The Kia Sportage is a UK top-10 best-seller: we’re spending six months with the new 1.6-litre 48v mild hybrid diesel version to find out why it’s so popular.
Month 1 | Introduction | Specs
Living with a Kia Sportage: month 2
We’re now well into the coronavirus lockdown, so naturally the Sportage has not actually moved that much, for coming on seven weeks now. I’ve taken the odd trip to the shops in it, to stock up on essentials, but these have been short journeys. Otherwise, it’s been parked up.
What to report, then? Well, I can confirm it’s been utterly reliable, starting on the button each time. That’s not always a given when cars are not used for weeks at a time, particularly when the 20-minute road trips don’t give much time for the battery to recharge.
Fuel economy remains surprising, hovering around the 40mpg mark (according to the trip computer) even in town.
And I’ve been enjoying the panoramic glass roof on my irregular journeys, opening it fully to savour a few minutes out in the open.
I took another opportunity to clean it too, giving it a good cleanse and sanitisation. It really does shine up beautifully, with Kia’s European plant that builds Sportage (and the Ceed family) showing a premium level of paint quality. Which, of course, has progressively since been dulled by all the pollen…
It took some doing, mind. Pre-lockdown driving had seen dirt accumulate, leaving the poor thing with almost a matt finish due to the grime.
It was also showing up a particular beef of mine – getting your trousers muddy when you step out. That’s because the bottom of the sill catches road grime, and it’s tricky to get out without leaning against it. As evidenced by the clean and shiny patch on the sill, rubbed clean by my jeans…
Some car brands, such as Land Rover, have a solution here: wrap-around door bottoms that cover the sill, so you’ve a nice clean opening when you get in and out. Perhaps a design feature for the next generation of Sportage, Kia?
Living with a Kia Sportage: month 1
Winter is tough on cars. When the Sportage arrived, it was a little grubby, so I cleaned it that very weekend. Within two weekday sessions of commuting, it was filthy again. The licence plate in particular seems to get dirty quickly, perhaps due to some mysterious effect of aerodynamics.
Because the reverse camera is mounted above the licence plate, this too quickly gets grimey, so you can’t seem much when you’re reversing. Luckily it has bleepers as well as the video feed. Even so, maybe Kia should investigate Nissan’s clever tech, which uses a high-pressure jet of air to keep rear-view cameras clean and dry.
I haven’t been doing much in the Sportage other than commuting. That at least has given me chance to see how fuel-efficient modern diesels can be. In this case, it’s commendable. My best is 58 mpg, and over 55 mpg is easily achieved.
I committed the cardinal sin of dashing to the supermarket the other day, which is barely a mile away (my excuse: I was picking up loads of heavy items I’d have no chance of carrying on my own). Even this, despite running on cold, showed a short-term average of 40 mpg.
The glorious byproduct of this, as any long-distance commuter knows, is fewer visits to the filling station, because the range on each tankful is so healthy. I see well over 500 miles each time I fill up: as I hate filling up (roll on electric cars), this is a huge win in my book.
I now look forward to the winter weather easing, so I can see exactly how fuel-efficient the updated Sportage diesel is. Reckon a 60 mpg commute is possible? If it means being able to escape the filling station for another day, I’m certainly eager to give it a go…
Kia Sportage: introduction
The Kia Sportage is an extremely popular new car in the UK. A regular top 10 best-seller, it is our third-favourite SUV of all – outselling models such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Honda CR-V and Peugeot 3008.
Last year, over 34,000 of them found homes, continuing its track record of success. So we’ve decided to run one as a daily driver, to see why so many tens of thousands of people buy a new one each year.
Now is an interesting time to do so, because of the spec we’ve chosen. We’ve gone for… diesel, which until just a few years ago, was the default choice for vehicles such as this. But then dieselgate happened and, well, you know the rest.
But diesel still makes sense for vehicles like this chunky-looking family SUV. Sure, we could have gone for the 1.6-litre turbo petrol; we’d have 174hp to enjoy, and an £800 saving on the list price to boot.
Instead, we picked the 1.6 CRDi, with a less thrilling-sounding 134hp, and a price tag in ‘4’ trim of £28,510. Why? Average quoted fuel economy of 55.4 mpg instead of 36.7 mpg, along with CO2 emissions of 114 g/km instead of 168 g/km.
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That latter point is particularly relevant given how the UK new car fleet’s average CO2 emissions have been going the wrong way for three years now. Which coincides with, yes, the drive away from diesel.
With the latest Euro 6 diesels clean enough to be exempt from any current or planned clean air zone restrictions (they’re clean enough for the London ULEZ, for example), there’s no sound reason not to choose diesel, and plenty going for it. So diesel it is.
Do you think we’ve made a mistake? Discuss in the comments below…
48v mild hybrid tech
Kia hasn’t stood still. This latest Sportage (it was facelifted in 2018) uses a new 1.6-litre CRDi U3 diesel engine, rather than the clattery old 1.7-litre. It has NOx-reducing SCR tech, plus the surprise added extra of 48v mild hybrid technology (depicted by the ‘EcoDynamics+’ badge on the tailgate).
This comprises a 0.44 kWh lithium ion battery and a clever starter-generator. The idea is to extend the stop-start engine-off period – shutting the engine down when, say, you’re rolling to a halt, instead of waiting until you’ve stopped.
Kia reckons it will reduce emissions by 4 percent, a small but useful real-world saving. It also means there’s no annoying starter motor whirr when the engine restarts: it simply ‘comes alive’.
