Kia Sportage review | Auto Expert John Cadogan 

As always , John does not disappoint . In my previous life I was a Technician and Service Manager at a General Motors Dealer in 'Merica . Our current vehicles are Kia & Hyundai . I often get the question " Why's a Chevy Guy like you have junk imports in the Driveway " ? My typical reply is " Did you think before you asked" ? We also have a '85 Ute so we do own a Chevy .

We just took delivery of the Sportage SX (second-from-bottom trim, auto, base 2L atmo engine). A couple of initial thoughts: - Everything about this car is just phenomenally easy. The view out of the glasshouse is extremely good - compared to a CX-5 or a RAV4, the sills are quite low, the controls are light and tactile and as John mentions, the ride is extremely comfortable. - The SX is worth the extra $3k over the base model S. The interior looks and feels significantly better - it gets rid of that tacky centre unit and some of the nasty plastics, and the forward parking sensor is welcome, too. - Excellent grip and good body control for a reasonably large car. Noses into corners really nicely - not that you really buy a Sportage to drive it like that. - Don't like the speedo/tacho digital display on the S, SX and SX+. Not only is it ugly, it's also just a readout - no dial and needle. Not so easy to just flick your eyes down and read. Reminds me of some of the 1980s digital clusters that were fashionable for about 2 minutes. - Also don't like how far across some of the important infotainment functions are on the touch-screen for right-hand drive cars. - The base engine is good enough in everyday driving, so long as you don't expect sporty or hugely refined performance. People forget what an underpowered engine used to feel like. - The lane keep assist is obtrusive. Works well on highways and the like but turn it off around town.

Just took delivery of our new GT Line Diesel. Coming from a BMW X3 F25, the only thing not as good was the outright power (turbo petrol 180kw) and interior width slightly less. In every other way it is so much better and the fuel economy is outstanding. The tech is amazing and would take another $30K+ to even come close in an X3. John is absolutely right about the GT, if it’s not in your budget, do not look at it, that interior is an awesome upgrade over the lower spec models.

Another unbiased review John as always. Are you likely to review the 2022 Outlander anytime soon.

Test drove a GT Diesel on Tuesday, then placed an order for a GT diesel. I currently have a 2021 Sportage GT which I tow 1.4 tons with, the only thing it uses a lot of juice when towing. Tows ok though. The improvements over the 2021 GT are its quieter, handles better, great controls and cabin, heaps more boot space, much better LKA and new Steering Assist is good but not perfect. seats are better, my wife found it much easier to drive than the 2021 GT Sportage, Now the wait, we waited 6 mths for a Seltos and it still hasn't arrived so we took the 2021 GT Sportage in August which is good but the 2022 is huge improvement.

First day I hated the dual clutch, second day I loved the dual clutch, third day I almost had a head on collision thanks to the “intuitive” gear change of the dual clutch, forth day I discovered Mode (eco, sport, normal, smart) & i fell in love again. Normal setting is excellent for every day driving around the city. The Kia manual states that the default is mode is set to normal. I’m not convinced this is true. Turn on the car and drive….you often end up kangarooing. Turn the car on and select normal…you experience a very smooth operation of the car in stop/start traffic. I’m not sure why the variation occurs but I’m certain the variation exists and being aware of it makes a difference to the driving experience (I own 2 Sportage GT 1.6 petrol cars - same experience; a computer programming glitch ? ). The “aha” moment was understanding that I was driving a manual with an automatic clutch; not an automatic car. This completely changed the way I approached acceleration and braking. I quickly adapted to lean on the Auto-break function; this made hill starts and stop/start acceleration so much smoother. I learnt to give the computer the “heads up” if I want a downshift by tapping the break. Not always - just when I thought the car may not be as responsive as I’d like. Up shift, same strategy with the accelerator. Once I understood the Sportage 1.6 is a manual car with an automatic clutch, I really began to enjoy the driving experience. Driving this car is more like a Datsun 200B than a sedate Corolla 180 . It’s sporty, fun but you need to take time to learn the best way to drive it. And if you’ve never driven a manual you’re going to be very frustrated with the initial sluggish acceleration - eat my dust ! It really takes off once the dual clutch starts performing. Do yourself a favour and go drive a manual - it really helps you to understand a dual clutch. I have 2 L drivers. I’ll be sending them for manual lessons before they’re allowed in the Sportage Turbo.

