Kia Sportage (10 on) - Review

This is the third-generation Kia Sportage: the first incarnation was quite ugly and the second-generation was found wanting when compared with rivals from Japanese car makers. Toyota, Suzuki and Honda had more competent offerings with the RAV 4, Grand Vitara and CR-V. Then there was a rush of fashionable crossovers - the Ford Kuga, Hyundai's iX35 as well as the more premium offerings from Audi and BMW. All are reliable, stylish and practical. However, Kia's rivals now have something to truly worry about: the 2010-on Sportage looks the part and with generous kit levels, acres of space and a decent choice of engines it is raising the bar even higher in the crossover sector.

Generous kit

Kia is noted for the high levels of equipment it includes as standard with its cars and the Sportage is no exception. When it launched the car in 2010, it kicked things off with the limited run of First Edition models that came with 18-inch alloy wheels and rear privacy glass. Now, the standard line-up is just as copiously equipped, with all models having air conditioning, electric windows all round, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, Bluetooth connection, iPod cable and the Sportage’s distinctive LED daytime running lights. This is just the standard spec and the higher trim levels offer the sort of kit as standard that you would expect only of cars from the bigger and more expensive class above the Sportage SUV.

Noisy diesel engine

There’s a choice of two turbodiesel engines in the Kia Sportage and they make up the vast majority of sales for very good reason thanks to their economy and emissions compared to their petrol counterparts. However, the diesels are not as refined as those in some rivals, particularly the 2.0-litre diesel with 134bhp. It may have plenty of low-down punch, but once past the meat of this power delivery it starts to become quite rowdy and coarse, which can make overtaking or steeper inclines an ear-bashing experience. Can it whisk away the top prize in the affordable 4x4 category? Read the full Kia Sportage review to find out.