Kia has evolved its Sportage family SUV. Jonathan Crouch checks out the fifth generation version.

Ten Second Review

Kia's Sportage asks more searching questions of its family SUV rivals in this more dynamic-looking fifth generation form. There's a more up-market look and feel, more electrified engine technology - more of everything really. Well, except full electric power and real off-road ability anyway.

Background

Kia's Sportage is one of the most prolific-selling cars South Korea has ever brought us. It's certainly the most daringly-styled Sportage yet, both inside and out, with much borrowed from Kia's all-electric EV6, a similarly sized model which relieves the brand of the need to provide a full-battery version of this crossover. Mind you, it's possible to have just about anything else electrified beneath the bonnet, thanks to engineering shared across the board with this car's competitor and close cousin, the Hyundai Tucson. Let's take a look.

Driving Experience

So, choose your flavour of hybrid; mild, full or plug-in. All three forms are available here, based around the same 1.6 litre T-GDI petrol engine. Diesel power is still available via the usual 1.6-litre CRDi unit. There's no full-Electric version because this car's showroom stablemate, the EV6, fills that role says Kia.

The mainstream engine options start with two conventional 1.6-litre units mated to front wheel drive, a T-GDi petrol powerplant with 148bhp and a CRDi diesel with 113bhp. Avoid base trim and you'll be offered the option of 7-speed DCT auto transmission with both these engines for £1,700 more, which automatically upgrades you to Kia's 48V mild hybrid tech and, with the diesel unit, boosts power to 134bhp.

The two top 'proper' Hybrid petrol models only come with an auto. The full-Hybrid HEV Sportage variant delivers the 1.6 T-GDI engine with a 44.2kW electric motor and a 1.49kWh battery delivering a total output of 226bhp. The top PHEV Plug-in variant uses the same engine paired to a 66.9kW electric motor powered by 13.8kWh battery to give a total output of 261bhp and an electric driving range of around 35 miles.

Design and Build

Europe gets a short wheelbase eye-catchingly-styled version of this model - and won't be offered the longer version of this design available to other world markets, both variants sitting on the same N3 platform that undergirds this car's close cousin, the identically engineered Hyundai Tucson.

Shared parentage with another car, Kia's all-electric EV6, is evident inside, where the dashboard gets a gently curved display incorporating two 12.3-inch digital screens. Other key controls are operated via a row of multimedia haptic buttons, which can change function depending on drive mode selection. Though the European Sportage is 85mm shorter than the long wheelbase global model, it's 30mm longer than the previous generation design and that frees up 10mm more wheelbase length for a couple of adults to sit comfortably in the rear - three at a pinch. The boot's around 10% bigger than before too, Kia claiming around 500-litres of stowage space.

Market and Model

Pricing is quite a bit higher than it used to be for a Sportage, sitting in the £27,000 to £44,000 bracket. There are the usual Kia '2', 'GT-Line', '3', '4' and 'GT-Line S' trim levels. The full-Hybrid variants start from around £33,000 - the Plug-in Hybrids from around £38,000.

Across the range the brand now offers its 'Kia Connect' smartphone app which allows customers to connect remotely with their cars. A new 'User Profile Transfer' feature enables users to back up their in-vehicle Kia Connect preferences via the cloud and transfer settings from one vehicle to the next.

A popular option is likely to be the Harmon Kardon sound system. And this Kia will be fitted with a wide array of Advanced Driver Assistance System technology - what Kia calls 'Drivewise' features. There's a 'Forward-Collision Avoidance assist system with Junction Turning' that should help you avoid collisions at junctions; and 'Highway Driving Assist' helps you maintain a set distance to the car in front and keeps this Kia in the middle of its lane. This Sportage can also offer Blind Spot Assistance and a navigation-based cruise control system that automatically reduces speed for the corners. There's even a Remote Smart Parking Assist system that can park the car for you into tight spaces while you stand outside it controlling things from the key fob: neat.

Cost of Ownership

Let's get to the WLTP figures. The 48V mild hybrid version of the company's 1.6 T-GDI Smartstream petrol engine puts out around 150g/km of CO2 and should return just over 40 mpg on the combined cycle. Expect the mild hybrid 1.6 CRDi diesel variants to manage around 50mpg on the combined cycle and around 140g/km of CO2.

The full-Hybrid HEV petrol model improves that showing to just under 130g/km - and manages around 50mpg. The PHEV plug-in version manages a three-figure fuel reading of around 200mpg (yes, really), along with an enviro-conscious CO2 figure of around 30g/km and an all-electric driving range of around 35 miles. Charging a PHEV Sportage from a 3-pin ICCB supply takes 6 hours and 30 minutes (empty to 95%). Use the kind of 7kW wallbox you'd obviously install at home if you were to choose a Plug-in Hybrid and that time drops to 1 hour and 42 minutes.

As usual with Kia, there's a 7 year or 100,000 mile warranty which, since it can be passed from owner to owner, should help the impressively strong residual values. You might want to note that roadside assistance cover is limited to one year, but you do get a long 12 year bodywork warranty. Maintenance costs can be kept down by opting for Kia's 'Care-3' or 'Care-3 Plus' servicing packages, which offer a fixed-cost and inflation-proof servicing plan for the first three or five years, something which can also be passed on to subsequent owners.

Summary

In theory, a lot of boxes have been ticked here. This fifth generation Sportage has been aligned in size and drive dynamics more closely to the needs of our market. It offers new full-Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid engine options in a class where rivals typically only provide either one or the other. And the smart cabin finally puts paid to any memory of Kia's budget brand roots. If you're shopping in this segment, it's a car you have to try.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Kia Sportage

PRICES: £27,250 - £44,550

CATEGORY: SUV FAMILY HATCH-BASED C-SEGMENT

INSURANCE GROUPS: 17E-26E

CO2 EMISSIONS: 129-158 g/km

PERFORMANCE: [1.6 T-GDI MHEV] 0-62mph 7.9s / Top Speed 119mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6 T-GDI MHEV] 44.1mpg (combined)

BOOT CAPACITY: [litres] 591

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4515/1865/1650 mm