2022 Kia Sportage Buyers guide

If you’re browsing for a mid-measurement SUV, you are far from on your own. This is the style of automobile that far more Australians purchase than any other. Of the 1.1 million new cars and trucks, utes, vans and trucks marketed in Australia every single year, one in six is a mid-dimension SUV like the Kia Sportage or Toyota RAV4 or Mitsubishi Outlander.

We could go on and listing the 20 diverse autos vying for your interest in this category, and the hundreds of permutations therein, but we will not. 

In its place we’ll inform you that the Kia Sportage gained the 2022 Drive Car of the Yr Ideal Medium SUV classification, and as a result is our choose of the bunch. 

The Sportage overcame a person of the strongest fields we have found in the latest background to conquer past year’s champion, the Toyota RAV4, and an additional all-new rival, the Mitsubishi Outlander. 

The Sportage’s sharp new styling undoubtedly tends to make for a very good very first effect, but it’s what’s less than the pores and skin that driven the Sportage to victory.

For starters, the Kia Sportage has grown in size this time close to. It’s 175mm lengthier and rides on an 85mm longer wheelbase, which usually means it has more useable house inside, particularly in the back again seats and cargo bay.

The cabin is a really elegant affair, from the inexpensive Sportage S ($35,690 drive-away with automatic) to the affluent Sportage GT-Line ($54,990 push-away at the time of screening). This is one particular space where Kia has stepped its activity up the most, producing the Sportage interior a more desirable put to be than the once unbeatable Toyota RAV4. Technology integration and success are also markedly better than in advance of, and arguably finest-in-class in terms of visible impressiveness and simplicity of use.

OUR Pick: Kia Sportage SX diesel vehicle, $42,400 moreover ORC

Navigating the 11-variant Kia Sportage selection can be difficult, but we’re below to support. 

There’s no denying that the most pricey GT-Line will get all the goodies, but even the foundation Sportage S is generously geared up, boasting a touchscreen amusement method, wireless smartphone connectivity, LED headlights and tail-lights, alloy wheels and a total-dimensions spare. 

A entire suite of energetic basic safety technological know-how is also common, which include autonomous emergency braking with junction help, lane-adhere to aid, blind-place monitoring, and rear cross-traffic warn. 

Variants with computerized transmissions also have adaptive cruise control, an electric parking brake, and the skill for the blind-location and rear cross-targeted visitors programs to brake for obstructions rather than just detect them.

The up coming phase to whittle down the choices is to dismiss the entry-level ‘S’ specification mainly because even though it gets all the active and passive basic safety features of the much more pricey variants, it misses out on a couple of significant creature comforts. 

Move up to the SX and you get delicate-touch armrests, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone local weather control, satellite navigation, wired apple carplay and digital radio — and a 12.3-inch central touchscreen which controls a lot of of individuals characteristics.

We’d also seem further than the three petrol engines in favour of the 2,-litre turbodiesel, mainly because its torquey character makes it an much easier and a lot more peaceful powertrain all around city, and it has the muscle when you will need to speed up rapidly. The point that it has the finest merged fuel financial system of the large amount is an additional reward. Moreover it comes conventional with all-wheel generate and an eight-velocity automatic transmission.

That’s why the Kia Sportage SX is, in our feeling, the decide of the variety when it arrives to the winner of the 2022 Generate Car of the Yr Finest Medium SUV.