Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDI DCT AWD: Europe first

When you talk about an automotive shark tank, the compact segment immediately comes to mind. If it is still a crossover, the competitors have particularly sharp teeth. Ultimately, there are plenty of sales in this class, but only if the price-performance ratio is right and if you pack too much in the car, the package becomes too expensive and you quickly drift into the premium segment. It is precisely in this demanding environment, in which competitors such as the Skoda Karoq, the Mazda CX-5 or the VW Tiguan cavort, that the Kia Sportage has established itself. A good price-performance ratio has been the formula for success so far. This should also remain the case with the fifth generation, which will be with dealers from January, but the times of the cheap home-made attitude are long gone.

In order for the Koreans to skim off as much as possible of the cream of the high-level vehicles of the golf class with the new SUV, they offer an extensive range of drive combinations at Sportage. From diesel to gasoline engines that can be combined with a manual gearbox, an automatic or a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. The plug-in hybrid version will not come to Germany until spring 2022, the full hybrid not at all, so we opted for the Milhybrid 1.6 T-GDI petrol engine with 132 kW / 180 PS including a seven-speed DCT. Before the test drive, the Kia managers impressed on us that the Sportage Generation 5 was specially developed for Europe, which should be particularly noticeable in the chassis, which allows more sportiness without sacrificing comfort. Not the easiest of all voting tasks.

The emphatically futuristic face with the huge tiger nose (BMW sends its regards) and the V-shaped daytime running lights does not quite meet our taste, the interior on the other hand even more. The interior with the two 12.3-inch displays and the wide center console takes over elements of the Stromer Kia EV6, which is not the worst reference. Especially since the new Sportage has a few practical details. For example, the frames of the two cup holders in the center console only pop out at the push of a button. If these are sunk, there is also space for larger parts. There is space for clothes hangers on the backrests of the seats, in the upper indentation of which tablets could also fit. In any case, you can tell that the Koreans also want to make themselves popular with company car drivers.

Space hasn’t been a big issue at the Kia Sportage either. So there was no need to inject growth hormone. The crossover has increased in length by three centimeters to 4,515 meters, in width by one centimeter to 1,865 meters, as well as in the wheelbase, which increases to 2.68 meters. However, the Koreans have gone a long way when it comes to space economy. At the back you have a lot of space and the fact that the backrests of the rear seat snap forward with a lever also counts in the comfort calculation. However, the loading floor rises slightly. But the trunk volume is more than decent with 562 to 1,751 liters.

When it comes to connectivity and infotainment, the Sportage is at the forefront anyway. Own app, integration of the smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and many in-house apps that are activated by touch. Speaking of which: the narrow touchscreen bar under the large monitor for quick access to air conditioning and other functions via direct selection simplifies operation. When it comes to assistance systems, the Sportage has a lot to offer, given the segment in which it is located. However, a head-up display is not available for money or good words. For this purpose, a blind spot assistant, cross traffic detection including turning function and all-round camera are on board. The adaptive cruise control reacts to vehicles in front and brakes reliably. It is a little trickier to condition the flexible acceleration controller so that it also reacts to the speed signs, which are also shown on the display. As soon as a speed limit is displayed, you have to set the cruise control to this number, then it works.

The last thing that remains is driving, which is now supposed to be Europeanized. You have already taken a very close look at the controls. The automatic gearshift is activated by a rotary control, as are the driving modes Eco, Normal and Sport. The off-road additions Snow (Snow), Mud (Mud), Sand are reserved for the plug-in hybrids, even if our Sportage is rolling around corners with all-wheel drive. The 1,648 kilogram crossover is not a dynamic one. Country road speed is reached after nine seconds and it is over at 201 km / h. When it comes to consumption, Kia gives 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers. We needed 7.9 l / 100 km on our first test drive. The differences between the driving programs are noticeable. Although comfort is always given, the technicians have tuned the chassis inharmoniously in an effort to breathe more dynamism into the SUV. The adaptive dampers are set tighter and convey more dynamism, but the body bounces on long waves. The interaction works best in the sports driving program. The price remains: the new Kia Sportage costs at least 27,790 euros, the driven version with dual clutch transmission, all-wheel drive and GT-Line costs 45,490 euros. For comparison: the VW Tiguan starts at 29,855 euros.