2022 Kia Sportage S 2.0L Petrol 2WD Auto Review

Like cars such as the Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester and Mitsubishi Outlander, the Kia Sportage was one of the cars that started the whole SUV revolution. Originally released in 1993 – a year earlier than the RAV4 – the Sportage was one of the front runners of the segment and ever since, the Sportage has become one of Kia’s most popular products globally. It’s just been released in an all-new fifth-generation model, so does the 2022 Kia Sportage S have what it takes to compete with other mid-size SUVs? Let’s find out.

Ever since the third-generation of Sportage (2010-2015), the Sportage has been boldly styled and the new ‘NQ5’ model takes that a step further with a far more polarising design both inside and out. But while it’s more polarising to look at, it’s also more luxurious and technologically advanced than ever before. Pricing kicks off from $32,445 plus on-road costs, and here we’re testing the entry-level model (out of four in total for now), which is called the S in Australia. 

Price & Equipment: 8/10

The entry-level automatic 2022 Kia Sportage S is priced from $34,445 plus on-road costs (around $39,000 drive away). Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, manual air-conditioning, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker sound system, a digital driver’s display, roof rails, remote central locking, heated and auto-folding mirrors and rear air vents.

Safety kit includes seven airbags (including a front centre unit), auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionally (auto only), blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (both with braking), lane keep assist with lane follow assist, auto high beam (again, auto only, weirdly), safe exit assist, intelligent speed limit assist, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and an alarm. 

Colour options for the Sportage S include the no-cost ‘Clear White’, as well as the $520 extra ‘Steel Grey’, ‘Gravity Grey’, ‘Vesta Blue’, ‘Fusion Black’ and our test car’s ‘Dawning Red’. The sole  interior colour option for the S is black cloth. 

Competitors to the entry-level Sportage S include the Mazda CX-5 Maxx ($38,114 drive away), Toyota RAV4 GX ($38,319 drive away) and Hyundai Tucson ($38,762 drive away) – all as 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol autos with front-wheel drive. All are fairly evenly equipped with features such as 17-inch alloy wheels, leather steering wheels, manual air-conditioning and touchscreens with smartphone mirroring, as well as multiple airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and lane keeping assistance.

Though there are differences though – the Kia and Hyundai feature wireless smartphone mirroring, centre airbags and roof rails over competitors, the Tucson features wireless charging, the Mazda features auto rear braking and auto wipers and the RAV4 features auto wipers and keyless entry and start. The Tucson misses LED headlights, the CX-5 misses rear air vents and roof rails, the RAV4 misses roof rails and the Sportage misses a wireless phone charger – but it’s the most comprehensively equipped in this part of the segment. 

When considering a Sportage, we’d also upgrade to the Sportage SX (from $35,000 as a manual or $37,000 as an auto) as it adds a lot of equipment for not much extra cash. Extra kit includes larger 18-inch wheels, auto wipers, dual-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation, digital radio, a leather shift knob, power lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat and remote-folding rear seats. Money well spent, in our opinion.

Performance & Economy: 6/10

Under the bonnet of the 2022 Kia Sportage S is a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from Hyundai-Kia’s ‘Smartstream’ engine family. It makes 115kW of power (at 6,200rpm), 192Nm of torque (at 4,500pm) and – almost entirely uniquely in this segment – you can have it with a six-speed manual transmission, or the six-speed automatic that we tested. Almost uniquely in the segment in the entry level S, buyers can also choose a 137kW 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive for an extra $5,400.

This engine is also used in the Hyundai Tucson and in that car, it’s no firecracker either. The peak outputs are produced high in the rev range and that means revving it to get the most out of it. When you do so, it’s not the nicest engine to listen to – in fact, it can be quite coarse. Around town just cruising, it’s a better companion but it’s hardly spritely. The six-speed automatic transmission does its best to shift gears well and it generally does. It masks the lack of torque somewhat well and can be somewhat intuitive, though calling for the most performance needs a hard press of the throttle to engage a lower gear as it’s definitely tuned more for economy.

Kia claims that the 2022 Kia Sportage S 2.0-litre petrol automatic will use 8.1L/100km on a combined cycle, and we achieved 10.2L/100km in mixed driving – though beware, this engine can be quite thirsty in purely urban driving. It features a 54-litre fuel tank and uses minimum 91RON regular unleaded. 

