2022 Kia Sportage SUV

We’re lucky to have the arrival of the new Kia Sportage SUV.  With a little ducktail spoiler at the rear, snazzy 17–19 inch alloys which look pretty cool, and a completely redesigned nose that is very modernistic, the 2022 Sportage is stylish, spacious and comfortable.  Many people will like its futuristic face, but for others it might take a bit of getting used to.  The headlight design – whilst looking cool, do you think it blends with the rest of the grille and the bumper?

Move into the inside of the new Kia Sportage and I love it!  What a stunning cockpit with its massive one-piece flat touchscreen and digital driver’s display.  Is Kia trying to show Mercedes Benz up?  Soft touch materials in and around the dash with accented binding, and the some dashes of chrome trim does give a real sense of occasion and quality.  The centre console is rock solid and feels tough, while its top surface has a high gloss finish and looks amazing.

2022 Kia Sportage SUV

Comfort in the new Sportage seats is superb, with masses of space in the first and second rows.  Drivers will get nice and comfy behind the wheel, with copious adjustment in every direction other than sideways for the steering wheel and driver’s seat.  Whatever your size, you’ll be driving in comfort.  Back seat passengers will appreciate ample reclining space, and it could be the place for a quiet snooze while the two chatterboxes at the front jabber away!  USBC connections are found front and rear, the rear points are located in the front seat back rests – another cool and handy feature.

You’ll find ambient lighting, bottle holders (1st and 2nd row), a cargo cover, a cargo net, cargo tie down hooks/rings, climate control 2-zone, cruise control, cup holders (1st and 2nd row), illuminated vanity mirrors in the front, loads of storage compartments, and a handy voice recognition system are some of the items on every model.  Aux Inputs, USB Socket(s) for charging, Bluetooth, a multi-function control touchscreen, a Digital Radio Receiver (DAB+) and six-speaker sound (8-speakers in high-end models) are other nice features.

A new modern feature for the Sportage that I quite like involves a touch fascia for the climate controls which doubles as a simple shortcut menu for the main touch screen – very functional.  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard features.  Also, the curved design of the one-piece touchscreen and driver’s display is beautiful.  A massive panoramic glass roof is available for middle-spec versions through to the flagship in the range – very stylish!  A reversing camera, a bird’s eye view of your surrounds are neat features, and a then there’s a totally cool indicating feature!  Do you want to know how that works?  Of course, you do!  Did you know that in the 2022 Kia Sportage SUV when you flick your indicator stalk right or left, on the digital driver’s display you’ll get a really good blind-spot view of whichever side you’re manoeuvring or moving across and into?  This is a really clever and useful feature that I really like, particularly as cyclists and motorcyclists do have a habit of sneaking up in those blind spot areas.

All Kia Sportage SUVs are built very tough and come with all the latest safety kit.  The 2022 model hasn’t been ANCAP tested yet, but I’m sure it will do very well when one of the Sportage flet gets drawn the short straw.  Accident emergency braking, active cruise control, a heads-up display, 8 airbags, blind-spot monitoring, collision mitigation and warning, crash avoidance with braking, driver attention detection, lane departure warning, lane keeping active assist, EBD (electronic brake force distribution), hill descent control, automatic headlights, DRLs, and hill holder assist are standard features that you’ll appreciate on any of the latest models.

Australian buyers will get a very different Sportage to European markets, both in terms of looks and specification. The long-wheelbase (LWB) body is built in South Korea, specifically for the Australian market.  It measures 4660 mm in length and has a 2755 mm wheelbase.

Hybrid?  Well it’s likely that only the self-charging Sportage will make it to Australia, which is a 169 kW and 350 Nm unit, employing a 1.6-litre turbo petrol with 4-cylinders and a 44.2 kW electric motor.  The Sportage hybrid shifts through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.  Although the Sportage hybrid is yet to complete a WLTP cycle, the marque anticipates its combined fuel consumption will fall somewhere between 5.2-6.6 litres/100 km.  Unfortunately, the hybrid Sportage is still some time away, with Kia’s Australian arm focusing on the business case initially, before evaluating the cost benefit.

Until then, mainstream models will have the new Kia Sportage running on 91 ULP.  The top-spec GT-Line model runs with the more powerful 1.6-litre Turbo (132 kW) ULP motor and AWD, while the other ones get the smooth 2.0-litre ULP and FWD only.  Any of the new ULP Sportage SUVs will return somewhere between 6 and 8 litres/100 km, depending on your drive and the amount of congestion, of course.

There should also be a useful 2.0-litre turbodiesel variant with great torque and decent efficiency as well.

The 2022 Kia Sportage SUV is a good all-round SUV that does everything very well.  It has a 7-year unlimited km warranty and a decent reliability record thus far.

2022 Kia Sportage SUV

The 2022 Kia Sportage models include:

• Sportage S 2.0 petrol manual
• Sportage S 2.0 petrol auto
• Sportage S 2.0T diesel auto
• Sportage SX 2.0 petrol manual
• Sportage SX 2.0 petrol auto
• Sportage SX 2.0T diesel auto
• SX+ 2.0 petrol auto
• Sportage SX+ 1.6T petrol DCT
• Sportage SX+ 2.0T diesel auto
• Sportage GT-Line 1.6T petrol DCT
• Sportage GT-Line 2.0T diesel auto

For any more information on the new Kia Sportage SUV or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Kia dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!