Nice balanced review John, I have the GT Line 1.6 petrol hybrid here in the UK and it ticks all my boxes, spend most of the time around town where the electric kicks in quite often when you are not hard on the go pedal. It pulls away from lights really nicely with boost it gets from the hybrid back up, re charges the small 1.4kwh battery very quickly so around town and in car parks it’s always available. The interior is an extremely nice place to be, comfortable seats and so relaxing to drive in auto, put it in sport and it holds on to revs readily (some say it sounds a little harsh) but I like it and it puts a smile on my face. You have flappy paddles if you want to short shift in sport too. I have to agree regarding the “piano black” centre console though, looks stunning until you breath on it 🤪 Overall I’m impressed, hybrid is the way to go, averaging 40mpg across the board 👍 The best KIA I have owned and I’m on my 8th in 12 years 👌

Hi John, huge fan. Currently own a Nissan xtrail 2014 STL. Love it, had no issues ever. Now as a mum with kids who no longer need baby seats and hang out at home more then with their mum, Im looking at buying a car for me!! I love the look of the 2-23 sportage, finally looks good enough to drive! Im worried about loosing boot space for my dog crate that fits my xtriail fine, but heard the sportage is bigger and better.. i also dont want to spend big $ on a Sorrento as I feel we dont need it. My question is it worth buying a 22 model or will the 2023 model be better? Also I dont mind buying 2nd hand 2022 models is there a place you'd recommend in Sydney to buy second hand Kias from? Thank you

I have 2014 AWD 2.0TD Sportage and it is awesome! I can only imagine this must be better. With nearly 400Nm torque and 135Kw, the mid range acceleration is fantastic.

Thanks John, I have been waiting on your review on the 2 liter GT, but John how did you find the driver seat an its position, I do like the look of this car, thanks again digger stay safe.

I couldn’t agree more about the piano black. It’s my biggest gripe when it comes to my 22 Sorento. It’s a fingerprint magnet, and scratches by just looking at it. It’s time to ditch the plague that is piano black.

Nice balanced presentation of a nice looking car. Thanks John 👍

The issue is when any of these cars will make it to dealerships. Right now the KIA dealer lots are empty. The same with other manufacturers as well.

Hi John, my local dealer has two Sportage GT Lines arriving at the end of the month. They tell me they must be cancelled orders. Whatever. I’m keen to purchase one but they are unsure of the build date. They have a VIN, should they also have the build date information? Cheers, Brent.

12:42 It looks more like you are presenting this "torch" as a knuckle duster ideal for self defence. Nice ☺👋👍

Nice vehicle. I do like that interior and it seems to have good luggage space. Diesel GT sounds like the way to go.

Hi John. Great review and I was similarly impressed with the GT Line Diesel when I test drove it at the dealership back in November 2021. So much so that I put an order in there and then! Since then the Sportage has gone on to win the “coveted” Drive car of the year and best in class for medium SUV. Unfortunately this is about as good as naming the unicorn as pet of the year because the chance of actually owning one is proving just as difficult! After months of patient waiting, knowing about chip shortages and covid production delays I called the dealership in April. They knew nothing and referee me onto Kia Australia. They also knew nothing but advised they would contact Kia Manufacturing in South Korea. The response… my car hasn’t even been set for manufacture yet!?!?!? Is this the experience of others waiting on a GT Line? I see plenty of new Sportages on the road (mostly S Lines). Most frustrating they are still hammering the advertising for the Sportage which after my experience seems almost a breach of some type of Australian consumer law???? Help? Advice? Reassurance? Anything? Lol 😆

Great video thanks John. Do you own shares in Kia?

