Inside Kia's refreshed Sportage including comfy cabin, punchy new looks and driving mode young families will love
PEOPLE say never work with children or animals.
Because they're totally unpredictable. Treats will only get you so far.
5
5
But I'm not one to listen.
So when Kia said Britain's favourite SUV is better for the family than ever before, I had to put it to the test.
Meet Maisie and her new bestie, Bijoux the cockapoo.
Two little fluff balls, perfect for having a proper rummage around the refreshed Sportage.
Here are five things you need to know.
1. It's got a 'baby and toddler mode' which smooths out acceleration and driver inputs.
Makes everything less jolty. So little toddlers like Maisie stay sound asleep. Happy babies = happy parents. You know that.
2. The boot. Comfortably beats a Nissan Qashqai at 587 litres v 504.
Swallows pushchairs, luggage and all the usual family debris — even a dog crate to keep Bijoux safe.
Which also means no muddy paws on the seats. Bonus. Some dogs will appreciate the baby mode, too.
The Sun's Motors Editor, Rob Gill test drives the Kia EV3
3. New front end. OUT go the 'boomerang' lights from today's Sportage. IN comes the 'star map' LEDs inspired by Kia's growing EV line-up. Looks punchy.
More aggressive. Will help Sportage stand out from the crowd. The rear lights have also been updated, as well as some other little details to keep things fresh.
4. Cabin. Absolutely nailed it. Lots of big-car tech in here but still knobs and buttons for the things that need knobs and buttons. Comfy.
Roomy. Lots of handy storage, big cup holders, even USB-C charging ports in the side of the front seats for people sat in the back.
Three well-equipped trim levels, not four as before. Posher versions get Apple CarPlay satnav arrows integrated into the Head-up Display.
5. Engines. Three choices — 1.6-litre petrol mild hybrid, full hybrid or plug-in hybrid.
The last two have a bit more oomph than before and the option of four-wheel drive.
Here's some good news for caravanners and people with weekend toys. Maximum towing capacity has increased to 1,510kg.
No diesel. No pure electric. If you want to go electric next, there's a Sportage-sized EV5 coming soon.
6. Sorry, I can't count. Price. No official numbers from Kia yet but I'm guessing £31k for the petrol manual when it hits showrooms in September?
That would be a lot of car at a sensible price.
Maisie's parents own a Kia Niro by the way. You can guess what car they want next.
5
5
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Solar farm installed at Leicestershire Police's HQ
Bosses say a new solar farm at Leicestershire Police's Enderby headquarters is forecast to generate the equivalent of £2.1m worth of energy over the next 25 force is believed to be one of the first in the country to invest in the installation of a small solar chiefs say they expect to save £63,525 in energy costs in its first year of operation based on current energy prices, with the £350,000 installation costs "likely" to be recouped within five police and crime commissioner Rupert Matthews said the force had a duty to work towards Net Zero carbon emissions. He hailed the installation a "wonderful milestone" with solar panels also in place on force buildings in Oakham, Loughborough and Hinckley Road."As a large organisation at the centre of community life, it's critical Leicestershire Police leads by example. "I'm excited by the changes underway and the opportunities for changing the way we work to protect our scarce resources and create a cleaner world for future generations," said Matthews.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Birmingham graduate secures job after 1,200 failed applications
A woman who struggled to find a job after graduating from university said she applied for more than 1,200 roles - but only secured two Woodhouse-Hawkins, 25, from Birmingham, applied for the positions over a period of 18 months, after graduating with a degree in computing and IT through the Open Woodhouse-Hawkins found it impossible to find a job in her field and said she never received any feedback from potential employers on her applications."It was depressing," she told the BBC. "You'd think you'd get more [interviews] as you apply and you'd tailor these CVs and you just hear nothing back." "Even when you do the assessments they ask you to do, you either don't hear anything back and if you do it's just usually, 'Oh, you haven't passed'," she added. Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins, who lives in Quinton, eventually found a role as a Junior Python (widespread computing language) Developer at Global Telecoms Networks, where she has just completed her three-month struggling with her mental health throughout the job application process alongside claiming Universal Credit, she received help from a foundation that offers support to unemployed people get set up with tech careers in the West said the programme, run by Generation UK, "instilled hope" that she would finally get a job in a field she had trained for.A skills boot-camp, between October 2024 and January, taught her how to craft a CV that stands out, as well as interview techniques and additional technical skills that were missing from her Open University curriculum. 'Getting ghosted' Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins, who has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, believes the main reason her mental health plummeted was because she got no feedback from potential employers on why she wasn't of more than 1,000 applications, she only secured a job interview for her current role and one previous application. "It was just literally, applying for jobs, not hearing back, getting ghosted," she said of the process."Tailoring your CV to try and get a response. Not getting a response and if you do get a response it's very generic of, 'Oh we've moved onto a different candidate', or someone else fits the job better."It's just all the same usual, just being ghosted."Kelsey Flynn, head of impact at Generation UK, said Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins' experience of rejection after rejection was "far too common"."We see it all the time," she said. "Unemployment amongst young people is on the rise and it's really scary."Most of the people that we come across desperately want careers and are really trying to find them. But they just need access to the training and support." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Wirral Council's debt increases by £233m in six months
Wirral Council's net debt has increased by £233m in six months, with the expectation more borrowing is on the figure was revealed during a meeting about the authority's treasury management strategy.A summary published by the local authority showed that between September 2024 to March 2025 there was a £25m increase in spending on Public Finance Initiatives (PFI), £73m in borrowings, and a drop of £8.2m in £152.5m of the £233m was due to changes to PFI liabilities, and accounting rules which mean rent costs must be listed on the council's balance sheet both as an asset being leased and the future lease payments. PFIs was a government policy launched in 1992 where a private firm was contracted to deliver a public project while the costs were then paid back over several years. Wirral Council said the PFIs had to be reassessed to take inflation into account. 'Long-term stability' Changes to debt borrowing have been blamed on accountancy rule changes, capital projects such as regeneration, and temporary loans taken from other councils, the Local Democracy Reporting Service report said: "The council's chief objective when borrowing has been to strike an appropriately low risk balance between securing low interest costs and achieving cost certainty."The council's borrowing strategy continues to address the key issue of affordability without compromising the longer-term stability of the debt portfolio."It said external borrowing may have to increase in the future and the decrease in investments was because the council was having to use that funding for service needs.A Policy and Resources committee meeting will further discuss the council's finances on 26 June . Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
