Kia Sportage 2018 Review

Supple ride takes on the rough stuff

It didn't take long to learn how well the suspension of the 2018 Kia Sportage has been recalibrated to suit local roads. Just a few kilometres of the parlous roads north-east of Canberra were enough to convince motoring journalists taking part in the media drive program that the updated Kia Sportage for 2018 has the spring and damper settings right for this country.

Before long, rather than avoiding potholes, journalists were actively tracking them down in a vain attempt to find some fatal flaw in the suspension tuning. The Kia Sportage in two variants tested – diesel in base-grade Si form and the 2.4-litre GT-Line – just cruised across the potholes like they didn't exist. And both cars were well controlled over bumpier bitumen too, where trucks had churned up the base underneath the asphalt. At open-road speeds the Kia Sportage in either form skied impassively over these imperfections with the suspension and dampers in perfect harmony.

Adding to the overall comfort was the lack of noise. Unlike a certain prestige SUV tested on the same roads earlier this year, tyre noise was very well suppressed in the case of the Kia Sportage. So too was noise from the powertrain, until the engine was working harder.

Frugal but feisty diesel

Of the two engines tested, the diesel has more to offer in terms of performance, and with its innate torque, it can hold gears longer for better fuel efficiency or engine output, whichever is desired at the time. Only occasional turbo lag detracted from the diesel, which returned a fuel consumption figure of 8.4L/100km by the end of the drive program. Given neither car was being driven from economy, that's an admirable figure.

In contrast, the 2.4-litre petrol engine couldn't match the diesel for acceleration, especially higher in the rev range. It's designed for torque in the mid-range, with a bore and stroke of 88.0x97.0mm – and it feels like that when the accelerator is pushed all the way to the floor. The torque of the 2.4-litre petrol engine is no match for the diesel, which also produces 1kW more power. No wonder it feels livelier. Fuel consumption for the 2.4-litre engine finished at 11.4L/100km, which was not marvellous, but also completely understandable in light of how hard that particular variant of the Kia Sportage was being pounded up and down hill.

The smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic is a great match for the diesel, and the combination resulted in a lot less hunting than the carry-over six-speed automatic coupled to the petrol engine. It didn't need to kick down drastically for more torque, and progress seemed less chaotic on hilly and winding roads.

Getting a grip

There was no opportunity to test the front-wheel drive Kia Sportage with the smaller 2.0-litre engine, so the dynamic traits of that car remain unassessed. But the two all-wheel drive models driven delivered high levels of adhesion in the corners and consistent, progressive handling.

Lift off the accelerator and both vehicles would turn in noticeably sharper, but at no point did they threaten to oversteer.

Feedback was up to scratch, although the steering of the diesel variant felt heavier, which may be a consequence of the extra weight (80kg) over the front wheels.

A section of the drive program on fast, flowing unsealed roads revealed the Sportage to be very secure on looser surfaces. The Sportage could be punted along these roads at speeds above 80km/h without the driver feeling on edge. Entering corners on a trailing throttle the Sportage just tracked around without fuss. Other points in the Kia's favour on dirt included the lack of gravel 'spray' under the body and the vehicle's disposition over corrugations.

The inside story

While the Sportage is no sports car, it could muster enough lateral grip to test the front seats – which couldn't match the roadholding. The seats were comfortable and cushy, but lacked support under the thighs to hold the occupant properly secure in high-speed cornering – not that many owners will ever put that to the test.

Otherwise, the driving position is commendable. The major instruments are big and easy to read, the controls are where they should be and there's enough adjustment in the driver's seat to set up the right distance to pedals and wheel. All the buttons for climate control and infotainment are clearly labelled in a mixture of text and graphics, where the former is easier to comprehend than the latter.

The Sportage Si persists with a lever handbrake, which is increasingly an anachronism, but there's a large oddments tray ahead of the shift lever, housing a 12-volt auxiliary power outlet USB port, plus two cupholders between the handbrake lever and the front-passenger seat.

In the rear, accommodation is more than adequate for adults, both for headroom and legroom. That's just as well, since the rear seat won't slide fore and aft, unlike smaller, cheaper SUVs like the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. There are adjustable vents for rear-seat occupants too, and the hip point is finely balanced for adults and kids alike.

Boot space measures 466 litres, which is nearly 100 litres less than the luggage capacity of the Nissan X-TRAIL, but still better than CX-5 (442) or Escape (406). It's a fairly large, practical space that only lacks levers to flip the rear seat forward for added load volume. Part of the reason the Sportage doesn't carry around more luggage is the full-size spare tyre under the floor. The spare tyre is fitted to an alloy wheel matching the other four wheels.

Sophisticated new electronics have been incorporated in the Sportage, which will now warn the driver of an obstacle in front – and brake for that obstacle. We didn't test out the autonomous emergency braking (AEB), but the now standard lane keep assist impressed with its ability to pick-out line markings on country roads and guide the Sportage through bends at open-road speeds. It's a system that does actually feel like it's aiding the driver rather than wrestling for control.

For smartphone users the big news is standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across the range. The enhanced connectivity means the Sportage is now one step ahead of the segment sales champ, the Mazda CX-5, on that score.

In such a competitive market, all of the added equipment and the tweaked underpinnings in the latest Sportage only really serve to keep it in the game, rather than move the Kia ahead. That's particularly the case when the entry-level pricing has risen by $1000. But Kia argues the price rise is justifiable. And on balance, that's right.

How much does the 2018 Kia Sportage Si cost?
Price: $35,390 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 136kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 168g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2016)

How much does the 2018 Kia Sportage GT-Line cost?
Price: $44,790 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 135kW/237Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 199g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2016)

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