2024 Kia Sportage review

the K Portage is a huge success story for the brand in Australia and there's a lot to like about this vehicle so is it going to be the right family SUV for you well that's going to depend on which one you pick and I'm going to tell you my picks in this review so stay tuned thanks for watching I hope you're enjoying what you're seeing so far please if you haven't already hit like And subscribe and the Bell so you can keep up to date with all of my review content there's a lot more coming if you want a k Sportage there are 11 different iterations of This SUV that you can choose from and two of them are manual yep manual in 2023 you wouldn't have thought it would you now the entry level version is available in three different trim grades that's the entry level engine then there's a turbo petrol Engine with all-wheel drive with two trim grades and then the diesel engine with all-wheel drive which is the one I think you should choose is the top end offering and it has four different versions available it is an extensive range there are a lot of options to to choose from but I'm going to tell you my two picks in this lineup the entrylevel version the cheaper more affordable one would be the SX plus petrol you'll see the price for it on your screen now it adds a few extras over this one which is the SX uh and it looks a little bit nicer because it's got different Wheels as well I would also suggest that the SX plus diesel with all-wheel drive would be a great option if you don't want to spend all the extra money and wait all the extra time for a GT line because there are still extensive weight periods on the GT line grade so SX plus seems like the right spec for this if it's the right car for you it's a midsize SUV so there are some familiar Alternatives when it comes to the Kia Sportage so obviously the first one that I always suggest is the Toyota Rav 4 if you don't want to wait for your SUV though it might not be right for you there are huge weight lists still for that model particularly the hybrid versions but there are some pretty good petrol versions if that interests you so maybe keep your options open if you aren't necessarily sold on the whole idea of a hybrid another alternative that is very very similar to this is the Hyundai Tucson now you can watch my review hit the link up there and you'll be taken to that full detailed review across the entire range of the Tucson and just like this car there are some models in that lineup that I wouldn't necessarily choose if I was buying one so I'd love to know which one you would pick if you were choosing a Tucson hit me up in the comments and the third option that I would suggest is the gwm havl H6 hybrid it's very important the Hybrid part is very important in that sentence because it is the one that you should choose if you are looking at a H6 the other versions with the 2 L engine and the Dual clutch automatic aren't very very nice to drive uh but the H6 hybrid does have a better powertrain and it is a bit more livable when it comes to drivability so I would suggest have a look at it did you you know that in Australia we get the big version of the Sportage in other markets there is a smaller version with a shorter wheelbase and a smaller body that isn't quite as practical as this but this is a pretty large midsize SUV by today's standards it's more than 4.6 M long and it does have a lot of space on the inside I'll show you that in the next section of this video but first I want to show you the boot because there's a bit to talk about here too the Sportage has one of the bigger boots in the midsize SUV segment at 543 L which is very large and it also has a very wide opening to allow easy access for when you're loading in a pram or luggage or whatever it may be it's a big boot and it's also got a space saver no fullsize spare under the floor which is unusual in this size and type of SUV so that's a nice thing to have especially if you live in the country and you're getting flat tires regularly as a lot of people are these days it's also got these little storage areas at the back here which aren't netted or anything like they are in some other models but there's also these little hooks so you can hook your shopping bag there and things won't move around pretty neat I reckon the interior of the new generation Sportage does feel like a new generation SUV it's got these big displays up here so you've got your touchcreen here and your digital display as well for your instruments um and it is a really Hightech feeling cabin and I love the fact that it does have such intuitive controls even if they are like a mini touchcreen so there's this little section down here you still have dials and knobs uh which I really like but there's also this little toggle switch here so you can go between your media controls if saav and that sort of stuff if your car has satinav and then you've also got your fan controls so I think that it is a pretty clever setup and a pretty clever approach to to not having to do everything through the big screen now this spec is one of the lower grades as I mentioned um what isn't as appealing about this sort of spec is that there are all these blanks around the place so there's five little blank plates here and that just detracts from the ambience a little bit and also I will say that it is a bit of a festival of black plastic in here it isn't necessarily the most um amazing feel cabin when it comes to