Kia Sportage (10 on) - Review

Four engines are available on the Sportage: a 1.6-litre petrol, 2.0-litre petrol and 1.7-litre and 2.0-litre diesel. You can have them in all manner of guises with either four- or two-wheel drive with a six-speed manual or auto. The 2.0-litre diesel version has an official 0-60mph time of 10.9 seconds, which is fairly impressive but the 1,754kg kerbweight and high riding position makes the whole experience feel somewhat slow. Maximum torque of 320Nm is delivered between 1,800 and 2,500rpm and the peak power of 134bhp is delivered at 4,000rpm. It's not very flexible in terms of power delivery, which means the Sportage labours after reaching its peak torque. A flat-to-the-floor approach is required when overtaking on single carriageways and a swift passing maneouvre really needs a drop of two gears. Top speed is a fit-for-purpose 112mph. The 2.0-litre diesel engine was the only choice up until October 2010 when the other three engines were introudced. The entry-level 1.6-litre petrol option comes with 133bhp, but this feels underwhelming in the Sportage's bulky package. It will take an average 10.7 sconds to reach 62mph but feels sluggish throughout and finally go on to a top speed of 111mph. Ideally this engine is best avoided and feels like the poor relation in the line-up. The 1.7 CRDi is slightly better choice, with the pulling power of the diesel engine much better suited in this car. it comes with 114bhp and the 0-62mph benchmark takes 11.9 seconds with a top speed of 107mph. Both of the lower powered units come with start/stop which helps lower emissions and improve fuel economy. The final choice is the 2.0-litre petrol which is powered with 161bhp and is the quickest of the four with a 0-62mph time of 10.3 seconds with the five-speed manual gearbox and 10.8 seconds with the six-speed auto 'box.

Handling-wise the Sportage doesn't impress that much either: there's too much body roll in the bends and it's not particularly keen on turn-in. Steering is vague and if you enter a corner with too much gusto the Sportage struggles to stay on line. The brakes are excellent, however. There are better 4x4s to drive but if your journeys are restricted to urban environments or motorway driving then it's good enough for the job. The Sportage's all-wheel drive system has an electronically controlled single high-ratio transmission that delivers 100% of engine torque to the front wheels when driving normally in good conditions but the torque can be redistributed up to a maximum of 60:40 front-to-rear to help cornering stability if it gets slippery. For off-road driving, owners can manually select lock mode, which gives a 50:50 torque split at speeds of up to 25mph, enhancing traction. There's also a hill descent system that's useful in muddy, rough terrain. This ensures the car maintains a steady speed of 5mph when descending steep slopes so that the driver does not need to touch the brakes, which might result in a loss of traction. There's also hill start assist that prevents you from rolling when setting off uphill, eliminating the possibility of wheelspin.