Kia Sportage

Arguably one of the stand-out performers in the SUV segment, the Kia Sportage is one of those vehicles which keeps pretty much to itself and is often thought of as something of an also-ran.

Its not the first SUV that springs to mind in a market segment which has 23 competitors, most of which are brands you’d easily remember.

Despite this, Sportage trucks along very nicely thank you and with a nine-strong range offering, it certainly has all bases covered. Indeed, such range flexibility may be the key to the Sportage’s ongoing success.

At one time of course, it was price. Kia could be counted on to deliver a robust runabout SUV with impressive off-road credentials for silly dollars.

Well, the market and customer expectation has moved on and Kia has moved right along at pace.

Sportage runs a two-litre engine in both a diesel and more common petrol form. There are two 2.4-litre engines in the mix (both petrol) and there as a healthy split between AWD and 2WD models. Kia doesn’t yet offer a hybrid nor an electric Sportage, though it does have the slightly smaller Niro to offer instead.

The engines themselves are grunty little units providing rapid and smooth acceleration which doesn’t get ‘puffy’ at the top end.

They are very willing powerplants and run reasonably economically with power outputs between 114, 135 and 136kw and torque outputs from 192, 237 and 400Nm for the two-litre, 2.4-litre and the twolitre diesels.

Transmissions are eightspeed across the board, unless you opt for diesel, which gives you an extra two cogs.

While comprehensive and therefore prone to complexity, the Sportage range is very logical and well considered, making it easy to find the fitfor-purpose Sportage which best suits your requirements. All are five-star ANCAP rated, making the Sportage an even more attractive proposition.

But how well do they drive? A very limited time in a Sportage LX Urban 2WD entry level proved how wrong some descriptions can be. If this is “entry,’’ a top-ender must be pretty darned impressive.

The quiet aspects of this model show how far the Koreans have come in terms of refinement. Noise, vibration and harshness have been well dialled out to the point in-cabin noise intrusion is all but gone.

While the engine is sprightly in its power delivery, its only when pushed to extremes that noise becomes a consideration and the transmission is smooth in every gear.

The suspension is noteworthy too. Kia has invested a small fortune in tuning the Sportage for Australasian conditions, which means suspension specialists have come to New Zealand to ensure the Sportage is well sorted for our conditions.

As far as a fleet buyer is concerned, the LX Plus might be a slightly better bet to tick off that Health and Safety box with a flourish, but the LX doesn’t fall short as far as ANCAP is concerned, it’s just other Sportages have a bit more.

Even at LX level, Apple Carplay and Android Auto are standard fare as is Bluetooth connectivity. What’s really being said here is you’re not being short-changed with the entry level model.

Kia has managed to keep its pricing right down, but still deliver an extremely comfortable, all mod-cons supplied and contemporarily styled SUV.

It’s come a long way from the first iteration which would never in anyone’s wildest imaginings, become the vehicle to challenge top tier brands, and yet, here is the Sportage, quietly eating into the Lion’s share of the segment.

Will the once underdog become top dog? Time will tell.