Kia Sportage 2010 review

Australia is a growing priority for Kia of Korea. Success downunder is now seen as a potential pointer to the brand's efforts in other countries, particularly as it battles to make an impact against the senior partner in Korea's biggest motoring juggernaut, Hyundai.

Carsguide has already tested the Hyundai ix35 and rates it as one of the best new SUVs of 2010, but now we have time with the Kia Sportage and it's better. The two family haulers are twins under the skin but Kia has its own body and, crucially, its own suspension and steering for Australia.

The changes sound minor, and they are in a car with tens of thousands of individual parts, but they make enough difference to sway a   potential buyer. The latest Sportage - and remember the nameplate has been around since 1993, long before the Hyundai takeover - is a huge advance over earlier models and is now worthy of serious comparison with a Honda CRV and a Toyota RAV4 and the other Japanese compact SUVs.

Value

No-one can criticise the value at Kia, and the Sportage kicks a big goal with prices that are $1000 below an equivalent ix35. That means the price spread is $25,990 to $38,990, running from a front-drive Sportage Si with a 2-litre petrol engine and manual gearbox up to the all-wheel drive Platinum diesel with six-speed auto.

There are six models in total and all are five-seaters with a body that's sized right for the class and everyday family work. Even the Si starter car comes with air-con, alloys and the usual electric assists, but you only have to move up to the SLi to get leather trim, a trip computer, cruise control, reverse camera and a bunch of other fun stuff.

The Platinum pack at the top end provides a sunroof, LED daytime lights, a thumper sound system and a 'smart key' with start button. But the value is hit a little by short supplies of the diesel engine, which means a wait for delivery. "Diesel is in short supply, and it's the same for Hyundai. Europe is eating up all the engines. But Kia will have it's own factory by April, so things will ease then," says Kia spokesman, Kevin Hepworth.

Technology

The new Sportage is bigger than the outgoing model and has a bunch of extra space inside, as well as a totally new mechanical package. The three engines - two petrol, one diesel - with a spread from 122-135 kiloWatts and 197-393 Newton-metres - are configured in a series of logical steps.

The 2-litre petrol comes on both front and all-wheel drive models with either five-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes, but as soon as you step up to the 2.4 petrol and 2-litre turbodiesel it's all-wheel drive auto only. The Sportage also has a unique four-wheel drive system, from Magna in Austria.

It is called Dynamax and is more suitable for off-road work than the one in the ix from Hyundai, even if it doesn't have low-range gears. Kia claims improved efficience and refinement and that's not hard, given the step-change development of the Sportage and the way the brand has been able to run-off from the basic engineering already done by Hyundai. Most obviously, the suspension has a unique tune for Australia - using parts already developed for Europe - and a different steering system to the ix35.

Design

The easiest way to pick between a Kia and a Hyundai is - just like the   Volkswagen Group - by the dash lights. Kia is red, Hyunda is blue, a   reflection also of their corporate colours.

The overall design of the Sportage is down to Kia's superstar Peter Schreyer, who is aiming to give the brand a more edgy and youthful look than Hyundai. And let's not forget he's also looking to have the Kia crew stand out from Japanese contenders in every class, particularly the SUV group.

So the Sportage is modern from the front and muscular from the sides.   The interior is same-same mostly with the Hyundai, apart from the   detailing, but you get that on shared projects because doing a unique cabin is very very costly.

Safety

As expected, the Sportage has front-side-curtain airbags as well as ABS brakes and ESP stability control. But the brakes also benefit from   brake assist and brakeforce distribution. New systems in the car respond to rollover threats and help with hill starts and downhill descents on gravel, which have been commonplace on Japanese rivals for a while now. Kia says the Sportage is a five-star NCAP performer thanks to everything from a basic body with more rigidity through to active head restraints to help prevent whiplash injuries in a crash.

Driving

The Sportage looks good and the SLi test car is surprisingly plush, down to the leather seats and a rear-view camera with a display that's   neatly integrated into the rear-view mirror. But at first it seems like a (slightly) cheaper twin of the Hyundai ix35.

Then I hit the road and the cushiness in the ride, and the lack of kickback through the steering, proves that Kia has gone the extra kilometre - and more - with some Australian tuning. The work has been done by suspension wizard Graeme Gambold and it's impressive. The car feels like it's sitting in the suspension, not just perched on top of the springs, and the unique Kia steering is without the kickback of the Hyundai.

It's still not a sports car, and there is some drone from the Kumho tyres, but it is better than the ix35 and better that I expected. The diesel engine has good punch, the six-speed auto works well, and the car is a nice spot for any trip. It's also good value and that is important with so much competition in the SUV class. The Sportage is not at the very top of the class but it is an impressive effort and Kia promises ongoing improvements through the life of the vehicle.

She Says - Alison Ward

The Sportage looks good and has very comfrotable seats, both very important to me. It also drives well. I'm surprised at how well it gets away from the lights, with a real zoom from the diesel engine. I really like the rear-vision camera, partly because the rear window is very small and limits visibility.

In traffic I also feel the need to double-check myself while changing lanes, but I guess that's the price for the streamlined style. Switching to the price, it's pretty good value. You get a lot of equipment, lots of boot space, and lots of room in the back seat.

It's good to have leather at this sort of price. It might be nit-picking, but our test car has a water leak on the   driver's side and there is a bit of excessive noise on the freeway which might be down to the door sealing. I like the Sportage and, even if the equivalent Hyundai seems to have more gadgets, the price advantage is a winner.

Verdict

Anything that tops the Hyundai ix35 is going to be a winner, and the Sportage does. 8/10