Styling
Once upon a time, in this typically most conservative of car classes, the Mk5 Sportage would have been described as 'outlandish' with its sharp-edged styling. But these C-segment crossovers no longer have to look boring on the outside, as proven by the stalwart of the sector, the
Nissan Qashqai, or even the vehicle most closely related to the Kia,
Hyundai's dramatic Tucson. Yet we're not trying to say the Sportage is dull to behold when ranged up against these rivals; the chevron-shaped light signatures at the front, those attractive bicolour 19-inch alloys and strong colours (such as Flame Blue for £650 or the standard, no-cost Infra Red as seen in the pics) all suit the upmarket GT-Line spec to a tee. Indeed, the resulting SUV might actually appeal more to people who don't want the most wildly designed alternatives in this sector, so the Kia is a big hit for kerb appeal.
Interior
This Sportage launched in 2021 and as a result, it has an interior that might be the last of its breed - one where there's a good amount of digital content, in the form of the central touchscreen infotainment and the configurable instrument cluster, but there's also the retention of vital physical switchgear and also an ergonomic correctness that just makes it a dream to interface with the cars functions. Nowhere is this transition from the analogue age to the one populated entirely by computers and synthesised buttons better represented than by the Kia's clever switchable panel on the fascia. This can be flipped between an array of infotainment and nav-related systems to the climate controls, simply by tapping the little 'fan-to-nav-arrow' logo about a third of the way in from the panel's left-hand side. It's a really neat conceit and works brilliantly in practice, but Kia still retains plenty of 'proper' buttons for those who want them, primarily on the steering wheel and near the rotary gear selector. Elsewhere, material quality is largely excellent and the appearance of the dash/air vents is interesting enough to look at, although maybe the Sportage's cabin is not quite at the very top of the class in the aesthetic department these days; the very thing that makes it great to use, its age, also makes it look a little dated by current standards. The impending midlife facelift might well alter that situation, though.
Practicality
Like any fifth-gen Sportage, the visibility out of the cabin of the PHEV and the storage solutions dotted about the passenger compartment are as good here as they are in the rest of the range, so the issue once again relates to boot space. Like almost all plug-ins, you have to sacrifice a bit of cargo capacity in the Kia for the bigger battery that extends its electric driving range, losing 47 litres in this case (compared to a HEV Sportage) for a minimum 540 litres behind the rear seats. Having said that, such a size still gives the Kia crossover plenty of carrying capability, so it's not a dreadful compromise; more of a minor irk.
Performance
The Sportage PHEV uses the same 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine as the hybrid model lower down the range, then augments it with a 66.9kW (91hp) e-motor and 13.8kWh battery pack. This is teamed to all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic gearbox, matching the 252hp peak system output of the Tucson PHEV cousin from Hyundai (although Kia reckons its Sportage plug-in has a peak torque figure of 350Nm, rather than the Tucson's 304Nm from the e-motor).
The power output is more than the Sportage Hybrid can summon up (215hp), but then the PHEV has a 1.9-tonne kerb weight, so it's 0.7 seconds slower to 62mph despite its increased muscle. Nevertheless, a 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds is more than punchy enough for most people's family-chariot needs, and in reality the performance of the Kia is ample. Nice throttle response, minimal turbo lag, the torque-enriching abilities of the e-motor and a slick six-speed automatic gearbox make the Sportage PHEV a breeze to drive swiftly, while the four-pot engine doesn't even sound too bad if you keep your right foot in and make the drivetrain rev right out.
Moving on to the economical side of the Sportage's make-up, the 13.8kWh battery pack is fine for this class of PHEV but it's not the hugest by wider plug-in standards. Thus, a theoretical 43-mile electric range feels kinda average, albeit the Kia does a good job of getting closer to that number in reality than you might expect. We drove the PHEV for 311 miles on test and it managed to achieve 40.3mpg in that time, which is pretty impressive in its own way as we didn't mains-charge the battery pack once (due to our own, er, issues with domestic wallbox infrastructure; i.e., we don't have one). Getting diesel-like economy (or better) out of the Kia, therefore, would only require topping its battery up a few times a week, so conscientious owners should feel the benefit of the advanced petrol-electric drivetrain in the long run.
Ride & Handling
The emphasis with the Sportage is on comfort over dynamic acuity, despite the 'Sport' part of its name, and to a large degree Kia has nigh-on nailed the brief. Due to the GT-Line specification and those 19s at all corners, the crossover isn't quite flawless - particularly poor road surfaces will upset its composure, for instance, and tyre roar is more prevalent at times than it strictly should be - but it does a generally superb job of providing fuss-free, A-to-B transportation. Somewhere along the line, of course, Kia has attempted to make the Sportage more fun to drive in its current format than it was as the
preceding Mk4, but too-light and feel-free steering plus a resolutely four-square chassis that doesn't have much in the way of adjustability curtail this Korean's driving-fun levels somewhat. Keener drivers would find more fluidity and engagement at the wheel of something like a
Ford Kuga or
MINI Countryman than the Sportage, for example.
Value
The Sportage line-up starts at a very reasonable £29,890, which might only be £110 shy of 30 grand, but at least it's the right side of that mental financial barrier to make it seem a good deal. Opting for the most-powerful PHEV drivetrain and opulent GT-Line specification, though, pushes the Kia to the far side of £40,000 at a step, which immediately makes it more difficult to simply call choosing one a 'no-brainer'. The low CO
2 will help with taxation, especially for company car users, and also mitigating the fee (if you're a private buyer) is the fact that, like any self-respecting Kia, the GT-Line Sportage comes with tonnes of standard kit for the asking price. There's also a substantial facelift on the way for this model, which could mean there are deals to be had on the present car as stocks of it dwindle.
Verdict
Kia's Sportage was once just the bargain-basement alternative to the mainstream elite, but nowadays it's nipping at the heels of the C-segment crossover class leaders. It's a highly polished and capable machine in several departments, although the interior is just starting to show its age these days (but that makes it much easier to use on the move, conversely), while the dynamic balance between ride and handling isn't quite in the sweet spot - the Sportage is neither supremely, unflappably comfortable nor, on the other hand, a hoot to throw through a series of challenging bends. However, it remains a strong choice in this market sector and impending updates are sure to make it even more competitive yet.
