Item: 2015 Kia QL Sportage
Rating: 3.5

Spacious interior relative to rivals
Accomplished ride and handling balance
Well-weighted steering
High standard of interior fit and finish
Responsive turbo-diesel engine
Seven year warranty

Flat front seats lack support
2.0-litre petrol engine lacks torque for overtaking
Diesel engine is noisy above 3000 rpm
Brake pedal too sensitive on initial application
On 19-inch alloy wheels, ride deteriorates and greater tyre noise
For QL.I Sportage, active safety technologies reserved for Platinum and GT-Line

Review: Kia QL.I Sportage (2015-18)

Overview

Commencing production in October 2015, the Kia QL Sportage was a five-door SUV. Manufactured at Kia’s Gwangju plant in South Korea, the Kia QL Sportage was available with 2.0-litre petrol, 2.4-litre petrol and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines (see table below).

The Kia QL Sportage range initially consisted of Si, SLi and Platinum variants, though the latter was replaced by the GT-Line in October 2017. Furthermore, the range was expanded in April 2017 by an Si Premium variant that was positioned between the Si and SLi.

Specifications: Kia QL.I Sportage
Engine	Drive	Variant	Trans.	Peak power	Peak torque
2.0-litre G4NA petrol I4	FWD	Si, Si Premium, SLi	6sp auto	114 kW at 6200 rpm	192 Nm at 4000 rpm
2.4-litre G4KJ petrol I4	AWD	Platinum, GT-Line	6sp auto	135 kW at 6000 rpm	237 Nm at 4000 rpm
2.0-litre D4HA turbo-diesel I4	AWD	Si, SLi, Platinum, GT-Line	6sp auto	136 kW at 4000 rpm	400 Nm at 1750-2750 rpm

All-wheel drive system

The Kia QL Sportage was available with an ‘Active AWD’ system which, in normal conditions, directed the engine’s torque to the front wheels. The all-wheel drive system, however, used inputs from sensors to monitor driving conditions and anticipate AWD requirements (i.e. pro-active all-wheel drive). When a loss of traction was anticipated, the electrohydraulic multi-plate clutch could engage to direct up to 50 per cent of the engine’s torque to the rear axle.

Dimensions

Compared to the Kia SL Sportage which it replaced, the QL Sportage was 40 mm longer (at 4480 mm), the same width (1855 mm), 10 mm taller (1645 mm, excluding roof rails) and had a 30 mm longer wheelbase (2670 mm). Furthermore, the QL Sportage had a drag coefficient of 0.33 Cd and ground clearance of 172 mm.

The Kia QL Sportage had luggage space of 466 litres with the rear seats in position, though this increased to 1455 litres when folded down (VDA method).

Body

For the Kia QL Sportage, 51 per cent of the body was made from ultra-high tensile steel (UHTS) to improve joint stiffness and introduce more effective load paths throughout the body. Compared to the SL Sportage, torsional rigidity for the QL Sportage was 39 per cent higher.

For a quieter cabin, the QL Sportage introduced the following measures:

Additional dashboard insulation;
New acoustic shields fitted to the engines;
New bushings in the rear suspension to isolate road noise;
More sound-absorbent materials in the wheel arches;
Thicker front side glass;
Additional soundproofing in the doors; and,
A new dual lip seal for the panoramic sunroof (where fitted).

Suspension and steering

The Kia QL Sportage had MacPherson strut front suspension which introduced revised bushing mount positions for greater stability, while stiffer wheel bearings and bushings were used for more direct handling.

The QL Sportage had independent, multi-link rear suspension; for front-wheel drive models, dual lower arms were introduced. For front- and all-wheel drive models, however,

A stiffer cross member was used to reduce road noise and vibrations;
The dampers had a longer rebound stroke to eliminate smaller vibrations from poor road surfaces;
The rear subframe was mounted on isolated bushings to reduce NVH (noise, vibration and harshness); and,
Suspension geometry was revised to reduce understeer.

The Kia QL Sportage had rack-and-pinion steering with electric power assistance.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Kia QL Sportage included dual front airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags, full-length curtain airbags (i.e. for front and rear occupants), ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control and front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters.