What would fix the Sportage’s meh performance and fuel economy score would be replacing the the lacklustre 2.0-litre petrol engine with the 1.6-litre turbo petrol from Europe. In base spec, it makes 110kW and 250Nm of torque, while its average fuel consumption is at least 2L/100km less. 

Ride & Handling: 9/10

Unlike the Hyundai Tucson, which sits on the same platform, the Sportage is tuned for Australian roads and that means that the suspension tune on Aus-spec cars is different to other markets globally. What this means is that the Sportage rides and handles quite well for a mid-size SUV and we think it’s one of the best in the segment. It’s more compliant than the Euro-tuned Tucson, especially over smaller bumps and it’s also great at highway speeds. 

What surprises further about the Sportage is that it’s surprisingly quiet to drive at speed. The old generation Sportage was hardly a loud car for road noise, but the new car has a higher level of noise suppression than its direct rivals, no matter the surface. The Sportage’s steering is pleasant as well with good feel and nice weighting, and its visibility is reasonable as well. Its handling is also positive, with good balance from the chassis and a fun feeling with the quality tyres serving up decent grip.

Interior & Practicality: 8/10

The interior of the last-generation Kia Sportage was a good quality and practical space, but it was unfortunately not that memorable. The new generation car fixes that thanks to its much more stylish and practical interior. Even in base model S form, the Sportage’s cabin features more flair, better quality and much more practicality than the previous model. 

There are plenty of reminders in the entry-level Sportage S that you’re in the base model car, though. While the textured dashboard trim and soft dashboard materials with faux stitching – plus the leather steering wheel – feel nice, the rest of the materials such as the hard door trims, mass of blank buttons and front seats without lumbar adjustment do take the shine off things slightly.

Centre of the Sportage’s cabin is an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired and wireless Android Auto. It uses the same software as other Hyundai Kia products and it’s easy to use, the screen is good quality and it’s generally nice to look at – unlike the dorky faux-digital driver’s display, which can be hard to read and wastes a lot of space. 

The Sportage’s cabin practicality features include big door bins, a nicely sized glovebox, a big box underneath the centre armrest, a big open centre console and a tray ahead of the gearbox.

Cabin space in the Sportage is great, especially in the rear seat where six-footers and above will be more than comfortable. Legroom is particularly awesome because Australia receives the 7.5cm-longer long-wheelbase Sportage, as are knee-room and headroom too. The rear seat is quite comfortable as well, and the rear seat is well featured with vents, map pockets, a centre arm rest with cupholders and door pockets – though buyers must step up to the second-from-top SX+ to get rear USB charging ports, which is disappointing considering that the last-generation car featured those across the range. 

The boot of the 2022 Kia Sportage S measures 543-litres with the rear seats erect and a huge 1,829L with the rear seats folded – bigger than the RAV4 (542L), Tucson (539L) and particularly the CX-5 (432L). The boot also features a few tie down points, under-floor storage, a full-size alloy spare wheel and a 12V socket. 

Service & Warranty: 9/10

Like all other new Kia products, the 2022 Kia Sportage S comes with a seven-year/unlimited km warranty – superior to competitors’ five-year/unlimited km equivalents. If you service your Sportage at a Kia dealership, you can earn up to eight years of roadside assistance – more than two years more than rivals (and the Toyota has none). 

Five years/75,000km of servicing the Sportage costs an expensive $2,395 ($479 per service), servicing the CX-5 costs $1,939 ($387 per service – though beware that’s with short 10,000km service intervals), servicing the RAV4 costs $1,150 ($230 per service) and servicing the Tucson costs $1,595 ($319 per service). While the Kia’s warranty is great, its service cost is on the expensive side.

The 2022 Kia Sportage S DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.0/10

Like its Hyundai Tucson cousin, the 2022 Kia Sportage S is a notable improvement compared with the car it replaces. While Australia is yet to receive new drivetrains and still uses the powerplants from the old car, the rest of the Sportage package is now far more competitive than before. The ride and handling is excellent, it’s pretty good value for money despite recent price rises, the cabin is now far more modern and better quality and it’s even more practical.

Of course, it’s not perfect – like the Tucson, the petrol drivetrains on offer are pretty lacklustre, the base model feels somewhat sparse on the inside and despite featuring a long warranty, its servicing costs are pretty expensive. To this writer’s taste as well, a Tucson is far more attractive stylistically. But on the whole, the new Sportage is a great package that we think will win it many buyers for years to come – but get the overseas hybrid here ASAP, Kia Australia.