Kia Sportage (2010-2016) review | A family SUV that looks more expensive than it is

What is the Kia Sportage

When Kia launched the third-generation Sportage onto the UK market late in 2010, it was an instant winner. Compared with its predecessor, the mk3's styling looked modern and sophisticated both outside and within, and it was well equipped, with air-conditioning and electric windows all-round even for the base model. Customers had the choice of front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive as well as manual or automatic transmissions, its engine range was greatly improved and its pricing was extremely competitive. And, of course, the Sportage mk3 came with Kia’s very impressive 100,000-mile/seven-year warranty.

Today a used Kia Sportage mk3 remains an appealing prospect as a family car and some people prefer its looks to those of the newer Sportage mk4. Although roughly the same length as a Vauxhall Astra, the extra height of the Sportage mk3 makes it appear to be a much bigger car, which serves it well in terms of perceived prestige and gives occupants a better view of the road. No wonder family buyers who are keen on value and pondering rivals like the Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashqai and Mazda CX-5 often end up choosing a Sportage instead.

How practical is it?

The Sportage is one of the bigger cars in its class, and happily, this means that it also has more interior space than most. Like with pretty much every car, there's room to spare in the front seats, but in the rear, there's a really impressive amount of legroom on offer, and headroom is also good despite the tapering roofline. And unlike most cars of this vintage, the rear seats have a virtually flat floor, so there's no pesky transmission tunnel eating into your foot space. That means a central passenger will be more comfortable when you're having to travel five-up.

At more than 560 litres, the Sportage's boot is big even by today's standards, and back then, it was positively huge for the class. The length of the load area also means it'll swallow a baby buggy with no intricate packing techniques required. The seats drop in a 60/40 split for when you need to boost your cargo capacity.

What’s it like to drive?

The Sportage mk3 gives the choice of two petrol engines: a 133bhp direct-injection 1.6 GDi, and a 2.0-litre with 159bhp, though this latter engine was a slow seller and thus was dropped after a couple of years.

The diesel line-up comprises a 1.7-litre CRDi unit good for 114bhp, and a 2.0 CRDi available with either 134bhp or 181bhp. The latter launched in July 2012 and is available only with all-wheel drive. All the engines perform reasonably well and have moderately good fuel economy, although when the Sportage 2.0-litre units are teamed with four-wheel drive, you do take a hit at the pumps. Add an automatic gearbox on top, and your economy plummets further.

In 2014 the Sportage mk3 was treated to a facelift that features a revised front grille and tail-lamps, but more importantly a raft of improvements to the suspension, engines and soundproofing aimed at enhancing the car’s refinement. Earlier models can get a little rowdy inside and their ride quality is a tad firm, especially in the rear seats. A facelifted Sportage mk3 is a smoother travelling companion.

The handling is capable and secure, with even the two-wheel drive models giving plenty of grip and traction. The steering is rather light and remote-feeling, so while it's not the most enjoyable car in the world to drive, it is nevertheless easy and assured on the road.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

Kia welcomed in the Sportage mk3 with a full bells-and-whistles model, the First Edition, available only with 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines. After that the trim levels for the Sportage mk3 were designated 1, 2 and 3, with the prefix KX denoting the four-wheel drive versions. The KX-4 was introduced in July 2012 as a range-topper that also debuted the 181bhp 2.0 CRDi engine.

Even the Sportage 1 has air conditioning, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, cornering lights and voice activation for the infotainment system. On top of all that the Sportage 2 adds part-leather upholstery, panoramic sunroof and electrically folding door mirrors, while the Sportage 3 gives you full leather seats, dual-zone climate control, heated seats front and rear, automatic (xenon) headlights, and windscreen washer de-icers.

Highlights of the KX-4 include parallel parking assistance and, from 2014 onwards, a heated steering wheel. These later models also got a larger touchscreen satnav system, which featured an interface that was rather basic by modern standards, but reasonably responsive and easy to find your way around.

Kia Sportage running costs

In general terms the Kia Sportage mk3 shouldn’t apply too much pressure on your wallet. Even the least frugal should get around 35mpg in the real world, while the 1.7 CRDi diesel should get around 50. Even the 181bhp version of the 2.0 CRDi, available with four-wheel drive only, should be good for 40mpg.

Rates of road tax are pretty reasonable for the 1.7 CRDi, but even for the 2.0 CRDi, you won’t have to fork out too much. In fact, the only model of Sportage that’ll be notably more expensive to tax is the 2.0-litre petrol, which is one reason why it isn’t all that popular.

Similarly, insurance groups for the Sportage mk3 aren’t too frightening, the range spanning groups 14 to 18, and servicing costs at your local independent garage should be very reasonable too.

Kia Sportage reliability

Kia as a brand traditionally fares well in used car customer satisfaction surveys, and while there are some very disgruntled Sportage mk3 owners out there, on the whole this compact SUV is very reliable. But that’s not to say it doesn’t have its faults.

Given it’s such a smart-looking beast, it’s no wonder that corroding alloy wheels upset owners so much. There are numerous reports of the lacquer starting to peel away from the centre of the alloy wheels, and once that happens the aluminium beneath starts to corrode and become powdery, which then causes more lacquer peel. The only solution is to refurbish the affected wheels.

A few owners have reported problems with the stop/start system on the Kia Sportage 1.6 GDi and 1.7 CRDi models, while the latter has also suffered issues with the cruise control, which in some instances prevents the engine from running. Sticking with the 1.7 CRDi, there have been a few problems with the diesel particulate filter (DPF) not burning off the diesel fed to it as a way of cleaning the filter – this unburnt diesel drops down into the sump, causing the oil level to rise. A forced regeneration of the DPF and fresh oil and filter cures this.

One or two 1.7 CRDis have also been affected by clutch failures early in their lives: this turned out to be caused by faulty dual-mass flywheels. Some 2.0 CRDis have had the same problem: on one car the issue wasn’t covered under warranty and a replacement clutch and flywheel cost the owner £2,500

And rather less traumatically, though a nuisance nonetheless, there are reports of tyre pressure monitor valves becoming so corroded that they’ve snapped off.