Our three-month 8000km long-term SUV test (Kia Sportage GT-Line Hybrid 2024 Long Term Review)

[@eaglemax]

We own a Sportage diesel GTLine. Great car. The hidden problem is parts and, not a very cooperative Kia Australia. Try getting a replacement radiator. None, zero in Australia. How is a 4wd Tasman going to go on outback trips.?

[@yisake]

I just got the Carnival Hybrid here in Singapore and my combined FC met with the claimed 6.4L per 100km, at times certain drives can hit 4.8L! It’s a pretty amazing feat for a car of its size without sacrificing power! Not sure about the road conditions in Australia but still the hybrid is a greener choice, you can start the car with a/c for the family without the fumes👍🏼

[@chasf3433]

The way to get excellent fuel consumption out of Kia hybrids is to use the radar cruise control as much as possible to smooth out acceleration and maximise regen. . Getting close to the diesel is actually a big plus for what is a high performance hybrid and a huge improvement over the thirsty turbo petrol model. Plus no diesel pollution in urban areas.

[@jakobvipa767]

I have owned Hyundai Tucson Hybrid for 2 months. The driver train is very smooth and powerful. Interior and infotainment are far nicer than Japanese brands. I chose Hyundai over Kia due to AWD. So far no faulty found and very happy driving.

[@chasingcars]

Glad to hear it!

[@thomastcrapper4100]

The situations you depicted hardly need four wheel drive. Wet grass. Come on. Loose sand. OK yes. Snow. Absolutely. Some markets offer Sportage with four wheel drive. They also come with mode for driving on snowy and icy conditions.

[@jonathanmuller5328]

4WD is such BS. It only provides traction, mostly in a straight line. 4WD does not increase overall cornering grip. 4WD also blunts steering precision because any increase in forward traction reduces cornering grip. Fwd allows a driver to balance the loss of cornering grip in the front driven wheels against the 100% cornering grip in the rear non driven trailing wheels. The rear suspension configuration can have roll stiffness tuned to create an entertaining chassis and steering feel. 4WD also adds 100kg+ and increased drag and maintenance issues for no real benefit.

[@Rally4Life1982]

Loving my GTLine Diesel (now that I've figured out the long presses on buttons to turn things off).

[@AndrewChristophersen]

Thanks for an interesting review. Are you certain that the Sportage uses a “series- parallel” hybrid system ? My understanding is that this and the Toyota system are parallel hybrids

[@warrenritchie8069]

Looking at the servicing on the Hybrid Sportage can be expense on the two years and four years service would the cost out way any fuel saving .?

[@tadeusz1504]

Bad fuel efficiency at 6l/100km? You're splitting hair my friend. My Volvo V50 sips twice as much in town but still goes as good as new. On a highway it needs say 7.5l/100/km. So, my plan is to keep the V50 and get a small electric for daily runs. The $30k recent offer from MG4 was very tempting. I may crack if it repeats.

[@patrickmcgowan7826]

Well-schooled Aussie. I love the pronunciation of Sportage as "sportahj"

[@rubyred8845]

I'd buy the petrol version. It looks better than the RAV4 over all.

[@thehuonpine]

It maybe a good car but the front face just look very messy, it's a no for me!

[@word1901]

why do car reviewers keep going on about diesels they are on the way out get over it also spending $60k on a mid size SUV then talking about saving money 30 seconds later is just stupid the diesel used 300mls less fuel per 100kms also now the diesel is back to 30CPL dearer then petrol at least where i live the hybrid would still be cheaper to run still my point stands no one spending $60k on a car is going to care about 300mls of fuel look at the type of vehicles that make up the top 10 sales i would argue no one at all cares about fuel efficiency

[@GatorAce]

Diesel isn't going anywhere in Australia for a while. Most of the utes and vans on our roads use diesel. Until EV technology can answer the range anxiety and charge time issues, drivers won't want to switch over.

[@2011dawnie]

So what are the range anxiety and charging time issues with this hybrid in your opinion​@GatorAce ?

[@Whyunounderstand]

My friends corolla hybrid system went kaput the other week, kind of negates all the fuel saving when it's cost a few grand to replace it lol. Just buy a normal petrol or diesel and save yourself large repair costs with complex hybrid and electric systems.

[@Fuzkin]

Do you even read what you say? People still buy cars to keep them for a longer periods. If hybrid breaks down its game over.. to the bin. Ice cars are still more reliable

[@byteme9718]

Horrendous fuel consumption.