Kia Sportage, elegance and peace of mind

It was the only hire car left and I had never really heard of Kia. It was a bit of an ugly duckling, but proved well up for the job in hand.

That ugly duckling has turned into a more elegant swan as the Kia success story accelerates, with a growing range of models and still offering the market leading seven-year warranty for extra peace of mind. The fact that it’s Kia’s best-selling model in the UK, Europe, and globally speaks to its popularity and potential and This fifth generation incarnation sees a model purely designed for the European market and features the best of the Korean car maker’s ingenuity.

There is a choice of various powertrains, including petrol, mild hybrid, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid,  and the low CO2 emissions are a big plus, as the firm tries to enhance its green credentials.

How does it look? It’s a popular car in the UK and while making SUVs good looking is not the easiest task, the Sportage is pretty elegant, with a more sculpted profile that stands out with chrome accents,  what the firm calls it Tiger Nose grille and the availability of different wheel sizes and designs gives customers a choice to match their preferences. It also features18-inch alloys, folding door mirror and smart led light clusters.

What about the interior: It has a modern, classy interior and is family orientated car, with comfortable, supportive suede seats and good head and legroom. Large glass areas allow plenty of light into the cabin. It has increased luggage capacity and rear seat occupants get 996mm of legroom courtesy of new slimline front seats. Luggage capacity is excellent with the standard 591 litres rising to 1,780 litres with the rear seats folded down.

Tech and equipment: Twin 12.3-inch touchscreens allow drivers to easily switch between the infotainment via, on this model, the Harmon Kardon sound system,  climate settings controls and features such as navigation. Kia Connect allows connectivity for smartphone compatibility. Comprehensively equipped, it offers , climate control, heated steering wheel, , chromatic mirror, paddle sifted, heated front seats, to mention just a few.

Hybrid power: This model features a 1.6 litre petrol engine paired with a powerful 66.9kW electric motor mated with a six speed auto transmission. It delivers decent pace, hitting 60mph in under eight second, with delivering good economy of shade under 50mpg. The ride is comfortable and the handling what you would expect from this type of vehicle. Competent.

Safety is paramount: It has five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and a comprehensive suite of driver assist technologies like lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and as we ever closer to autonomous driving ,technology which uses camera and radar data to analyse information and protect other cars, pedestrians or cyclists.

The way forward: Offering a range of powertrains, including a clean internal combustion petrol engine, is a smart strategy. It ensures that the Sportage can cater to a wide spectrum of customer preferences, whether they are looking for traditional fuel options or more environmentally friendly choices.

Factfile

• Kia Sportage HEV GT-Line

• Price: £35,240

• Mechanical: 226bhp, 1,598cc, four-cylinder petrol-electric engine driving and electric motor driving front wheels, via a six-speed automatic transmission

• Max Speed: 120 mph

• 0-62mph: 7.7 seconds

• Combined MPG: 49.6

• Insurance Group: 24

• C02 emissions: 129g/km

• Warranty: Seven year/unlimited miles