Kia Sportage (2017-2021) review

Three years – that’s the difference between when this Sportage generation was launched and when the new Kia Ceed arrived. And in that time, Kia has obviously learnt a lot more about interior quality. The Sportage isn’t disgraceful and there are no rattles, but it’s nowhere near the Ceed in terms of finish.

The fundamentals of the Sportage’s cabin haven’t altered in this facelift, so there’s too much hard plastic on show and it’s missing the Ceed’s solidity.

Ergonomically, it’s hard to fault with a neatly integrated sat nav screen (touchscreen, obvs), and with enough buttons elsewhere to make everything easy to use but not so many that it looks like someone sneezed on the dash. There’s a new, frameless 8-inch screen on the upper models that looks smart, but other changes are pretty limited. New air con controls anyone?

More positively, it’s certainly roomy enough for most parents and three kids, just losing out to the likes of the Seat Ateca and Nissan Qashqai for rear headroom.