FINAL REPORT
MILEAGE 4235
WHY WE RAN IT
Does Kia still hold its own in the throng of sensible crossovers?
Hardly an encounter during which I said I was driving a Kia Sportage ever went by without the response: "Oh, they're meant to be good, aren't they?" or "Oh, we're looking at one of those."
Such is the power of Kia these days: its overall sales rose 10% last year and it now accounts for a not inconsiderable 6% of the market. The Sportage could be called its mainstream flagship. No car is more relevant than a decent family-sized SUV these days, right? The Sportage isn't an exciting car, but that's not its modus operandi.
Where it excels is in its practical everyday abilities, proving time and time again how easy it is to take on a local shop run or to munch miles on longer trips while full to the brim with passengers and their luggage.
It's an irrelevant comparison, I know, but I was lucky enough to have some time in a Bentley Flying Spur S Hybrid recently, and while it's every bit as brilliant as our 4.5star road test suggests, sometimes (perhaps foolishly) I found myself opting for the Sportage. It was just easier to do the farm shop run or parallel park on the road. But yes, of course I would still love to have a Flying Spur S Hybrid...
Denne historien er fra March 01, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 01, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal