It is no secret that Kia has been launching impressive vehicles over the last few years, with some of the cars offered by the South Korean-based firm positioning themselves as more premium offerings than ever before. Enter the new-generation Kia Sportage, which I was fortunate enough to spend a month in over the festive period, covering over 2 500 km.
Having seen the Sportage a few times on the roads since its introduction to the market in September 2022, seeing it up close as it was delivered to my home by John, the lovely fleet manager, I was pretty smitten, to say the least. It looks good!
Taking centre stage up front is the signature ‘Tiger Nose’ grille flanked by attractive boomerang-shaped LED daytime-running lights and LED headlights. At the rear, LED razor taillamps and a contrasting black bumper and rear skid plate are present to match the one found up front. My test unit benefitted from a new hue called Experience Green, which looks mighty impressive under the sunlight.
As I’d be travelling many kilometres throughout the festive break, mainly on the national highways, the Sportage needed to tick the box of safety and technology. Families and I would be happy to learn that the Sportage benefits from the standard fitment of six airbags, ISOFIX, ABS with EBD and ESC, HAC, DBC and TSA.
Some convenience features in the Sportage include smart entry with push button start and an electric parking brake with auto hold functionality. Models higher in the range offer Kia’s advanced driver assistance technology.
Further convenience items include two 12.3-inch digital displays for the instrument cluster and infotainment system. The infotainment system benefits from wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with the touchscreen being quite responsive and easy to use. I, however, would like to see more customisation and functionality from the digital instrument cluster. So, the Kia Sportage ensured that I, along with family and friends, would be well catered for out on the open road in terms of safety and being kept entertained by our favourite jams.
Before setting off East to Mpumalanga from Pretoria via the truck-filled N4, we needed to ensure that practicality was taken care of. Up front, passengers are treated to ample storage space in the form of two cupholders with a generous amount of storage surrounding them, an armrest with more than sufficient storage within it and a wireless smartphone charging pad which may act as an area to store other smaller items.
The door bins, however, were a letdown as they were far too narrow to fit items such as water or cold drink bottles. The door bins are much better suited to smaller items such as keys, wallets/purses, and the sort. However, the lack of felt lining means that these objects will rattle about in the door bins in certain driving situations.
On the brighter side, we were happy to learn that a USB-A and USB-C port are present up front along with a 12 V socket, with rear passengers treated to two USB-C ports. Furthermore, the rear bench of seats can recline forwards and backwards, thus resulting in better seating comfort. The new Kia Sportage has grown in dimensions, with a wheelbase measuring 2 680 mm. The second row offers 996 mm of legroom and 1 000 mm of headroom. This translated to impressive levels of space and comfort. We were all impressed with rear seat comfort on our four-hour road trip.
The luggage capacity measures 591 litres. Two large suitcases, two medium bags and smaller items could easily fit in the Sportage’s boot. Underneath the boot floor is a full-sized spare wheel, which I appreciated when we found ourselves with a flat tyre before arriving at our destination in Nelspruit. Overall, the practicality of the Sportage was commendable, and I give a thumbs up to Kia designers for a stellar job on this front.
Touching on the engine and performance of the Sportage, underneath the bonnet is a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The unit delivers 132 kW and 265 Nm of torque and is paired to Kia’s seven-speed DCT.
The engine and transmission pairing work quite well together. Although it does not boast the most exciting power output figures, the Sportage has sufficient power and torque. Around town, the SUV fairs quite well, with the dual-clutch ‘box going about its duties unnoticed. My only gripe would be a slight jerky feel when manoeuvring at slow speeds.
The Sportage was a great vehicle to travel in on the open road. Like in town, the SUV also fairs well on national highways. The transmission settles down to about 2 000 r/min in seventh gear, and the motor is quiet when cruising at the national speed limit. Wind noise was minimal.
The suspension of the Sportage deserves a thumbs up, too, as comfort is quite commendable. Road imperfections are dealt with rather well, with only the harshest bumps being felt in the cabin. Stopping for a refreshment break at the famous Joubert and Seuns Padstal on the Schoemanskloof route, we hardly experienced our bodies aching due to being seated for an extended period. On a brief stint driving on gravel roads, the Sportage retained a decent level of comfort.
We had finally arrived in Nelspruit before long, and the time to begin a week-long relaxation period had kicked off. Our drive in the Sportage was nothing short of memorable!
With an asking price of R608 995, the Kia Sportage EX is a good value proposition and should be at the top of the list of SUVs to purchase around the R600 000 mark.
Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi EX DCT
- Price: R608 995
- Engine: 1.6-litre, 4-cyl, petrol
- Transmission: 7-spd AT
- Driven wheels: F
- Power: 132 kW @ 5500 r/min
- Torque: 265 Nm @ 1 500-4 500 r/min
- Fuel consumption: 8.0 L/100km (tested)
- Fuel tank: 54 L
- Luggage capacity: 591 L
- Warranty: 5-year/ unlimited km
- Service plan: 6-year/ 90 000 km
