UK US
Mid SUV · South Korea · 2004-Present

Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage — spec data and generation history.

Kia Sportage press photo
Verdict
B
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

Kia Sportage KM
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
37.0 mpg
Used
£900-£3,200
  • + Cheap to buy
  • + Selectable 4WD
  • − Cabin plastics low-rent
  • − Diesel turbo issues
Kia Sportage SL
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
47.0 mpg
Used
£3,000-£8,500
  • + Schreyer-era styling
  • + Big cabin step on
  • − DPF clogging on short runs
  • − No hybrid
Kia Sportage QL
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
38.0 mpg
Used
£8,000-£20,000
  • + Distinctive four-eye face
  • + 1.6 T-GDi turbo punchy
  • − 7DCT shudder
  • − Diesel scrutiny
Kia Sportage NQ5
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
49.0 mpg
Used
£20,000-£42,000
  • + 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