The Kia Sportage Platinum and GT-Line were further equipped with:

Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS): used a radar to monitor the distance to obstacles in front of the vehicle. If a collision risk was detected, the driver received audible and visual alerts;
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB): if the driver failed to respond to the FCWS alerts, AEB would apply the brakes to reduce vehicle speed such that frontal collisions could be avoided or their severity reduced;
Blind Spot Detection (BSD) with Lane Change Assist (LCA): monitored the area up to 70 metres behind the Sportage and provided a visual warning in the door mirror when another car entered the driver’s blind spot;
Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS): if the driver departed their lane without having indicated, an audible alert would sound; and,
High Beam Assist (HBA): automatically adjusted headlamp range according to other vehicles and road conditions.

Brakes

The Kia QL Sportage had 305 mm by 25 mm ventilated front brake discs and 302 mm by 10 mm solid rear discs.

Euro NCAP crash testing

In Euro NCAP crash testing , the Kia QL Sportage received a five star safety rating which included a 90 per cent adult occupant protection rating and an 83 per cent child occupant protection rating. In separate testing conducted by ANCAP , the Kia QL Sportage received a five star adult occupant protection rating with a score of 34.62 out of 37.

Features: Sportage Si

Standard features for the Kia Sportage Si included 7.0J x 17-inch alloy wheels with 225/60 R17 tyres, a six speaker audio system with a seven-inch LCD touch screen, an MP3 player, auxiliary inputs (3.5 mm/USB), Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and audio streaming, air conditioning, cloth seat trim, a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, cruise control, front fog lights, automatic headlights, rear parking sensors, rear view camera with dynamic parking guidelines, 60:40 split fold rear seats, remote central locking, power adjustable and folding door mirrors with heating, power windows, a rake and reach adjustable steering column, three 12 volt power outlets and two USB chargers, vanity mirrors, roof rails, a multi-function trip computer, an alarm and immobiliser.

Across the Sportage range, a full-size alloy spare wheel is fitted as standard.

Features: Sportage Si Premium

Compared to the Sportage Si, the Si Premium added 7.0J x 18-inch alloy wheels with 225/55 R18 tyres, a satellite navigation system, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, front parking sensors, LED daytime running lights, rain-sensing wipers, an electrochromatic rear view mirror and illuminated vanity mirrors.

Features: Sportage SLi

Relative to the Sportage Si, the Sportage SLi was further equipped with 7.0J x 18-inch alloy wheels with 225/55 R18 tyres, satellite navigation system with live traffic updates (SUNA), dual-zone climate control air conditioning (with automatic de-fogging), leather trim seats with contrasting stitching, a ten-way power adjustable driver’s seat, LED daytime running lights, front parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, an electrochromatic rear view mirror, colour TFT-LCD supervision instrument cluster, rear privacy glass, illuminated vanity mirrors and a luggage net.

Visually, the Sportage SLi could be identified by its gloss black grille mesh (rather than standard black), chrome-accented door handles and LED rear combination lights.

Features: Sportage Platinum and GT-Line

The range-topping Sportage Platinum and GT-Line were distinguished by its 7.5J x 19-inch alloy wheels with 245/45 R19 tyres, heated and ventilated front seats, an eight-way power adjustable front passenger seat, bi-xenon HID headlights with washers, LED front fog lights, flat-bottomed steering wheel with perforated leather and gearshift paddles, power-operated panoramic sunroof, proximity key (i.e. keyless entry) and push-button start, wireless mobile phone charging (Qi) and power-operated tailgate with hands-free operation.

The Sportage Platinum and GT-Line were also fitted with Kia’s ‘Smart Parking Assist System’ (SPAS) which provides automated steering for parallel or 90-degree angle parking manoeuvres while the driver controls vehicle speed.

The Sportage Platinum and GT-Line could be identified by their:

‘GT-Line’ sport package which included satin silver front and rear bumper trims and satin silver side sills;
A satin silver grille surround, window surrounds and door handle highlights; and,
A dual chrome tip muffler.

2018 Kia Sportage Australian Open Edition

Available with 2.0-litre petrol and turbo-diesel engines, the Kia Sportage Australian Open Edition was released in Australia in January 2018. Although based on the Kia Sportage Si, the Sportage Australian Open Edition was further equipped with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning and High Beam Assist (HBA). Furthermore, standard features were extended to include 18-inch alloy wheels, satellite navigation with live traffic updates, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, LED daytime running lights, front parking sensors and rain-sensing wipers.

Specifications

Review: Kia QL.II Sportage (2018-on)