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Kia Sportage QL, an aspirational SUV for aspirational people. Kia Sportage QL, an SUV that is bought by the kind of person who is interested in color and appearance and doesn't want to hear any technical gibberish.

I say this because the original Sportage was a compact agricultural piece of kit. Big, cheap to buy and maintain, excellent on rough terrain, but which was as equipped as a dorm room. Or Gal Gadot.

Then the Nissan Qashqai arrived in 2007 and showed the world that people want to buy a car that looks like an SUV, but they don't want to take on the running costs of an SUV. So Hyundai and Kia understood this and launched the ix35 and Kia Sportage SL, both being identical mechanically and on the inside, with the only real difference being in the looks department.

And this is why "cars" such as the Qashqai and the Sportage, and many more, represent everything wrong with cars these days. Sorta bigger cars, that look aggressive and that give you the illusion that they are capable off-road, but if you take their pants off you find out that they are just hatchbacks on stilts. Small engines, manual gearbox and front wheel drive. Imagine a bodybuilder who has taken so many steroids that his heart is enlarged. Much like the Kia Sportage, it's all show and not alot of go.

But at least I have that 7-year warranty, right?

Yes and no. Kia offered a 7-year warranty, but in order to benefit from it, all servicing must be done at the dealership, and the wear and tear are not covered by the warranty. What is included in the wear and tear category? In civilized countries, wear and tear items are brake pads, brake discs, flywheel, clutch, tires, battery, etc. In Blighty on the other hand, the wear and tear also includes the engine and the body. In other words, even if you find someone who was dedicated enough to service the car at the dealership for 7 years straight, when you go to a dealership for a warranty claim, especially if it's nearing the end of the 7 year period, you will receive exactly what I received when I asked for a salary raise last time.

Kia Sportage QL Engines

Petrol

• 1.6 G4FG and G4FD of 132 horsepower – The most popular engine on the Kia Sportage QL, this petrol engine is simple, efficient, reliable and devoid of emotion. Unfortunately, it is also at the base of the list of options, so it also lacks all-wheel drive, automatic transmission or many other toys. The only engine more aspirational than this is the 1.7 diesel, but at least the petrol engine has no notable problems. Only the later GDi engine which is direct injection so it's prone to oil consumption and carbon build-up. 


• 1.6 Turbo T-GDI G4FJ of 177 horsepower - Showing up rather late to the party, the turbocharged 1.6 T-GDi certainly kept up the pace, if you could keep up with the repair bills for the turbo. 


• 2.0 G4NC and G4ND of 163 and 166 horsepower – Loud as a diesel, this petrol needs spark plugs, coilpacks and timing kits changed regularly. Whether you like it or not, it's the only reliable petrol engine on the Kia Sportage QL with all-wheel drive.


• 2.4 G4KE of 177 horsepower - Ah yes, the fabled Theta II engine which was a massive headache in North America, or for any Alabama sourced engines really. If it's not Alabama sourced, then it's ok. If it is as american as the soda vs pop debate, then avoid it. 

Diesel

• 1.6 CRDi Smartstream D4FE of 136 horsepower - Another late entry, which came about in 2018 to retire the old 1.7 diesel and it did alright. Nothing special to mention apart from regular modern diesel stuff, but as long as you don't use it for the daily city crawl, you're going to be all right.


• 1.7 CRDi D4FD of 117 horsepower – The most aspirational engine of all. It doesn't have power, but at least it's economical, because that's what matters for you in a Kia Sportage QL. It should look like an SUV, but have the running costs of a Corsa. You really want an SUV, but you can't afford it, so you get something that only looks like an SUV. If you insist on buying this engine, you get issues with the particle filter that fails in regenerations and sends diesel into oil. Ah yes, with this engine, if the "Cruise Control" breaks down, the car won't start. So definitely check this part.


• 2.0 CRDi D4HA of 136 and 184 horsepower – A traditional diesel that comes with traditional issues with the DPF and the costly double-mass flywheel. But at least it's a decent engine for those who really want a capable SUV. Quite pricy on parts tho.

Kia Sportage QL Reliability Issues

• The rims peel off more than the make-up of a typical Liverpool nightclub attendant, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In particular the 18" rims are affected.


• The manual gearbox holds onto gears more than a guy who does MLM holds on to you until you sign up for his brand new, multi-billion project, who wasn't spoken to you in years but who now thought of calling you. Most of the gearboxes are sort of fine, but the 1.7 diesel manual is notoriously bad and it actually bites. As for the automatic gearboxes, just stick with the regular oil change intervals, which must be done every 37,000 miles / 60,000 km, and you'll be ok. It is still "too soon" for the 7DCT to arrive and cause mayhem.


• The panoramic roof was a popular choice, like on the Peugeot 307. The problem with the panoramic roof is that it either cracks or gets stuck and that means your budget will receive a contusion and a kick to the nads.


• Most models on the market have front-wheel drive and manual transmission. Not that it would be a problem, but with a configuration like this, what is the difference between Kia Sportage and Alfa Romeo 147?


• The door seals are made of chewing gum that has already been chewed and glued to the door. The effects are not serious, except that the doors will no longer close completely and it is possible to experience rain in the car. Basically, the only difference between the inside of the car and the outside is that the wind will not blow in the car.

Kia Sportage QL Verdict

It looks good and that's why people bought it more than tickets for Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson match, Trump rallies and Tom Jones concerts combined. However buying an SUV with front-wheel drive, manual transmission and an engine from the compact class, says about you that you want to look successful at any cost, even if you are not yet successful. I have no beef with this configuration on the compact cross-over class such as Captur, SX4 or ASX. But if you get a Kia Sportage with the 117 horsepower 1.7 diesel, front-wheel drive and manual transmission, then you deserve everything that happens to you.

Which engines do I recommend? If you don't care about all-wheel drive, then the 1.6 naturally aspirated, 132 horsepower petrol engine. If you care about all-wheel drive and want the full experience, then the 136 horsepower 2.0 CRDi diesel is by far the most balanced engine for the Sportage.