Overview

DO I BUY a hybrid or a petrol car?

It’s a simple question that carries some financial repercussions and, on a green note, perhaps a desire to reduce your household emissions.

The hammer hit the nail after a neighbour came home with a new Hyundai Tucson and I asked, without seeing any badges, if it was a hybrid.

“No,” she said. “We couldn’t justify the cost of the hybrid.”

Which brings me to the latest Kia Sportage, this time tested as a non-hybrid petrol in its top trim, the GT-Line.

It comes only as an all-wheel drive and costs $53,990 plus on-road costs. The hybrid version is $60,370 + ORCs.

The hybrid is also an all-wheel drive, though there is a front-wheel drive version available which is $3000 cheaper – and probably preferable given the AWD is unlikely to be of value to most Australian buyers.

Comparing the AWDs, the petrol-only Sportage will cost $6380 less. But it will consume more fuel (at 7.5L/100km) than the hybrid (5.3L/100km); and if you travel 12,000km a year, that’s an extra 264 litres and at $1.70 a litre (based on 91RON unleaded), which is an extra $449 a year.

And for my neighbour, that’s where she got the fact that the hybrid may not make financial sense because it will take 14.2 years of driving 12,000km a year for the hybrid’s extra purchase price to even up with the petrol’s higher fuel cost.

But you’d lie in bed at night worried about the extra CO2 you’re dumping into the air, wouldn’t you…?

If you’re not, I’ll tell you anyway that the extra 264 litres of petrol used by the non-hybrid equates to 607kg of CO2 per year.

Buy the hybrid and you’ll spare the earth of the additional 607kg of CO2.

If that scares you, cycle to work.

Cost aside, the latest Sportage is a very well assembled wagon. Its face may not be to everyone’s liking – taking a bit of its utilitarian grille design from Kia’s blunt-nose Tasman ute – but aside from that, it carries over the well-balanced proportions of its predecessor in an update that’s basically a facelift.

But there are some important improvements – ride and handling, cabin features including the curved instrument/infotainment screen – against the obvious price rise of between $1950 and $4070, which puts the nameplate higher than some competitors.

The $53,990 + ORCs of the petrol GT-Line tested here rivals the petrol Toyota RAV4 AWD Cruiser (only available as a hybrid) at $54,410; Nissan X-Trail Ti (from $53,265), Honda CR-V VTi-LX (from $57,500), Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed (from $55,140), Subaru Forester Touring (from $50,990) and Mazda CX-5 Akera (from $52,650).

Then add in the swag of Chinese equivalents including BYD Sealion 6 PHEV (from $45,990), GWM Haval Ultra (from $50,990), Jaecoo J7 Ridge (from $42,990), MG HS Essence Hybrid (from $46,990), and more.

So, the Sportage has a lot of competitors – some of which are cheaper and with a longer warranty than Kia’s generous seven years.

But at least in buying a familiar brand means there is always the support you need, when you need it. Which is something to keep in mind when shopping a newer brand…

Kia’s Sportage has regular service intervals pegged at 12 months or 10,000km (whichever comes first) with average annual service pricing costing $574.

Driving Impressions

Kia has ditched its dual-clutch transmission and returned to a conventional torque converter automatic in the case of the turbo-petrol Sportage.

The Sportage now runs an eight-speed ‘auto’, which we think is good news all round.

The engine is carried over from before, the turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol developing 132kW at 5700rpm and 265Nm between 1500-4500rpm.

Elsewhere, the Sportage’s tighter handling makes for an enjoyable drive, a point bolstered by the new transmission which is very decisive and impeccably smooth. The transmission helps performance, too. Though there is a bit of noise and roughness higher in the rev range we think is best avoided.

The local chassis tuning – developed by Aussie engineer Graeme Gambold – also helps the Sportage ride more comfortably on pockmarked local roads, while at the same time returning a more positive steering action.

Compared with the outgoing Sportage, the latest model most noticeably benefits from more accurate steering turn into the corner and a flatter stance. The steering is less vague, a bit more weighted, and just as easy to twirl.

The ‘double-D’ steering wheel shape – a circle chamfered at the top and bottom – is unusual when completing a full turn of the wheel as when parking but becomes familiar quickly enough. It has the obvious benefit of giving more room to the driver when entering and exiting but is arguably too sporty for the application.

More broadly, we found the cabin spacious and comfortable with plenty of leg- and headroom in the second row. The general feel of the finishing is of a high quality with good attention to detail, including the U-shaped interior door handles that are easy to use.

Storage areas are generous with space for personal items, plugs for recharging – and a wireless charging panel up front for the mobile – and a rear armrest with cupholders. There’s four cupholders and, in the doors, four bottle holders.

The flat console around the rotary-dial gear selector could be reworked for even more storage. I’m noting this only because it is the platform for the heated/vented seat controls and the buttons look like an afterthought, along with the fact they sit in a dark plastic environment begging for scratches.

The focal point, for both front occupants, is the curved 12.3-inch instrument panel and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. The grade tested also receives a driver’s head-up display.

The whole assortment is easy to use and the centre stack’s buttons logical. Try saying that about some of the competitors we mentioned earlier…

The Sportage offers 543 litres of cargo space in five seat mode and 1829 litres all told. There is ample for a pram and additional children’s luggage, the rear seats folded flat by a simple pull of a lever in the boot. Oh, and there’s also a full-size spare wheel beneath the boot floor.

So, while there’s a lot to consider when weighing up a hybrid over a petrol, the good news is that Kia offers both – and that the petrol is a terrific alternative. Do the calculations for yourself and weigh up the benefits that matter most.

Either way, we know you won’t be disappointed with the Kia Sportage.