Verdict
B
Mid SUV · South Korea · 2004-Present
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage — spec data and generation history.
Years
2004-Present
Generations
4
Segment
Mid SUV
Kia's volume mid-size SUV — sister to the Hyundai Tucson throughout. KM (2004–2010) was the unibody original; SL (2010–2015) was the breakthrough Sportage that finally looked the part; QL (2015–2021, with the four-eyed face) brought 1.6 T-GDi turbo and mild hybrid; NQ5 (2021–Present) is the angular current car with 1.6 T-GDi HEV and PHEV. The current car is one of the best-looking mid-size SUVs on sale — the i30/Tucson formula in a sharper suit.
What changed
Era-to-era deltas
SL 2010-2015 → QL 2015-2021
BHP +10 bhp
Torque +30 Nm
0–60 mph −0.6 s
Top speed +5 mph
MPG +5 mpg
QL 2015-2021 → NQ5 2021-Present
BHP +15 bhp
Torque +50 Nm
0–60 mph −1.0 s
Top speed +8 mph
MPG +10 mpg
Generations
Click any generation for the full deep dive
2004-2010
KM
→
2.0 CRDi — 138 bhp, 0-62 in 11.4s.
Verdict
C
BHP
138
0–60
11.4 s
Top
110 mph
MPG
31 mpg
Used
$1,100-$4,100
- + Cheap to buy
- + Selectable 4WD
- − Cabin plastics low-rent
- − Diesel turbo issues
2010-2015
SL
→
2.0 CRDi — 134 bhp, 0-62 in 10.4s.
Verdict
B
BHP
134
0–60
10.4 s
Top
113 mph
MPG
39 mpg
Used
$3,800-$11,000
- + Schreyer-era styling
- + Big cabin step on
- − DPF clogging on short runs
- − No hybrid
2015-2021
QL
→
1.6 T-GDi 175 — 175 bhp, 0-62 in 9.1s.
Verdict
B
BHP
175
0–60
9.1 s
Top
125 mph
MPG
32 mpg
Used
$10,000-$25,000
- + Distinctive four-eye face
- + 1.6 T-GDi turbo punchy
- − 7DCT shudder
- − Diesel scrutiny
2021-Present
NQ5
→
1.6 T-GDi HEV — 226 bhp combined, 0-62 in 8.0s.
Verdict
A
BHP
226
0–60
8.0 s
Top
120 mph
MPG
41 mpg
Used
$25,000-$53,000
- + Best-looking Sportage to date
- + Cabin tech excellent
- − Touch-heavy controls
- − PHEV range modest
Known issues by generation
Common faults reported on each generation — useful when shopping the used market.
2004-2010 · KM
- Diesel turbo failures
- Rear arch rust on UK cars
- 4AT slow
2010-2015 · SL
- DPF clogging on diesel
- Touchscreen freezes
- AC compressor failure
2015-2021 · QL
- 7DCT clutch wear
- Theta II engine recall (rare UK)
- 1.6 T-GDi GPF regen
2021-Present · NQ5
- 8DCT/6AT hybrid shudder
- PHEV battery cell faults early VIN
- Touchscreen reboots
- Lane-keep over-eager
Rivals
Hyundai Tucson · Nissan Qashqai · Volkswagen Tiguan · Ford Kuga