The advertisement was actually more entertaining and informative than half of the videos on youtube

$54,990 "Drive Away" for the Diesel GT-Line according to the website. Maybe in 2023 when the availability is better to put downward pressure on prices

Thanks, enjoyed the review. Seems a generally nice car. Off topic however, I'd love to have your take on the impact of the safety devices that have been rolled out over the past few years. That is to say, what discernible difference have they made to road safety statistics. From what I can gather from the government statistics, casualties and deaths haven't seen much decrease over the past 20 years. I'm not saying that they haven't had an impact and I'm not necessarily against the tech, rather, it'd be great to have a sensible, fact-based conversation to show that they are definitively worthwhile and/or necessary. Given the added cost and complexity, I'd love to put the argument to bed once and for all using hard data. I've worked in I.T most of my life and it seems to me that most of the tech being introduced serves to primarily make people more dependent on it and generally worse/less aware drivers, which then begs to drive the industry toward self-driving cars. I'm not generally against that either, if true...only that, I like driving and find all the added beeps, flashes and bongs rather distracting and for me personally, just not required (mainly because I took an interest in my own capacity to drive well by taking advanced driver training both on the road and on track). Given your unique background in engineering, coupled with your many years of driving and vehicle experience, I would appreciate a long-form video on this. Thanks, Jon.

John, your best mate “CarExpert,” has cast negative aspersions on Sportage’s Lane Keeping Assist (with Line/Road Edge Detection). He says it’s so bad that he turned it off on his recent drive from Sydney to Melbourne! Did you test this system John? Would the Tucson be any different in this regard? I’m about to buy one of these vehicles and this feature is important to me given the amount of freeway and country road driving I do. Thanks John.

Nice work JC. 👍

Hi John, how about hybrid version ?..... when is it coming to Straya ?.... i suspect not any time soon if it was up to ScoMo & The Beetroot warrior. 🤣

I think the way the consumer economy works has changed. If you want something non-essential (new car, fancy torch, model train, turf) you now need to order it and wait. I think it may be a good for our society as we get used to buying less shit ... this is one of the easiest ways for humanity to lessen its' impact on the earth.

For a competitive petrol engine, they can put the 2.5T engine that the Sonata has like they do in some markets overseas.

King John, Ruler of Ming Molls... What are your top picks for a medium sized van in Oz?

Great that they offer a manual. I don’t mind the base trim but wish it was available with diesel AWD.

Hi mate any chance you have any reviews or thoughts on best van in oz looking at the new transit sport hiace or merc what something i can use and sleep in for photo business ? couldn't see if you've done any vids on this body style as yet ?

Piano black can be fixed in a matter of minutes with some 280-grit wet-dry and a little bit of elbow lube. Or vinyl wrap. (This is a joke.)

JC, just used your 'brokerage service' to order a new Hyundai I30. Despite one of the brokers 'busting his balls', best deal he could get was $1200.00 deducted from a $34K vehicle & delivery by 04/22. He said " take it, as things are getting worse for new car buyers by the day". If you're in the market for a new car (e.g. the new Kia Sportage), expect a lengthy wait before it appears in the driveway.

Carbon Fibre bike frames use protective tape coatings on surfaces likely to be damaged by cable rub or chains - looks like there is a possible market for the Piano Black surfaces to be covered in a similar protective film in these new cars - a Ming Moll presentation opportunity!!

Hey john. I work in a industrial workshop, I have a m2r OLED torch, it's my daily carry, but it doesn't like all the magnetic dust I work around. The magnet button fills full of metal dust and then randomly nukes my pocket on full power. -Damien

Nice report John. I'm not in the market for one but having that bell ticked means I always have something to look forward to. Where can I get a pair of those sunnies you're wearing @3:00 ? They make you look 30 years younger!

Hi John, After your review I am keen to buy a Sportage but am confused by a comment on the Kia accesories site in regard to the unsuitability of using the towbar for "towball (mounted) bicycle carriers". I am too old to lift a mountain bike onto a roofrack and have been assured by a vendor that tailgate style bicycle carriers will damage the paint on my tailgate I already own a Seltos which is a great car with lots of space and useful technology. I noted before I bought it in 2020 that it also had the same restriction concerning towball bicycle carriers. At the time of purchasing the Seltos I contacted various Kia dealers and their "help" line asking for an explanation. I got lots of different BS but got no logical answers. Am I confusing "towball" mounted with "towbar" mounted. My bicycle rack that I have been using on my Forester for eleven years is towbar mounted and is an inverted "Y" style frame that allows me to simultaneously tow a trailer. Are Kia concerned that having a bike mounted on the rear of the car will confuse the sensors? If so the sensors would be equally confused when I connect a trailer will exceed the allowable towbar download. I can't imagine the total load of the bar and two bikes would exceed the allowable downforce will block the centrally mounted rear fog lamp. It will also be blocked by a trailer Could you John apply some of your considerable engineering expertise or make use of your industry contacts to try to give me, and many others judging by the various on-line comments that I have read, a logical reason for this restriction. For me it is a deal-breaker. I can manage not having a bicycle carrier on one of our family cars but not both. If I can't carry my bike on a Sportage then I will probably buy another Forester or a RAV4.

