As a proud owner of a Kia seltos, I can vouch to anyone that Kia is one of the best technically advanced progressive and user friendly auto makers in the world now.
My partner and I unexpectedly test drove the Kia Sportage HEV GT S line today . We originally went to test drive a Mercedes GLC , but my partner was disappointed with it after driving. We decided to go next door, in the Kia dealership , and had a look at the Sportage . We were both blown away by how good it was after driving . It was like jumping into the future . The specification was so high and comes with features like heated rear seats, heated steering wheel and remote parking , which you can’t even choose as an optional extra with the Mercedes.
The remote parking with the key is a futuristic feature for sure, but heated rear seats and steering wheel being high spec? My 14 year old bmw x3 has heated seats front and rear, and a heated steering wheel. I had a new corolla until last year as a company car, and that had heated seats, lane assist, radar cruise control etc. I can tell you that the heated seats on the new Toyota Corolla are nowhere near as quick to heat up, nor as hot as the heated seats in my x3. Not all features are equal in cars, so it is definitely something else to consider. Cars with the same features may not perform as well as each other in those features. Test drive, and experience everything to make an accurate comparison. Recently I drove an EV6 GT Line S AWD, and it was awesome to drive, way more spacious inside than the x3 f25 (except the boot). Disappointing on the efficiency, getting 2.6mi/kWh on my 1 hour city test drive at 23C outside. Sportage definitely on my list for next car, looking forward to a test drive. It's nice to see newer cars getting features previously reserved for expensive luxury cars. The quality of those features is not always as good as it is on the luxury cars, but often good enough.
Kia are obviously making strides in the right direction, but why do all the car reviews get done in the top of the range models. Why is it never an entry level model or just one step up, as these are the versions most people will look at purchasing?
OMG i love the green colour! Green has been noticably absent in recent years from most lineups, i'm glad it's returning (like on Peugeot 308, Kia cars, etc).
We have the specs for the kia sportage since a few days here in Sweden, plug in hybrid has battery capacity of 8.9 kW which is 49km WLTP (max range on electricity only), the hybrid has 1,56kW battery. Bettery weight is 117kg or 33kg on the hybrid.
Given the state of UK roads, its criminal that KIA UK feel that the British public don’t need adaptive suspension. KIA may well have produced a great car, only to be let down by the importers lack of foresight.
Had one of these for a few months now. Great car! Good to drive and the electric motor/petrol combination gives good performance. My only niggles would be that the heater vents don't have the usual rotary shut off wheel so can be a little draughty even when closed. Also with the heating fan set to auto, I get whistling through the vents when it is trying to cool the car down. One other pain is the middle rear seat belt hanging down from the roof. There is nothing to fix it in place so it just rattles over bumps. Other than that, build quality isn't bad but I would say the German brands are still ahead.
They have completely nailed it... and stunning in that colour.. shame its way out if my price range.. maybe in 5 years and will see what the value is like.
We got a Sportage 3 NEC in March 2023. Now Kia are supposed to have a 7 year warranty. After only Three months the front passenger seat had faded in one part of the seat. Kia will not do anything about it and say it's just wear. I would think a seat should last longer than that. So much for a Seven Year Warrenty
having driven an XC40 (first edition) i'm amazed at the interior comments. The XC was so plain, there was nothing there apart from the screen which i hated the graphics of - looked like some generic Google menu to me.
New XC40 screen is disappointing to say the least. I was looking for a new family car and was going to buy new Skoda Octavia, but the waiting period was too long for me. Went to Ford, Peugeot (new 308 sw looks amazing), VW,...same story. Volvo, Hyundai and KIA were the only brands that could get me a car in 30 days. So I tested XC40, Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. Sportage was my choice. It looks amazing, outside and inside. Nice ride, good quality, decent booth. This is all subjective opinion of course. But I find it odd that UK version hasn't got adaptive suspension...
KIA have done a good job on what appears to be an aesthetically pleasing and modern SUV. I think not having adaptive suspension as a standard or even optional choice is a big mistake given the state of the UK’s roads. One other observation is the cheap and nasty plastic boot trim on a car costing anything up to £40,000+ in the U.K. which appears to be a common design in all of KIA’s cars even the EV6, which IMO is unacceptable in cars in this price bracket.
The pricing for these hybrids, and electric vehicles as a whole, is what turns many people off. What a car owner would have saved in fuel, he/she is paying up front with a higher initial price tag at the stealership.
Really like the look of the new Sportage. For me it would be the plug in hybrid as I’m not quite ready for a full electric car. I currently have an Xceed plug in and it’s an amazing car. Be really interested to find out the range of the new battery as I get 34 from the Xceed.
Yep as others have said, Kia and Hyundai are really turning into major players now, some lovely cars with excellent quality, especially the likes of Iconic 5 and EV6. This Sportage looks great. But why do we in the UK always, it seems, not get what other markets get, IE the adaptive suspension on this and no ivory leather in the Citroen C4 or C5x . A
I just don't get it, why many cars here in the UK are tier 2 models as compared to other countries, not only KIA but Toyota RAV-4 also missing tons of Tech options in the UK versions as compared to other countries but price-wise, it's the same or more.
I know manufacturers want that clean dash look but I wish they would leave us with physical buttons and dials for the things we regularly use like volume and climate control.
I noticed his comments about the gear box being jerky in the sportage, its the same in the current 2020/21 model. Sad to see they haven't changed that in the new car.
i just bought tucson with the same engine configuration (hev 230) and I chose it because it doesn't have cvt like toyotas and fords. Torque converter automatic in this configuration isn't jerky at all, smoothest ride I've ever had.