For an added bonus, electricity from the lithium ion battery can also be used to ‘boost’ the engine under acceleration, reducing the load and further cutting emissions. Such mild hybrid tech will be coming to growing numbers of cars during 2020 and I’m looking forward to seeing how it fares in everyday use.
Other niceties of picking the ‘4’ grade (the poshest non-sport trim you can get) is a marvellous amount of standard equipment. Standouts include the ultra-bright LED headlights, heated soft leather seats, and an excellent JBL premium audio system which has its own subwoofer and external amp.
We recently commented it felt like ages since we’d spent quality time in a diesel. Such is the way of the new car market at the moment. But I do believe it still has its place, particularly for the sort of long-distance, high-mileage driving I do.
Come back in a few weeks to find out if I’ve fallen back in love with diesel after a few thousand miles in Kia’s best-seller…
Specs: Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi 48v 4
Engine: 1.6 CRDi 48v mild hybrid diesel
Power: 134hp
0-62mph: 10.8 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
Fuel consumption: 47.9mpg combined
CO2: 114g/km
Weight: 1,609kg
Length: 4,495mm
Width: 1,855mm
Height: 1,645mm
Fuel tank capacity: 55 litres
Spec highlights
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Panoramic glass sunroof
- Heated electric leather seats
- Heated rear seats
- LED headlights
- Rear privacy glass
- 8-inch touchscreen
- JBL premium sound system
- 360-degree parking camera
- Cruise control
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The problem with the 1.6 mild hybrid is as follows…
“The drive belt tensioner is seizing up and this appears to be causing damage to the crankshaft pulley key way.
One of two things then happen. If your lucky it will have put the EML on and giving a DCT relating to the Camshaft position sensor. At this point the engine will be removed, a new crankshaft fitted and pulley.
If you are unlucky then the timing will have altered enough to cause piston to valve impact, this will almost certainly wreck the engine.”
The above posted recently on an Owners Forum relating to the Sportage Mild Hybrid model. Just wondering if you have experienced any symptoms as there appear to be early indications of a serious problem.
Had exactly what you describe happen to my mild hybrid Sportage 7900 miles on the clock. 7 months later after two unsuccessful engine rebuilds Kia eventually fitted a replacement engine. A ridiculous amount of time taken! The dealership who dealt with it looked like a Sportage graveyard with several other new models all sitting with front ends stripped and engines removed. Would never touch one again.
Yep , exactly the same for us with our 2021 1.6 diesel mild hybrid. At 11000 miles and 8 months old it started to make an intermittent screeching noise , no warning lights etc then just stopped .
Result of this is that the engine has wrecked itself, new crankshaft, cylinder head, valves etc etc, car has been in the main dealers along with at least 4 others with the same problem since early June 2022 awaiting parts which may arrive in September . Kia are not interested in this appalling situation other than loaning us a little SEAT car, they seem to be trying to suppress the problem with this engine .
Just how many of these cars are affected ? from what i can deduce from the reports out there its not a question of if it happens but when . any other owners able to put their own experiences out there ?
The mild hybrid 1.6 engine is a disaster waiting to happen and when it does you will be waiting months for it to be fixed as the parts are not available , every Kia dealer has them waiting to be repaired . don’t touch one of these with a bargepole is my advise
Got problem for 3rd time, after 8000, 16000 and now 24000 miles. The first 2 fixes obviously not permanent fixes – looks like design fault rather than faulty parts. Now can’t get any garage to talk to me for at least 2 months, by which time there’s another 2 months worth of other customers with same problem. They won’t even book me into their systems so I’m unknown to anybody. Can’t use the car so got an expensive piece of scrap parked outside the house. Trying to get a response from kia UK and car hire. If no joy will try motoring ombudsman but expect to be in limbo for months. Legally where do we stand as there’s a warranty that’s worthless but no customer support or advice on what to do next?
In the same boat my service was booked and for days before this happens and that dealers told me they don’t have space for me lol. Lease company don’t want to know me. Everyone don’t want to know who you are.
Mine went last weekend-similar issues. Not sure of the final damage as they engine was running when i stopped although a little rattle. Was told Kia Milton Keynes have 15 waiting for repair with the similar issue. Waiting for a loan car and have been advised expect a few months wait for a repair.
I was told the models on sale have been rectified-I wonder!!
RAc recovery told me that there is no fix at the moment
Bought mine in August 2022 its a 2020 kia sport mild hybrid 26000 MILES. first problem was a sensor went in the October 2022 and had to wait 16 weeks for repair because there was not sensor in the UK or in the world I was told, and only got the car back, 17th February 2023. I have just come back from holiday Tuesday 20th March and on the way back 18miles from home the car just stopped tried to start but only sound has it was running on 2 cylinders. I had to call out May day to take car back to Kia dealer where I bought the car. They did give me a pool car to use which I was thankful because my wife and myself are disable. I have not yet got a report as to the problem but sounds like the ones above. As i am not on the net my friend as kindly sent you this report.
I bought a kia sportage 2020 diesel mhev less than two weeks ago. On day 5 (first full day of driving) the car started making really load intermittent noises that sounded as though they were coming from air con. Car drive to work on tues morning was hairy to say the least. Autostop light came on amber. Energy flow display was blue and the wheels felt as though they were trying locking. Car was recovered from work by dealers. Kia have said it is crank shaft pulley. Parts should be in at start of week. I assume that this is a result of the drive belt tensioner as mentioned above. Is this going to be an issue I have to deal with? Can I get my money back?