assist and rear cross traffic alert - very significant safety equipment that might just save your neck (or someone else’s) one day.
Kia’s got automated parking on GT Line, too, which used to be called SPAS, counter-intuitively. “Smart Parking Assistance System” is now replaced with “Intelligent”, which makes it IPAS, and it’s one area where Sportage GT Line performs a pull-shot on Hyundai Tucson Highlander, which lacks that feature.
It’s really capable, too - turns even the most spatially challenged moron into a parallel parking powerhouse. See how IPAS works in a Santa Fe >>
Even if you think you’re truly excellent - like the Tony Hawke of reverse-parking, I challenge you to do a better job than it, in a tight spot, at night, in the rain. Didn’t think so.
How 'premium' is GT Line?
The other point I’d make about the GT Line is: Peter Schreyer. He’s the guy who designed the Audi TT, then got poached by Kia, soon after which - not accidentally - Kias stopped looking awful. He’s now Hyundai-Kia’s president and head of design management. You can see his work: flat-bottom steering wheel, ‘GT-line’ badging, brilliant interior design integration. This is a bold statement, but I reckon you could blindfold an ordinary car buyer - not an enthusiast because remember, most car buyers aren’t enthusiasts - give them a de-badged GT Line, and they would assume it’s an Audi SUV. And they’d buy it. It’s that good. It feels truly premium.
New Audi Q3 interior still looks dated, uninspired and can't match Sportage GT Line dollar-for-dollar.
And in fact, when you compare an Audi Q3 TDI auto with a Sportage Platinum (they’re about the same price) the Platinum has a better interior, a hugely superior powertrain, and when it comes to standard features, the Kia knocks out the Audi in the first round. Just an epic right hook. Then it hurls the Q3 in a shallow grave, douses it with Zippo fluid, sets it ablaze and - wait for it - refuses to piss on it to put it out. That’s classy.
Do the research - you can’t make an objective case that that Spanish-built Audi SUV shitbox is superior. You can’t.
New Q3 looks bland. Nobody should have to face that first thing in the morning. At least Sportage is interesting to look at.
I dare you to try. Here’s what you’ll spend:
Comfort package: Electric front seats with electric lumbar support, heated folding exterior mirrors with passenger kerb-side tilt, heated front seats, auto dimming interior mirror, adaptive cruise control with (stupid) engine stop/start, and emergency assistance: $2,600
Parking package (only available with Comfort package): 360 degree camera, park assist: $900.
Conclusion
So, I remain hugely impressed by the refreshed Kia Sportage, and due to little change in driving dynamics, it remains a remarkably impressive device to thread along twisty back roads and plough through suburbia with. There are a few notable quirks in the specifications, and you will have to make friends with the boldly ugly face that commits to sleeping with you after that first drink. And that’s going to be too much for anyone who wants that over-rated reserved, demure, elegant, romance, automotive courtship thing. But I’ll take ‘to boldly ugly, where no man has gone before’. (Just like William Shatner’s most famous split infinitive of all time, as Captain James T Kirk.)
I’d have no hesitation spending my own money on a GT Line in either petrol or diesel - and thereafter I would embrace every opportunity to park it next to an Audi Q3. Even if I didn’t need to.
Contact me via the red link below to get a new Sportage at thousands under the recommended price - or any other vehicle. Even a bland Q3, if you insist.
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