I totally disagree about premium quality in XC40. This car was the biggest disappointment when I took it for a test drive. The steering wheel was plastic and felt cheap compared to Sportage or all other Volvos. Everything in XC40 felt meh compared to Sportage. Beside it, the XC40 was very noisy from the wheels and suspension was not comfy like in Sportage. I tested 4 cars in 2 days on exactly same route and XC40 was the weakest in driving experience and interior quality. The cars ive tested were Sportage, Lexus NX350, Mazda CX-5 and Volvo XC40.
Why are we not getting the long wheel base version that looks a lot nicer.The same goes for the Sorento here in Europe where we don't get the option of the X line which is by far the best looking version.I really like the new Kia Carnival but guess what,we won't be able to get it in Europe too.
A quirky design that will not appeal to everyone. Still, I think it's refreshing but it may not age well. Overall, yet another great product from KIA. As a brand, they are on a roll, putting out vehicles that should keep the competition worried. Great review!
Great video Mate. Did u say only the GT line comes with a black colored roof in Europe? I like the two color concept and wanted to check.... Please let me know. Thanks.
The K3 version has a slightly smaller drivers display (information display is larger). The smaller drivers display is clearly visible through the steering wheel. PS. For frequent long journeys diesel is still your only man.
This car went from being an alternative to the Sorento looks wise to me, to something that's just a Sorrento with a different front and a slightly different engine
Kids are well built and reliable. Having owned Kia, Toyota, Hyundai , Kia is the more advanced on a tech level. Toyota need a lot of catching up to do and play on their name brand. 9 out 10 for Sportage.
I am driving my fourth 7spd DCT Sportage from new and I have never experienced any of this. The only problem I have experienced is........I have to keep topping up the fuel tank to keep it going. LOL
May I ask, what camera equipment(including lens for sure), been used to film this video? I really like details and looks like it's not just comes from post, but it's mainly from the camera :)
Please review basic versions sometime, rather than top of range... Ref inabiliby to see speed,, is there a digital option for this in the speedo / instrument binnacle. Alternatively, note the speed on most satnav applications Waze is most excellent...
I hate the touch screen buttons for heating etc….. as the blood thing turned up without heated seats or wheel so have to wear gloves, i too can’t see the screen as its mount too low so steering wheel blocks the screen
@@rcairflr I figured that Kia's trims are all very different in every country. SX is US only. EU has different trims, and Denmark where I'm from got their own unique trims - Prestige and Upgrade. Not very consumer friendly if you ask me
I really wish auto manufacturers would keep physical controls for common items like HVAC controls and major infotainment buttons. Capacitive touch doesn't work well with gloves or dry skin, and on rough roads it can be be difficult to hit the right touch control when your arm is bouncing around. With physical controls you can at least have your hand on the button without it activating yet. I'll be in the market for a hybrid crossover later this year and if the new CR-V's controls are like the new Civic's (physical HVAC, some physical infotainment) then I won't even bother looking at the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage.
He clearly stated the entry and lower than top spec model cars are noticeably poorer in what is provided technology wise and especially with the material quality of the interior hence show the model where it can compete against competitors.
@@garydavis1528 Yeah but the problem is, nobody buys highest trims of economical brands. It defeats the purpose of buying an economical brand. So this video gave me no insight basically because base trim can be very different and I cannot visualize it.
I'm don't think I like the look of the new Sportage? It looks the the type of car where the designers all had a debate over the looks then decided to merge all the designs together to settle the debate!
7:30 into this video before I got to see what the rear of the car looked like in a passing panning shot. You literally went to the back of the car and started with the boot open 😂
Ordered one in feb it arrived its in kent but they cant register it because it has no emissions figures so they tax it without these figures i cant have it.
Honestly when they start shitting on low price cars for having soft plastic instead of extra lux everything, I want to yell at them 🤣 (If it was Genesis I would say ok, but cmon Volvo vs Kia can't be compared)
To be fair I think it's only because their range topping spec is Volvo money so it makes sense to compare them at that point. I suspect it's also a dig at being given the range topping spec and not also a lower spec that most purchasers will be interested in to give a more comprehensive review.
@@pap_chr5063 All of those cars come below Kia in terms of reliability, Mercedes, Citroen and Peugeot don't even make the top 10 in carwow's latest survey (kia does at No.8)
Saw the car in the uk today,very attractive car,the only thing we're the seats they were rock hard and had a very small base like the ford kuga didn't support under the knees etc they should have an extension and the rear seats were strangely short of the door cards and felt like you were going to tip to the side,shame really.other than that it's pretty decent loads of kit
Excellent review. Very thorough. I like how you compare to the competitors. You give perspective. I also like how you provide an opinion and explain the reasons. I watch many reviews and you are what the others lack.
Yeah I have 2018 sportage I only kept it because car prices skyrocketed but I’m not impressed… I’m looking at Mazda in the future. Would love to get newer rav4 but don’t think they are anything special either. Gas isn’t good enough in 4runner which is what I really want…. Same with trucks….
Question for KIA?: Why are Sportages designed so that the rear lights do NOT come on even when it is dusk / very dull / bad light / storm + rain weather or even almost dark? Every car has it's lights on (front and rear) in these conditions but Sportages NEVER do. It is such as bad design fault
At 3:42, the interior of the Volvo XC40 looks absolutely bargain basement...simply AWFUL. Sure, styling is subjective, but the interior of this Kia looks as good as the Hyundai Tucson and maybe best in class and FAR better than the Volvo XC40 imo..
@@itsnick37 you are very wrong my good sir. There is a Sorento which is the same as the Santa Fe and a Sportage the same as the Tussan. But for some reason, in Korea and USA, the size for Sportage is bigger. Will say the same size and the Peugeot 5008.
the looks of the tucson and the interior of the sportage would have been a 100% best buy in the market...but the way they tackled these suvs makes them both ugly....koreans never really knew how to make an all around beautiful car
