2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line Diesel AWD Review

The Kia Sportage has been on sale in Australia for 25 years and now in its fifth generation, things have really stepped up with aim to be a class leader in the mid-size SUV segment. Released earlier in 2022, the current Kia Sportage range is more expensive than the model it replaces but it also adds an enormous amount of equipment, polish and sophistication – according to Kia, at least. We tested the top of the range 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line fitted with the diesel engine to see if it really is a class leader.

Rivals to the Sportage are its sister the Hyundai Tucson, the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Haval H6 and Volkswagen Tiguan. With big-selling rivals like these and competing in one of the most popular segments in the market, the Sportage must be excellent to compete. So, is it? Let us find out.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

The 2022 Kia Sportage range kicks off with the base model S fitted with a manual transmission for $32,445 plus on-road costs and goes right up to the model we have here, the top spec GT-Line diesel which is priced at $52,370 plus on-road costs (or around $57,500 drive away, depending on location).

As for standard equipment, you get 19-inch alloy wheels, all-LED lighting with LED front fog lights, auto lights and wipers, dual-zone climate control with rear air vents, curved dual 10.25-inch screens (one for the digital driver’s display and one for the infotainment system), wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, satellite navigation, wireless phone charging, leather and suede upholstery, a leather steering wheel, a 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat with memory functionality, an eight-way electric passenger seat, heated and cooled front seats, heated and auto-folding mirrors, keyless entry and start with ‘summon’ feature, a panoramic sunroof, an electric tailgate, 64-colour LED interior ambient lighting and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

Safety kit includes seven airbags (including a front centre unit), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (both with braking), auto high beam, a 360-degree surround view camera, front and rear parking sensors, rear AEB, driver attention monitoring, rear occupant alert, safe exit warning, blind-spot monitoring cameras, tyre pressure monitoring and an alarm system.

We would like to see the addition of a heated steering wheel, a heads-up display, auto rear windows and and LED number plate lights and rear heated seats to the 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line, but aside from those items, it really is fully loaded.

The sole standard colour available on the Sportage GT-Line is ‘Clear White’ and ‘Fusion Black’, ‘Jungle Wood Green’, ‘Gravity Grey’, ‘Steel Grey’, ‘Dawning Red’, ‘Snow White Pearl’ and our test car’s ‘Vesta Blue’ paintwork come at a $520 premium. Black is the sole interior colour.

Direct rivals to the Sportage GT-Line diesel are the $52,400 plus on-road costs Hyundai Tucson Highlander, the $53,880 +ORC Mazda CX-5 Akera diesel, and the $54,690 +ORC Volkswagen Tiguan 147TDI Elegance. All these SUVs have similar spec levels with small variances like the Hyundai and Kia have remote start with the ‘summon’ feature, whereas the Mazda and Volkswagen don’t. One must option packages on the Tiguan to match the others’ equipment levels as well, pushing its price even further north. With this in mind, we think the Sportage is the best value mid-sized SUV on the market with its long equipment list and reasonable asking price.

Engine & Performance: 8/10

The standard engine in the 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line is a 132kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that’s paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. But for $3,000 more, buyers can choose the engine in our test car: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel that produces 137kW of power (at 4,000rpm) and 416Nm of torque (between 2,000rpm and 2,750rpm). Both engines drive the wheels via a reactive all-wheel drive system.

While diesel fuel isn’t for all buyers, the diesel engine in the Sportage is buttery smooth and wafts the Sportage down the road effortlessly. We love a diesel here at DiscoverAuto and having tested quite a few, we would say the 2.0-litre diesel in the Sportage is up there with the best on the market. It’s not quite as refined or grunty as the 2.2-litre twin-turbo diesel in the CX-5 (which makes a strong 450Nm of torque), but it’s miles better than the laggy 1.6-litre turbo petrol that the Sportage also offers.

The eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission used in the Sportage is also very smooth and just knows what gear to be in at all times. Because it is a torque converter automatic there is no lurching or uneasiness at lower speeds, it just works. Again, this is a big contrast to the dopey seven-speed dual-clutch unit in the 1.6-litre turbo petrol Sportage, which gets very confused at low speeds.

