Kia Sportage

Kia's talismanic European-built SUV opens a new chapter in exterior design

MODEL TESTED 1.6 HEV 2WD GT-LINE S

Price £38,655

Power 226bhp

Torque 258lb ft

0-60mph 7.3sec

30-70mph in fourth 9.1sec

Fuel economy 40.1mpg

CO2 emissions 132g/km

70-0mph 45.7m

We like

• Unusual exterior design is nothing if not bold
• Neatly laid-out and appealing interior
• Broad engine range offers something for everyone

We don't like

• Doesn't deliver the family-friendly occupant space typical of an SUV
• Hybrid powertrain gets noisy and coarse when worked hard
• Ride and handling aren't representative of Kia's better efforts

The Sportage lived a fairly quiet life to begin with as a car known to few outside of Asian markets. But ever since it became one of Kia's first European-built models in its second-generation form, and then led its company's transformation into a design-centric brand in its third, the Sportage has taken on special status for the company that makes it. Peter Schreyer's distinctive 'tiger nose' third-generation design drove the car to a level of UK- and European market popularity unknown to Kia in the early 2010s, which the subsequent fourth-generation version built on.