We looking to buy a car this weekend. Test drove this and the Hyundai in the GT Diesel, should we consider anything else? The RAV is great but not an exciting car.....

An admitted Stinger driving petrol head hear state of Georgia in “Merica ”love your analysis and humor. 👍🏻

Good point about the Tucson transmission controls... after 8 months I still have to look down at them to use them.

Hi John - we are looking at a Sportage, but we have questions about the airbag setup in the second row. Namely, there's no dedicated second-row airbags. It does have curtain airbags - but is this an issue? For the time being, we'd only take friends and family in the back row - and we quite like them - but we plan to start making more people soon and we suppose we'd quite like them as well.

John pretty much my assessment. I am going with the diesel GT Line. May do a carbon fibre wrap on the console and some other interior parts.

I am now wishing I was in the market for a new car, but that is currently a few years away. Thanks John, great report.

Lovely looking car. Even though we still love our MY12 Diesel Sportage, this looks tasty. Diesel is definitely the go as it is very addictive to just lean on the accelerator and power on without lots of hunting and a breathless wait for a revvy engine to find a gear. More money but you smile every time you do it. Sounds like they have really sorted out the suspension which would be my only major criticism of our old car. It feels harshness on rough roads through short travel and low profile tyres. As for the selector shining at you, a bit of black nail polish etc. would fix that. One gripe is the colour range is a bit boring. We love our Tequila sunrise orange as do many others as it would be the predominant colour in our model. The closest thing would be the red or white in the new one. Go the diesel! whatever colour or trim though.

Hey mate looking at getting one. Do you think the maintenance on the diesel will cost more over the petrol? Seeing most diesels do need more service.

Great and useful information as always John, love the Billionaire Boy joke thrown in! Probably a Trillionaire Boy by now...

Nice review John...thanks.

I got a 2018 Sportage an it is ugly, Have you got a problem with that? I love it!

7 years 140,000km on a diesel. Problems 0, only negative- cabin noise on the highway

Learned something new in the ad; break tempered glass at the corner. Thanks, that may save someone's life some day.

The increase in turning radius is a concern, however if you are aware of this you will find a work around. It would be very frustrating to not do a “Uee” (U turn) at a set of lights (sign posted as such of course) and not make it, resulting in traffic intersection chaos. Just imagine not making the turn and having to reverse when someone is also behind you doing a Uee? Nevermind. Thumbs down for reducing the tank size so much. If it was 5 litres, then you could live with that, but I HATE going to the servo. The less I do it, the more I like it. In which case, maybe I’ll hang onto the Prado with the twin 90 litre diesel tanks.

My ford escape burst into flames a week ago, totally looking into a good car 😢 Your smart and funny

Excellent report John.

Oh John , Had to laugh when you mentioned Marics Touch Point Tester.

Would you rather the new Sportage gt line or the ev6 gt line

Oh, I was just getting the popcorn ready to watch John demonstrate those zirconium ball bearings on some cars at a junkyard.....

My 2020 Sportage ( not Sport...age ) of which the 2022 has a short..age, due to lack of port..age ( get my drift John ?) Is very handsome. What do you mean ugly ??

What about the Engine fires that plague the kia cars, does it effect the sportage?

Ive been watching other reviews of this car, however took them with a grain of salt. Been waiting for your review! Cheers JC.

I haven't seen any mention of the price? Must be all Sydney home owners or the like?

Bring your Shitometer to the Cessnock area. Maximum levels guaranteed. PS Olight are awesome. I have half a dozen of them and love them.

Thanks John. Is there any information on torque & power curves between the different power packs? not in any of the kia blurb as far as I can see.

Can you get some kind of after market sticker that covers the sun glare from the automatic transmission knob ?

Scumo not able to handle the twisty gear change? Dood, I think not, this man is a superman, in spite of him listening to no one, taking notice of no one, he can in the blink of an eye tell you what Australians are thinking, what Australians want, what Australians fears are, what Australians are saying. How good is that?

