√Kia Sportage wins 2022 Drive Car of the Year Best Medium SUV

The new, fifth-generation Kia Sportage is bigger, more powerful, more efficient and more advanced – and it’s our Medium SUV winner.

Australians bought more SUVs than all other new vehicle types combined in 2021 because we love the versatility and practicality they offer. The most popular SUV category is the Medium SUV class, which absolutely nails the Goldilocks zone: they are right-sized for families, tuned for economy and performance, well-equipped and sharply priced, and brimming with the latest technologies and safety features demanded by Australians.

The best car in this class is undoubtedly the 2022 Kia Sportage, a car unrivalled for standard safety, practicality, in-car technology and driving dynamics.

The Sportage’s sharp new styling certainly makes for a good first impression, but it’s what’s under the skin that powered the Sportage to Drive Car of the Year honours.

For starters, the Kia Sportage has grown in size this time around. It’s 175mm longer and rides on an 85mm longer wheelbase, which means it has more useable space inside, particularly in the back seats and cargo bay.

The cabin is a very classy affair, from the affordable Sportage S ($35,690 drive-away with automatic) to the affluent Sportage GT-Line ($54,990 drive-away, at the time of testing). This is one area where Kia has really stepped its game. Technology integration and effectiveness are also markedly better than before, and arguably best-in-class in terms of visual impressiveness and ease of use.

There’s no denying that the most expensive Sportage GT-Line gets a lot of goodies, but even the base Sportage S is generously equipped, boasting a touchscreen entertainment system, wireless smartphone connectivity, LED headlights and tail-lights, alloy wheels and a full-size spare.

A full suite of active safety technology is also standard, including autonomous emergency braking with junction support, lane-follow assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Variants with automatic transmissions also have adaptive cruise control, an electric parking brake, and the ability for the blind-spot and rear cross-traffic systems to brake for obstacles rather than just detect them.

Also standard is a centre airbag designed to prevent passengers’ heads clashing in a side-impact collision – a step towards a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

We’ve test-driven all three of the Sportage range’s mechanical packages. The more potent 132kW 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol and 137kW 2.0-litre turbo diesel engines are both undeniably good, and they do take the spotlight away from the most affordable powertrain, the entry-level 115kW petrol four-cylinder, which is competent and economical.

On the road, the Sportage is a treat to drive. Variants with smaller wheel and tyre packages ride the most comfortably, but even the GT-Line diesel delivers a relatively cosseting ride while adding a touch of sportiness to the suspension tune. The Sportage’s steering is light and well-weighted to balance higher-speed feedback with low-speed manoeuvring.

Much has been made of hybrid powertrains and their fuel efficiency, and even though the Sportage doesn’t offer a hybrid option, its suite of petrol and diesel engines are efficient. During our 2022 Drive Car of the Year testing, the Sportage GT-Line diesel (the heaviest and most powerful variant) returned a 6.5L/100km fuel average, exactly the same as a competitor’s hybrid powertrain on the same roads with the same drivers.

This category was one of the most hard-fought of all the Drive Car of the Year categories this year, and it goes to show that Australian consumers are benefitting from this intense competition with some of the best quality, best value, safest and most advanced cars that manufacturers can produce.

The Kia Sportage is without question a worthy winner of Drive Car of the Year Best Medium SUV.

Read more about the Best Medium SUV category

Read about all the other 2022 Drive Car of the Year categories and winners