Kia Sportage (10 on) - Review

Review by Parkers on
Last Updated: 17 February 2011
Kia has made a step forward with this, the third-generation 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 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 latest 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. Can it whisk away the top prize in the affordable 4x4 category? Read on to find out.
3.5 out of 5

Other Kia reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

Kia offers a choice between two- and all-wheel drive making this car a more viable alternative to more expensive rivals. The 1.7-litre diesel averages an impressive 54.3mpg, while servicing costs will be cheaper than Japanese or German rivals. The Sportage comes with a seven-year warranty which means that any unexpected costs are taken care of for a large part of the car's life.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,395 - £1,805 *

Diesel

£1,187 - £1,602 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

One year/20,000 miles

Warranty

Seven years/100,000 miles

Road tax (12 months)

£120.00 - £250.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
    135
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    195
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

This is a crossover with a green conscience. The 2.0-litre diesel emits 156g/km of CO2 emissions while the 1.7-litre diesel emits 135g/km - on 16-inch or 17-inch alloys - and the 1.6-litre petrol also performs fairly well with just 149g/km of CO2.

Find the exact engine and CO2