We were looking at upgrading the wife’s i30 to a new Tucson Highlander N line, but then I saw this new Sportage GT Line on display at my local shopping now I’m torn between the two. Diesel is the only engine I will consider.

What's with the boomerang shaped front lights?

It's on my short, short list. I can't wait to test it, but unfortunately I'll have to wait around 1mo to get in a GT-Line spec.

I was just thinking about how you didn't seem to have harped on St Musk for quite a while and boom! There we go. On that note, have you seen Tim Dodd's interview / Starship factory tour with Musk? I'd love to hear your brand of acerbic commentary on it, especially the bits where Elon talks about the Tesla factory line problems.

Console black hey ? I'm looking at my Shiny wireless black Logitech keyboard. The detritus that falls into cracks , the infinite scratches from i don't know what . Even liquid spray from conversations and sneezing . I think I might add face mask or Glad wrap over it until it was sold

@Auto Expert John Cadogan Which design language do you prefer between the present Sportage and Tucson?

I'd been wondering what you made of Paul and his poking and pointing things out, what with all the bevels and touch points and reach tests.

Had a first model KIA Sportage and found its door window switch kept getting dust into it and thus stopping working. I got adept at disassembly, clean and reassemble. Body rattles galore after 70k. Have they improved?

But John, please bear in mind that you can enjoy this 2.0 diesel with conventional auto thanks to the sotf-cock regulatory framework in Outbackistan (partially). Here in Europe we can hardly buy any 2-liter motor in a maistream car. We should be hapy if Sportage will come with 1.6 / 100kW diesel mated with DCT without any hybrid technology attached. WIth over 1500 kg dry weight cars we get a lot of 0,9 or 1,0 liter 3-cylinder turbocharged crap that will fall apart before the 3rd oil change. (I don't know maybe that's the plan - it renders the car zero-emission) In order to avoid fines imposed by the EU eco-daft cocks in power the manufacturers should not exceed corporate emission level of 95g CO2/km per vehicle. The fine is 95,- EUR / each gram of CO2 above the limit multiplied by the number of all vehicles sold by the manufacturer. Even the Big T will be above the limit. The grand total in fines for 2021 was estimated to be over 14 billion EUR. If you ask where are all the low emision versions HEVs and PHEVs - these are pushed by all means to EU in order to minimize the damage. Cheers!

Sorry, not a fan of the front end design. The 2L engine in entry level variants also lacks torque. Given the asking prices… not interested to be honest.

Why does Kia market the same name with different pronunciations in different places? Sportaaaaahhhjjj and Sportij?

I have been waiting for this to be released so I can choose my next car. I was looking at the Hyundai Tucson, but then saw the Kia Sportage and Subaru Forrester. Keen on opinions for what car is best for value and comfort for a road tripping dog Mum

That centre console will be the perfect canvas for my 5yo boy to leave his shoe print

How does one save SO much fuel without totally changing the aero and rolling characteristics?

We only have the short version in Europe so I went for the Sorento HEV. Towbar download; My trailer is rated at 2500kg and it has 2 axles. If I load it so both axles are evenly loaded I don't have any load on the ball. If move the weight forward then I have a few kg but the weight on the axles is not equal. What am I missing? All I transport is a Polaris RZR weighing about 800kg.

KIA has lost us as a prospective buyer since they went from part time 4x4 to awd, they were a quite capable off roader with high and low gearing we bought two at that configuration and were very happy with what we got until the awd model, looked better than the old ones but that's where it stopped, they lost us to Toyota for the bosses' car, if you buy one keep it on the black top, cheers all.

Owned my S model diesel for 9 months now. Great 'car' but easily the most unreliable new car I've owned. Gearbox flares on the 3 - 4 shift, wont start, odometer issues, collision avoidance issues, connectivity issues. I'm sure there will be more. Oh and the best bit. They're all intermittent problems. So dealer cant do jack cause they can't troubleshoot a none present issue at the time. Dont be suckered in by the 7 year warranty and assume reliability like I did.

I hope they add a sand yellow colour for the eventual (I hope) x-line trim.