the finishes but there is at least a little bit of this brushed metallic looking plastic here and some Chrome around the vents and that as well so it isn't the most black cabin but it could do with just a little bit more something in terms of the design in here you've got these cloth seats in this trim obviously the higher grade models get leather as well there's no seat Heating in this trim spend more for that if you want it when it comes to storage there's plenty in here you've got a storage section in front of the shifter some grades get a wireless charger this one doesn't there's a pair of cup holders here which are adjustable I really like that they've got these little levers so you can press these buttons and they pop out and turn into cup holders so if you want to have that as a storage space or cup holders you can choose there's a decent size center console bin and you've got bottle holders in the doors as well so it is a pretty practical upfront experience let's check out the back seat heaps of space back here in the rear seat of the Kia Sportage this seat's set for me at 182 cm or 6 tall and I've got heaps of knee room lots of foot room and there's plenty of practicality when it comes to the back seat space as well you've got mat pockets on both of the seatbacks directional air vents this grade doesn't get USB charges in the back some other grades do get bottle holders in the doors there's a flip down armrest here as well with cup holders too which is nice and if you have kids they're I fix points in the window seats you'll easily fit either a forward or rearward facing child seat in here it's a very very accommodating back seat and you've got three top tethers on the seat back as well so this is a really really practical midsize SUV if you've got a family that's maybe growing maybe you've got one and you're expecting another this could be a really good choice for you as I mentioned three different engine options in the Sportage lineup this one here is the entry level petrol version it is a 2 L 4cylinder non-turbocharged petrol engine and it's front-wheel drive and has a six-speed automatic or as I mentioned two versions are available with a six-speed manual transmission which is pretty cool although I wouldn't pick this engine if I was you the next step up is the turbocharged 1.6 L 4 cylinder petrol engine now as I mentioned there's two grades available with that one and it comes with a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive now it is a pretty pretty perky engine at speed but at lower speeds it can be really frustrating because the Dual clutch isn't fantastic and my pick of the Sportage engine lineup is the 2 L turbo diesel it has heaps of power and torque for an application like this and it has an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive so it would be the one I would pick if I was buying a Sportage now I lived with a 1.6 L turbo version of the Sportage GT line hit the link at the top of your screen there and you'll be able to go and check out my video review of that car and you'll see why I wouldn't suggest that one oh should also mention that there is a hybrid version of the Sportage coming in 2024 so if you think hybrid is right for you then it might be worth waiting for let's start off with the engine in this particular Sportage this is the 2 L version so the non-turbocharged petrol model and it's the SX grade so it has I would say enough power in some situations but not enough in others and especially when you load up this car with a car full of people and stuff you will notice that the engine does struggle a little bit it's just not zesty enough just doesn't have enough torque really in my opinion to be suitable for this sort of application it's just like the Tucson 2 L engine and even the CX-5 2 L engine none of them really uh make effortless driving when it comes to power and torque delivery that said it is adequate if you are very light on the throttle if you're not the sort of person who's always in a hurry then you're not going to find this car frustrating um but if you are yeah you might hate it at least this engine anyway the six-speed Auto in this 2 L version it's okay it's just very busy because it doesn't have enough Torque from the engine to work with so when you go up and down Hills you will notice that it's always shifting back you know 6th fifth fourth and then back to Fifth and back to fourth so it's just not as good as it could be this is why I would suggest that if you're shopping for a Sportage and you aren't on a super tight budget then you should probably avoid the 2 L front-wheel drive version okay so the other engines in the lineup the 1.6 L petrol turbo it is definitely a better fit in terms of power and torque um it's just that the transmission it's a seven-speed dual clutch Auto in that car is not great it's quite lurchy and laggy um so like old DSG transmissions in old Volkswagens you do have that moment where it's like a shuttering hesitation when you take off from a standstill um and it's not as clever as it could be either it sort of is a bit busier than it should be so I don't love that engine and transmission and I think the best engine and transmission in the Sportage range as I've already said is the 2 L diesel turbo engine it has easily enough power and torque for this application it just makes a more effortless and more enjoyable Drive experience in the Sportage so it has an 8-speed automatic transmission