KIA’s all new Sportage has raised the bar to stratospheric levels.

Our day out in the GT-Line took in some of the most scenic, and, most appalling Australian roads. It is no wonder car makers the world over, bring new models here for testing. Conditions range from billiard table, through cheese grater, to pot-holes big enough to swallow a bus.

Poorly kept tarmac can make a pleasant situation turn turtle in seconds, and it shows what a car is really made of. Sportage handled the Australian goat tracks like a pro, but most folk will totter round town, filling the back with shopping bags and sports gear. KIA knows this, so they’ve made Sportage a doddle in the city, and long legged and comfortable on the highway.

Like all car makers, KIA has delivery delays with shortages in semiconductors, so numbers of Sportage over the coming months won’t really reflect the demand.

The Models:

There are 4 models, 3 engines, 3 transmissions in either front wheel drive, or all wheel drive.

My pick is the GT-Line 1.6 turbo petrol, and although it is AWD, lacks the terrain modes of the GT-Line diesel. Let’s face it, a muddy lane is the most you’ll ask of your Sportage, so the terrain control is a moot point.

The DCT automatic has 7 speeds, with the diesel getting an extra cog on its conventional automatic gearbox.

S, SX, SX+ and GT-Line Sportages all get the same masculine look, with deeply sculptured lines across the front end, highlighted by the V Shaped day time running lights.

Above: This Week – 2022 KIA Sportage (video goes live 12.01am 12/11/2021)

Help Support Gay Car Boys Subscribe to our Youtube Channel 

ABOVE: 2022 KIA Sportage

The Looks:

In many ways, Sportage is a pioneer, going places no other KIA has gone. The styling is out there, and then some. Both the carved and shaped front end, and the up-swept rump, compliment the coupe-style silhouette. Sportage’s front and rear are properly styled, not just plonked against the side profile to stop the ends from falling in. So often, stylists spend all the time at the front and the back, joining those crafted faces with a dull and lifeless body.

KIA execs are shamelessly going after the biggest seller in the segment, Toyota’s RAV4. As much as I like RAV4, it can’t touch Sportage for fit and finish, and above all, warranty, but more about that later.

Our car, dubbed “Korean Racing Green” at lunch, would look at home on a military base, for those with that particular fetish. GT-Line has 19” wheels, which doesn’t seem to have adversely affected the ride.

LED lights have been used liberally, as have lashings of inky black trim.

The Cabin:

If the outside is daring, masculine, and aggressive, the interior is the antithesis. It has been lavished with every luxury known to mankind, and genuinely looks premium.

It starts before you enter. Clever smart entry allows you to keep the key secreted about your person, and starting the engine is by pressing a button. Once the system is fired up, the curved black screen bursts in to life. Two 12.3” LCDs have been melded together to form a continuous flow of information. This is for the top model only, and the smaller screens in lower models completely ruin the otherwise gracious effect. Climate controls sit on a dual-purpose touch screen below the main array, and can switch function between infotainment and climate. That is just genius, there is no other word for it.

Up front, the leather seating has power controls, and there are large coat hooks on the back of the headrests.

There are thoughtful touches that have been mixed with cutting-edge tech by an expert alchemist, and the effect is magic.

The cabin is adorned with simulated open-pore wood trim, touches of metal, and soft touch surfacing.  KIA has managed to overcome the one thing that held it back, cheap plastic. There is no hint of Sportage being built to a price. In fact, Sportage looks and feels dead posh.

The centre console has a circular gear selector, controls for seat heating and cooling, auto brake hold, parking brake, and drive modes. The diesel also combines terrain controls within the drive mode selector. A quick twiddle and you’re off into the wilds (of the nearest muddy driveway). Other models have a conventional selector.

The rear seats have more space than a RAV4, and despite being slightly lower than the RAV4, has exactly the same headroom. You could hold small dance party back up in there! One final dagger in the heart of Toyota, is Sportage’s larger cargo hold and full size alloy spare wheel. Sportage GT-Line is a few thousand more than RAV4 Edge, but feels vastly superior.

If I was Toyota, I’d be dashing off to the nearest drawing board, lickety-split.

There is way too much to go into here, so check out the specifications HERE: Kia_all-new Sportage MY22_specs

The Drive:

Handling has been lovingly fettled by Graham Gambold, using the very same roads we drove today. Sportage capered over the appalling road with the finesse of a gazelle. Graham favours firm, sporty handling, with ride that doesn’t shake fillings loose. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

The cabin is deliciously quiet and calm, punctuated by the occasional bump from down below. Course chip tarmac made a bit of a rumble, but it was very far from the hullabaloo you still get from some of Sportage’s competitors.

Steering is light until you switch to sport mode. Sadly, there is no custom mode, so you’re stuck with fixed settings. Suspension is MacPherson Strut/Multi Link, with dampers specified by Graham, after many touchings-up.

Power from both petrol and diesel engines is oodles. The average punter won’t even notice the difference between the 8speed automatic, and 7speed DCT (double clutch automatic). In normal mode, Sportage is gentle and cosy.

A quick twist of the knob, and things get lively. You’re in no danger of breaking the world land speed record, but Sportage is still brisk enough to feel far sportier than an SUV has any right to be.

Before I move on, I must mention the top-down camera view which makes parking easy. There is a remote parking option which I didn’t try. I was dangerously close to Sydney Harbour, with mere millimetres between a happy drive, and a not-so-happy swim. See the film to see what I mean.

Conclusion:

When Sorento came out, I said that was the best KIA since the fabulous Pro_Ceed GT. I’ve now kicked Sorento to the kerb, and in my divine capriciousness, have switched my favour to the sexy AF Sportage.

It has every driver and safety aid known to mankind. It will even stop you from banging in to tradies at Bunnings, which is a shame really, but enough about me!

Sportage is excellent value, and has KIA’s usual 7-year warranty which includes capped price servicing and road-side assist. For 7 full years, you know exactly what your servicing will cost, and I like that. Should you sell your KIA, the warranty transfers with it.

See the specifications below for more details::Kia_all-new Sportage MY22_specs

Engine:

2.0-litre MPI 115kW/192 Nm

2.0-litre diesel 137kW / 416Nm

1.6-litre T-GDI 132kW / 265Nm

Pricing:

 

Fuel Type Powertrain Transmission Trim RRP D/A
Petrol 2.0MPI FWD 6MT S $32,445 $34,690
SX $35,000 $37,490
6AT S $34,445 $35,690
SX $37,000 $38,490
SX+ $41,500 $44,490
1.6T-GDI AWD 7DCT SX+ $43,500 $46,990
GT-Line $49,370 $51,990
Diesel 2.0 CRDI AWD 8AT S $39,845 $42,690
SX $42,400 $45,490
SX+ $46,900 $49,990
GT-Line $52,370 $54,990

 

More KIA Reviews HERE:

Tags:

2022 kia sportage, gay kia, favourite gay suv, kia suv, medium suv review, 2022 kia sportage awd gt line, kia Australia sportage launch review, diesel sportage, turbo awd sportage