The claimed average fuel consumption in the 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line is 6.3L/100km, which is pretty good for a non-hybrid mid-sized SUV. Our week spent behind the wheel of the Sportage with mostly city driving saw an average fuel consumption figure of 7.7L/100km, which we were happy with. The Sportage range has a 54-litre fuel tank.

Ride & Handling: 9/10

We were quite impressed with the current shape Sportage’s ride and handling balance when it was released, and even in top-spec GT-Line form with larger wheels, it’s still very comfortable. Like the rest of the Kia range locally, the suspension tuning on the 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line was actually tuned for Australian roads and you can really tell. The ride is very good – you still feel bumps and potholes but it is very compliant, and the body control is excellent. We would go as far as saying that it’s the most comfortable mid-size SUV that we’ve ever tested, such is the quality of the tuning.

You would never think an SUV would handle well but the Sportage surprised us. Don’t get us wrong, it is no GR Yaris, but the Sportage handles pretty well for such a big car. There is a little bit of body roll but this is more than acceptable for a car of this size, while the steering offers acceptable feel and great weighting. The road noise on the Sportage is well suppressed as well, there is not much road noise or tyre noise and the active safety systems are well tuned as well.

Interior & Practicality: 8.5/10

One of the more bigger changes of this new model Sportage is the interior – the previous model’s interior was definitely more conservative looking, but the new model has been really modernised with an expansive layout, airy feeling and tech-heavy features. Across the range the interior has really improved, but we think the model that gained the most is the top-spec GT-Line.

The materials in the Sportage GT-Line are a definite step up on the entry-level Sportage models. The faux wood trim isn’t the best quality, and the hard trims around the centre console would be much better for your legs if they were covered in a soft faux leather trim, but the other materials – soft touch plastic on the doors and dashboard – are generally quite good. The leather and suede seats are very comfortable and offer a great amount of support.

There are two 12.2-inch screens in the interior. One is a digital driver’s display that has a good amount of functionality and customisation, though no mapping. The second is the infotainment system which offers wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio and there’s also an eight-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system.

The infotainment system is great – it’s easy to use and quick. The screen quality is also fantastic, but the sound system could use more oomph – the Bose sound system in the Mazda CX-5 Akera is far superior to our ears.

Getting into the rear of the 2022 Kia Sportage is rather easy as the doors open nice and wide. There is also plenty of room back there with even taller adults being able to comfortably sit behind one another. There’s excellent knee-, foot- and headroom, even despite the standard panoramic sunroof on the GT-Line. As far as amenities go, there are rear air vents, door bins, a centre armrest with cupholders, map pockets and two USB-C charging ports mounted in the rear of the front seats, though no heated seats.

Opening the automatic tailgate of the Sportage reveals 543-litres of cargo space, which is healthy in the mid-size SUV segment, especially compared to the 442L space of the CX-5. Folding the rear seats down (which can be done from the tabs in the boot area) opens this up to 1,829L, which is huge. The boot also has some side storage, nets, storage underneath the boot floor and a full-size alloy spare.

Service & Warranty: 9/10

The 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line comes with the brand’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which trumps Hyundai and Mazda’s five-year warranties. The Sportage comes with 12 months worth of roadside assistance that is extended at every scheduled service for a further 12 months for up to seven years’ worth in total.

Servicing the Sportage GT-Line diesel needs to be done every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. The cost of servicing the Kia over the span of five years or 75,000km is a pricey $2,512, with is an average service cost of $502.40. This is a lot more expensive than the $1,875 which it costs to service the Hyundai Tucson diesel and the $2,214 it costs to service the Mazda CX-5 over five years, though keep in mind the Mazda’s shorter 10,000km service intervals if you drive more than that annually.

2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line Diesel DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.6/10

In such a crowded market, we think the 2022 Kia Sportage GT-Line diesel really shines with its great warranty, spacious and modern interior, mature driving characteristics and great value equation. In addition to that, the diesel engine adds some much needed smoothness that the turbo-petrol Sportage is missing. Is it the best there currently is in the mid-sized SUV market? We certainly think so.

We really think Kia has come a long way since the original Sportage in 1997 as it has gone from a brand that no one has really heard of to one capable of making a class-leading, award-winning SUV which can now even be labelled as ‘premium’ due to its long equipment list and modern interior. If it’s not on your test drive list, you’re very silly, because it’s an excellent car.