which allows the engine to use its torque to do the job that it needs to do and it is a really Pleasant powertrain definitely the pick if you ask me I can't wait to see if the hybrid version of the Sportage is one that I would recommend um stay tuned I will do a review of that car later when it comes to the other elements of the drive experience the ride is pretty comfortable it's not the most comfortable SUV in terms of ride comfort and compliance but it does sort of just deal with lumps and bumps in the road pretty well it's just a little bit firm I suppose you might say and this is because this version is riding on 18in Wheels there is a version with 17s with even higher profile tires which is the most comfortable version of this car so if you are focused on that being a key criteria for you check out the base model car as for the steering it hasn't had the Australian tune that we so often see from Kia models um and I don't think that's necessarily a big deal here because it's light enough and accurate enough in terms of the steering response and when it comes to doing a parking job let's just do one while we're here um just ver in Easy Peasy this is a a nicely weighted steering action and it really does make for a pretty easy SUV to live with in urban situations and on the highway too it's pretty well controlled in those sorts of situations too I reckon you could do a lot worse than a Kia Sportage when it comes to the drive experience however I still reckon you should be buying the 2 L diesel engine if you can afford it when it comes to efficiency for the sport well the entry level version is relatively efficient on paper at least uh there's a manual and automatic combin cycle figure that you'll see on your screen now um if you're wondering what I've seen across this week of testing with this 2 L Auto version you'll see that on your screen now and look I think that's okay it's not necessarily the best but it's certainly uh suitable for this sort of family device then the turbo petrol version it is a downsized Engine with turbocharging so you would expect that it is a little bit better on fuel consumption and it is just a bit uh but I would say that you can more realistically rely on seeing something about 20% higher than that based on my real world testing in the GT line version that I drove when I was reviewing it for car guide over months so yeah I was up around 9 L per 100 um for most of the time time in that car and then there's the diesel version which has an official figure of 6.3 L per 100ks which is very good um and mostly pretty replicable as well you might see more like 7 7 1/2 L per 100 in real world driving especially if you're heavy on the throttle but I reckon it's pretty respectable the Kia Sportage was awarded the maximum five-star ancap safety rating in 2022 so it does have heaps of active safety technology as standard all models come with AE or autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist and Junction detection so it'll stop the car if it thinks you're going to jump in front of a car and you're not going to make the gap which is pretty neat technology there's also Lane keeping assistance and blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert as well now if you choose a manual version you don't get the rear cross traffic alert that'll break for you so if that matters to you then buy the auto uh and there's also some extra technology if if you buy the high-spec gtline version you get a surround View Camera you also get a blind spot view monitor so it'll show up a little vision of what's happening in your blind spots on the instrument cluster for you to look at so it is a nice little bit of Technology all models come with a reversing camera and rear parking sensors if you choose the base model you only get rear sensors any model above that you get front parking sensors as well and when it comes to airbag coverage there's plenty you've got dual front front side full length curtain and a front Center airbag as well so safety tick buy a Kia and you get a 7-year unlimited kilometer warranty which is better than most of the mainstream Brands you also get 7 years of cap price servicing but depending on which model you choose the kilometer duration is different so if you choose the turbo petrol model it's got shorter service intervals of 12 months and 10,000 km whereas if you choose the non-turbo petrol or the turbo diesel the interval are every 15,000 K so it is a little bit more convenient to buy anything but the turbo petrol version when it comes to maintenance anyway you should also note that the service costs as you'll see on your screen now are different between the three different grades as well and remember if you do a lot of KS and you buy the turbo petrol it's going to cost you more because you have to keep going back more often there's also up to 8 years of roadside assist included for the Sportage if you're after a really good SUV for you and your family then the Kia Sportage should be on your shopping list although I still reckon there are only two versions that I would choose but I'd love to know which one you would pick hit me up in the comments section below and if you haven't already please do hit like And subscribe and I'll see you in the next one

Channel: The Right Car?

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Id: _RKb-PfC8lQ

Length: 17min 4sec (1024 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 27 2023