2023 Kia Sportage

The Sportage S comes standard with:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment
• Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless)
• DAB digital radio
• Six-speed audio system
• ‘Basic’ digital instrument cluster with 4.2-inch TFT display
• LED headlights (reflector-type)
• LED daytime running lights
• Partial-LED tail lights
• Full-size spare wheel
• Leather-accented steering wheel and PVC shifter
• Electric park brake (auto models only)
• Tyre pressure monitoring

Sportage SX adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Satellite navigation
• Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wired)
• Power driver’s lumbar adjustment
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Dual-zone climate control with auto de-fog
• Auto up/down windows (front)
• Leather-wrapped shifter
• Remote-folding second-row seats

Sportage SX+ adds:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• 8-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio
• Faux leather seat trim
• Heated front seats
• LED front fog lights
• Power driver’s seat with power lumbar
• Power tailgate
• Electrochromic rear-view mirror
• Keyless entry and start
• Steering-mounted paddle shifters
• Rear privacy glass
• Front parking sensors

Sportage GT-Line adds:

• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• Leather seats with suede upper
• Driver’s seat with memory function
• Power passenger seat adjustment
• Heated/ventilated front seats
• Bi-LED headlights (projector type)
• Full-LED tail lights
• Shift-by-wire gear selector (dial type)
• Wireless phone charger
• Ambient interior lighting
• LED interior lighting
• Panoramic sunroof
• Alloy pedals
• Blind Spot View Monitor
• Parking Collision Avoidance (reverse)
• Remote Smart Park Assist (diesel only)
• Surround-view cameras with 3D view

The Kia Sportage will suit families that have two kids or less. Three young kids will still fit depending on child seat requirements but the width of the rear seats may not be as accommodating.

It's the ideal size SUV that still fits nicely with inner-city requirements but will also provide an excellent option for long distance driving and more than capable of navigating some basic off-roading (AWD models).

Clear White is the standard paint finish, with the following optional:

• Steel Grey
• Gravity Grey
• Fusion Black
• Vesta Blue
• Dawning Red
• Snow White Pearl (SX+ and GT-Line only)
• Jungle Wood Green (SX+ and GT-Line only)

Premium paint costs an extra $520.

All models have a black interior.

Service intervals are different depending on the engine choice.

The 1.6-litre turbo intervals are:

• 1 Year or 10,000 km $323.00
• 2 Years or 20,000 km $573.00
• 3 Years or 30,000 km $422.00
• 4 Years or 40,000 km $783.00
• 5 Years or 50,000 km $364.00
• 6 Years or 60,000 km $851.00
• 7 Years or 70,000 km $672.00

The 2.0-litre petrol intervals are:

• 1 Year or 15,000 km $316.00
• 2 Years or 30,000 km $565.00
• 3 Years or 45,000 km $399.00
• 4 Years or 60,000 km $759.00
• 5 Years or 75,000 km $356.00
• 6 Years or 90,000 km $706.00
• 7 Years or 105,000 km $378.00

The 2.0-litre diesel intervals are:

• 1 Year or 15,000 km $349.00
• 2 Years or 30,000 km $541.00
• 3 Years or 45,000 km $435.00
• 4 Years or 60,000 km $794.00
• 5 Years or 75,000 km $393.00
• 6 Years or 90,000 km $695.00
• 7 Years or 105,000 km $417.00

This new Sportage uses a different platform to the old model, which brings superior torsional stiffness. It’s actually a derivative of the platform that underpins the bigger Sorento, plus the related Hyundai Tucson. Kia Australia’s local suspension team specified the damper tune to suit local roads, adding ride compliance while retaining body control.

Where the related Hyundai Tucson’s more Euro-leaning tune is on the sportier side and can at times be a touch firm, the Sportage really irons out pockmarked roads and bumpy city streets with luxurious levels of grace. It’s very, very impressive in this regard.

There just seems to be an added layer of pliancy that so few manufacturers seem to get right. While there’s an excellent level of all-round comfort, that hasn’t come at the cost of handling or driver engagement.

With a wonderfully-balanced steering and chassis tune, the Sportage turns in predictably and directly without being razor sharp. It’s perfect for the intended demographic and if you flick the mode selector into Sport the steering and throttle sharpen up for more eager response.

Refinement at speed is likewise excellent. Wind noise is next to non-existent and tyre roar even on coarse-chip B-roads is whisper quiet.

That confident, big-car feeling carries over whether you’re putting around the city or cruising on the freeway. It’s hushed, planted, and unfazed by poor weather or uneven road surfaces.

The Sportage is let down only by its powertrains. Well, two of them.

We’ve yet to drive the Sportage with the base 2.0-litre petrol, but in the Tucson it sounds gruff and lacks grunt.

The 1.6-litre turbo-petrol is better but still not quite there.

There’s a lethargic slurring off the line and slight break in power delivery when the car shifts from first into second that betrays a lacks a layer of polish it really should have. It’s also far more evident because everything else is so damn good.

It’s worth getting it out of your head that the 1.6T is a more sporting choice. While there’s more low-down shove and more effortless progress than naturally-aspirated rivals, middling outputs mean the 1.6-litre doesn’t feel particularly quick.

The best powertrain, far and away, is the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

You sense considerable effort has been invested into both making the diesel as smooth and refined as possible and suppressing any associated ‘rattle’ from penetrating the cabin.

In fact, the Sportage diesel is so quiet you might mistake it for a petrol vehicle.

Effortless doesn’t begin to describe it – the diesel Sportage gets up and goes, without hesitation or fuss. You barely need to stoke the right pedal, yet there’s no peakiness or unpleasantness.

The auto is an absolute gem: seamless in a manner lacking in the dual-clutch designs offered elsewhere in range, and in the Sportage’s segment. Its calibration feels perfectly matched to the engine’s sweet spot for no other reason than it doesn’t seem to put a shift wrong.

Meanwhile, the various driver assistance systems across the Sportage range do a good job. The adaptive cruise and active lane centring (Lane Follow Assist) come together well on the freeway and offer almost semi-autonomous capability and the GT-Line’s nifty Blind Spot View Monitor and surround-view cameras are excellent.

Some may find the lane centring function a little overbearing, and the lane-keep assist can at times tug at the wheel unnecessarily out of caution. Nothing we haven’t seen before, but worth noting.

There are no options beyond premium paint.

In addition to a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, Kia offers seven years of capped-price servicing.

Availability for the Kia Sportage remains tight with wait times of around six months for the base model 2.0-litre, while those going for the more expensive turbo petrol or turbo diesel models will be likely waiting around two to three months.

The Kia Sportage is part of the sprawling, intensely competitive mid-sized SUV segment. Its rivals include the Ford Escape, Haval H6, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, MG HS, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan, among others.

In the first two months of 2022, Kia has sold 2406 examples of the redesigned Sportage. That puts it behind only the Mazda CX-5 (4478), Mitsubishi Outlander (3025), Subaru Forester (2738) and Toyota RAV4 (5879). Notably, it's outselling its Hyundai Tucson platform-mate (1506).

Yes.

Skip the weak base engine and step up to the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol or, better yet, the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

The Sportage impresses with its thoughtfully designed and spacious interior and its impeccable on-road manners.

Europe receives a shorter-wheelbase version of the Sportage in lieu of the longer body style sold in markets like ours and Korea and North America.

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains are also offered overseas, but have yet to appear here.