Kia Sportage (10 on) - Review

This is where the new Sportage makes sense. The seats are comfortable albeit short on side support, but the driving position is good. Like any other 4x4 it's set quite high and thankfully, with rake-and-reach adjustable steering it's easy to find the right set-up, regardless of your size and shape. As far as the ride is concerned the Sportage delivers a game of two halves. On the motorway, it feels relaxed and planted and around town there's few complaints, but on undulating B-roads the suspension set-up yields a bouncy, sometimes wallowy ride. It's also rather unsettled on notchy roads and things can feel firm and jittery. It's not unbearable, but it can irritate after a while and your kids might start looking a bit green after 30 minutes. Around corners the body lean is excessive so you do have to rein in your speed on turn-in. The diesel engine is noisy on start-up and at low speed but it quietens down nicely once you get up and running. There's an absence of road and wind noise, which is very welcome.

It's hugely practical because there's plenty of space. There's loads of head- and legroom and the boot is wonderfully cavernous. You can fold the seats down with a satisfying click of a button and if Kia had managed to get the rears to fold down to create a completely flat load bay, we would say this car is top of the tree for practicality. Total loading area is 1,353 litres, which is smaller than that offered in the Hyundai ix35, but larger than that in the Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Honda CR-V. There's some nice touches that suggest Kia has been thinking about its target market: special bottle holders in the door panels are big enough to hold a bottle of wine, which is fantastic when you don't want them rolling about after a trip from the supermarket. There's also plenty of cubbies and a decent sized storage unit in the central console.

Of course you get that high riding position which should deliver decent visibility, but that's blunted by the hefty A-pillars that can be instrusive when you are pulling into angled junctions. There's not a great view out of the back either because the rear window is relatively small. The controls are nicely laid out and you can master their functions within minutes, but the quality of the plastics on the dashboard leave a lot to be desired. The fit and finish isn't particularly great, with sharp edges still exposed and uneven panel gaps. On our test car the moulding on the air-vent surround was very uneven and bumpy, which isn't particularly encouraging when you are spending £20k+ on a car.