Publication date: 16 February 2016

www.autozine.co.uk

Kia Sportage (2016 - 2021)Divide and conquerReview | What makes a good SUV? For starters, it should look tough and offer plenty of cabin space. Also, a good SUVshould be capable both on-road and off-road. Judging by its sales figures, the Kia Sportage meets these requirementslike no other. What will make the fourth generation of a Sportage a success?

"Divide and conquer", that's the secret of Kia.American carmakers think they know best and servethe whole world with their American product. If itdoesn't succeed, they blame the customers ratherthan themselves.

Japanese carmakers do inform about Europeanpreferences but keep development in their ownhands, even if it is limiting. European manufacturersdevelop cars for Europe and regard any overseas salesa nice bonus.

Korean carmaker Kia takes a different approach. Onlythe management is Korean. Everything, from the firstsketch to production is outsourced to local parties.Therefore, the new Kia Sportage has been designed inEurope, developed in Europe, tested in Europe and it'seven built in Europe. The base design can be usedelsewhere, but it will be altered to suit the localpreference for that region.

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Publication date: 16 February 2016

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Design

But... while most of the recent new Kia models lookdownright desirable, the design of the Sportage is lessharmonious. Without a doubt it looks tough, but therelative dimensions seem to be off. For example: whenseen from the side the front overhang is bigger than inthe rear and therefore the bodywork seems to want toovertake the wheels. This looks odd and it affectsoff-road capabilities.

Also, the design isn't very original. The headlights areplaced high on the bonnet, which reminds of theSubaru B9 Tribeca and Porsche Cayenne; two cars thataren't know for their beauty. And that's putting itmildly.

Spec levels

On the inside, the Sportage does convince.Immediately the high-class materials and immaculatebuild quality stand out. The layout of the cabin gives afeeling of space and even abundance.

At first, the huge number of buttons is a bitintimidating, but thanks to the logical layout it allbecomes clear quickly enough. That's a compliment,because the list of features is huge. The test car is thehighest spec level and that means just about everyluxury and safety feature that one expects on a car likethis is available.

Also, Kia takes it one step further than usual. Forexample, the Sportage can warn about danger andbrake if necessary. On top of that the system candistinguish pedestrians from other traffic andprioritise. The Sportage cannot only fully automaticallypark itself, but it can also automatically "unpark". Theelectrically cooled seats don't just cool the base of theseat but also the backrest. As well as in the front, USBsockets can be found in the rear to charge mobiledevices. To list just a few examples.

The luxury spec levels come with a stereo by JBL.Regrettably, the sound quality leaves something to bedesired when it comes to clarity. However, the soundquality is better than that of the average audio systemand therefore the JBL option is still worth the extramoney.

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Publication date: 16 February 2016

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Active cruise control (automatically keep a safedistance from the car in front) and head-up display arethe only features which are not available. An optionone preferably disables is the active lane control.Instead of gently nudging the driver back on trackwhen accidentally crossing the markings on the road,the computer continuously intervenes with thesteering, and that's annoying.

Handling

The space in the front and rear is okay. Moreimportant: the Sportage gives the driver the feeling ofoperating a mighty vehicle, and that's what makes carslike these so attractive. This isn't just thanks to thehigh seating position, but also thanks to the rigidbody. The Sportage feels remarkably solid and has acertain dignity that lacks from most other cars in thissegment.

Handling is average. Because of the high centre ofgravity there's some body roll when cornering, butthat's usual with cars like these. Steering is of aboveaverage quality, which makes the Sportage easier tocontrol at high speed or when going off-road.

Petrol

The base model of the Sportage is fitted with a 1.6 litre"GDI" petrol engine, which can also be found in thesmaller Kia models. And it shows. The 132 PS / 164 Nmwill do, but that's all. The engine has to haul so muchweight that it feels like always driving up hill. At thesame time, the engine never protests and thereforethe driver doesn't experience the Sportage 1.6 GDI tobe underpowered.

A new engine for the Sportage is the "1.6 T-GDI",where "T" stands for turbo. Thanks to the turbo, thisversions develops 177 PS / 265 Nm. This doesn'tmerely provide the Sportage with the extra power thebase versions lacks, it even delivers enough oomph forsporty driving. The optional automatic gearbox withdouble clutch ("DSC") makes the Sportage both morecomfortable and even quicker.

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Publication date: 16 February 2016

www.autozine.co.uk

During the test drives both the 1.6 GDI and T-GDIconsumed 7 litres per 100 km (40 mpg) on a verydemanding route (city traffic, mountain roads).

Diesel

For the photo shoot the top spec car was used: the 2.0litre diesel with a (traditional) automatic gearbox,four-wheel drive and GT-Line (sporty looks). Obviously,this strongest diesel engine on the price list has noproblem with the 1,590 kg weighing Sportage but itdoesn't make it a quick car. Instead, Kia uses the 185PS / 400 Nm for extra comfort and refinement.

The test car used 8.6 litres per 100 km (33 mpg).Because this route included the same demandingroute this is a fair score. More than that: the car wasused to go off-road during which the four-wheel driveand the full power of the engine where utilisedextensively.

Conclusion

What's the secret of the success of the Kia Sportage?Listening to the customer. Kia doesn't only listencarefully to its local customers, it even outsourcesdeveloping to local parties. In that way each carperfectly appeals to the local taste, and thatapproach works very well.

For the Kia Sportage this means daring looks, superbbuild quality and plenty of space. The Sportage offersall features common in this segment and then takesit one step further. The engines aren't innovative, butthey do offer a fair combination of performance andefficiency. As it should be, this SUV is capable bothon-road and off-road.

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Publication date: 16 February 2016

www.autozine.co.uk

SpecificationsKia Sportage (2016 - 2021) 2.0 CRDi 4wd automatic

Size and weight

Length x width x height 448 x 186 x 164 cmWheelbase 267 cm

Kerb weight 1.590 kgTrailer 750 kgTrailer - braked 1.900 kg

Fuel capacity 62 lLuggage space 491/1480 lTyre size 215/70R16

Engine and performance

Capacity 1995 ccCylinders / valves 4/4 Max power 184 PS @ 4000 rpmMax torque 392 Nm @ 1800 rpmDrive four wheel drive

Acceleration 0 - 62 mph 9.5 secsTop speed 201 km/h

Average mileage 6.3 l / 100 kmMileage urban 7.9 l / 100 kmMileage extra urban 5.3 l / 100 kmCO2 emissions 166 gr / km

Price

Price £ 30,710 Price base model £ 17,995

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