Paul's finger twirling much more annoying than the hardness tester. IMHO

No viable petrol option boring 2l or 1.6t, love the diesel but start stop short urban driving not suited to diesel.

John: "And when i say dialogue, I mean monologue."

You had me at Beetrooteus Maximus. Is that what an Australian leader really looks like? If I’m ever reborn as an alien, please don’t “take me to your leader”. Maybe it’s continental drift (who knows) but youse guys certainly look a bit strange down there. Sure the Beetroot guy isn’t, umm, a work experience person (I think you call it the NDIS down under)? Not wanting to harp on it, but that’s a real photo of an Australian leader, right? And you drive on the left side of the road too? And nuclear subs as well you say? Fascinating!

The ol' Beetrooter looks like he's wearing Rhubarb! :P

I have an S Diesel. Full size spare sounds great but it comes at the cost of a significant cut to boot size. If you look at 21:13 you'll see the two lips used for full size/space saver. 20 years of driving all vehicle types and haven't needed to change a wheel on the road. I think I'll be getting a quote for a space saver and keeping the full size at home. Also the digital instrument cluster on the S is terrible. To claim it as a feature is nothing short of a human rights violation. I can only hope a software/firmware update will fix it in the future. Coming from VAG cars the data available and accessibility feels about 10 years in the past.

My friend bought a Kia, the engine “shat the bed” as did 5 known others and Kia did nothing. He’s up for a 5k in repairs

Nice vehicle. Pity they didn't put a normal auto lever type gear shift selector in it rather than a rotary knob!

IF ONLY SOMEONE WOULD CREATE BRUSHED ALUMINUM templates for piano black plastics.

I wish I had the cash, cause this is definitely in the mix for me. I want something that I can use the carry my bicycle to and from events, in the vehicle , rather than having to use an external bicycle rack. I don’t mind attaching an external rack if I have others with me to carry they’re bicycles.

What are the odds the Aussie spec is the same as GB spec where suspension and roads are concerned? I'd suggest evens at worse!

Thank You John!

I always have a good laugh re that 'card' being there or not there! It's a great starter for John's surge of commentary. Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines!

That was an excellent selection of road for a road test.

I just can’t get excited about an SUV. I’m one of these weirdo’s who drives a Stinger. Do like the updated GT line interior though - Stinger is a bit dated now.

The first non ugly sportage??? I would say it is the ugliest one yet.

IMHO, stay away from all the drive trains and the car. Same motors are used in the Hyundai Kona,😂( a much smaller car). I own a Kona because its a 2l petrol auto , 6 speed (not a dct)the power to weight ratio works. Just look at the 0-100km figures of the Sportage ( 9.9 seconds). You will never achieve that anyway with 100kg person driving and a full tank of fuel. Slowest SUV in its class I would say. Why experience jerking and noises in the dct transmissions and Kia's drive train offerings, because they say, " that's your choices"? Dct transmissions are cheaper to build also, so think about this long term. And, do you want issues with clogging the exhaust because you only drove locally all year in your 1.6L Turbo Diesel and never went out on long freeway drives every week? I would suggest you don't tow anything substantial with any Kia or Hyundai. The USA has one drive train, 2.5L petrol paired with an 8 speed auto, wake up Australia. You wonder why we get the bottom of the barrel offerings from this Company? IMHO, refinement , creature comforts, previous reliability issues, poor materials, finishing and small engines let the Sportage down. If I had a choice I would buy a CX5 2.5l petrol or turbo with the 6 speed auto, (not a dct). Yes maybe a half a litres per 100km more in the petrol version, but you get enjoyment. Why would you want to experience clog noises from your car or speed up in slow traffic not to hurt the transmission, let alone the cheap plastics and finishes in the cabin you have look at every day. The Mazda CX-5 also has a diesel but is a 2.2L Turbo with the same 6 speed auto as the petrol versions. Your engine is going to last longer aswell.😂

Hi John, can you do an update on your excellent 2019 report for the the 2022 Seltos vs 2022 Sportage? The Wife currently has a 2019 Kia Cerato BD and she has decided she wants - sigh an SUV. We travel on 80% highways, 20% urban and currently drive 40-45k a year travelling mainly to and from work. Thank you!

You won't lose your Kia, it will come back with its BOOMERANG headlights, should go well in the outback!

Does anyone know how long the waiting list is ?