2026 Kia Sportage S diesel AWD review

The medium SUV segment is one of the most contested in Australia, accounting for nearly a quarter of the market in 2025.

Unlike the ute segment that only has a handful of big players, the medium SUV market has a number of strong contenders, making the choice increasingly difficult for buyers – particularly with respect to incoming brands, too.

For those who have been a fan of the segment for the past two decades, the majority of the noticeable names have stayed the same – Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Subaru Forester, and of course the Kia Sportage.

The fifth-generation Sportage went through its midlife update in mid-2025, still offering four different engine configurations, two different drivelines, and a total of 15 different trim combinations – you can read all of my thoughts on the entire line here.

That massive combination of choice seems to have worked well for the brand, selling around 13,000 examples since the facelift in June 2025 and 19,137 in 2025 as a whole.

The S is the most affordable variant of the range, offered in a choice of front-wheel-drive naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, 1.6-litre hybrid front-wheel drive, 1.6-litre hybrid all-wheel drive, or the all-wheel-drive 2.0-litre turbo diesel I had on test here.

The Kia Sportage range starts at $38,490 before on-road costs for the S in its front-wheel-drive petrol guise, and ranges up to the all-wheel-drive hybrid 1.6-litre turbo GT-Line at $60,370 before on-road costs.

You can find all of the differences between the trim levels in our previous specifications story here, but the S still sports a plethora of equipment for a base-model car.

Our Sportage S diesel comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine (137kW/416Nm) and an eight-speed automatic.

The main changes over the pre-facelift (mid-2025 and older) are new styling, 12.3-inch infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (on all grades), connected over-the-air updates, DAB radio, keyless entry and starting, and an upgraded adaptive cruise control.

Base specifications include 17-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing LED headlights, roof rails, manual six-way adjustable seats, cloth interior, leather-look steering wheel, air-conditioning with rear vents, and a plethora of safety equipment.

The Sportage S has quite a few competitors. Obviously, the new Toyota RAV4 starting from $45,990 plus on-roads, the Hyundai Tucson starting from $40,100 plus on-roads, and the Subaru Forester from $43,490 plus on-roads.

However, if you’re opting for an engine that runs on diesel, the Sportage is the most affordable option of any diesel passenger car for sale in 2026. Diesel competitors include a Mazda CX-60 for $52,740 plus on-roads, before you need to upgrade the size to a large SUV like an Isuzu MU-X for $49,900 plus on-roads, or a Kia Sorento for $54,630 plus on-roads.

When I drove the Kia Sportage S, diesel was on the more affordable side. Rapid changes have occurred over the past month or two, with prices well exceeding $3 per litre.

Still, if you’re willing to wait out the horrendous pricing at the pump, the Sportage offers a relatively frugal experience.

Kia claims the all-wheel-drive diesel Sportage should be good for 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres, which will give you around 857km when you fill the 54-litre tank up to the brim.

Following a mixture of driving, seeing me tackle country roads, freeways and city stop-start traffic, the Sportage returned a reading of 7.3L/100km.

It’s not terrible consumption, and I don’t doubt that if you were doing intercity travel to work each day, where you spend the majority of your time at 100km/h, you would see closer to that claim.

However, an entire-litre disparity between the claim and the real-world test isn’t the best look. Still, if you approach the Sportage from my tested consumption and compare it to others on the market, it’s one of the most fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive full-ICE diesels on the market, mainly because it’s now a very small field of medium-sized models.

The Audi Q5 TDI quattro returned a reading of 7.4L/100km when we tested it in 2025.

In terms of petrol-powered competitors, the 1.6-litre turbocharged non-hybrid all-wheel-drive variants returned a reading of 7.9L/100km when I last tested them in 2025, while the non-hybrid Subaru Forester saw 8.7L/100km.

Even though petrol variants and alternatives use slightly more fuel, if diesel prices stay the same as they are now, hovering around the $3 per litre mark, it will cost you around 30 cents per kilometre. Meanwhile, petrol prices after the fuel excise cut are hovering around $2.37 for premium 95, which will cost you around 18 cents per kilometre.

The Kia Sportage with the diesel engine has 12-month/15,000km service intervals that are price-capped from the factory up to seven years.

The first five will cost you $371, $597, $458, $864 and $418, respectively, leading to a three-year cost of $1426 and a five-year cost of $2708.

There aren’t any other medium SUVs with a diesel powerplant at the same price point to compare these prices to, but if you’re looking in the size segment, a 1.6-litre non-hybrid variant will cost you $2562 for five years, a Subaru Forester will cost you $2299, and a Hyundai Tucson (Hybrid) will cost you $1990.

The 2026 Kia Sportage S will cost $1420 per year to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW – comparable to the Subaru Forester Touring at $1604 per year, and the Hyundai Tucson N-Line at $1694. Although, quotes may change based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Every Kia Sportage comes with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for most components and buyers. However, if you plan on using the SUV for commercial applications, the car warranty is still seven years, but is capped at 150,000km.

The head unit is limited to just a three-year warranty.

The last time the Kia Sportage was tested by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) was in 2022, meaning its score is active until December 2028.

Being awarded five stars, individual scores saw adult and child occupant protection both hitting 87 per cent, vulnerable road user protection hitting 66 per cent, and safety assist scoring 74 per cent.

All safety systems are standard from the base model and include seven airbags spread out across the cabin – dual frontal, side chest protection, side head protection, and centre airbags.

The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) work well for the majority, but fall short when it comes to the speed limit warnings; it beeps a lot when it thinks you are exceeding the limit by just a touch.

The beeping I could live with if the car got it right, but the Sportage was often confused about the real speed limit, especially when passing school zone signs or “limit if sign is off” signage.

The Kia Sportage is a medium SUV, similar in size to the Toyota RAV4 and the Hyundai Tucson.

The majority of the mid-generation facelift we saw in 2025 came in aesthetic changes to the exterior of the car, new front and rear ends sporting different bumpers and lighting, along with different wheel designs. This facelift will likely bring this generation of Sportage to the end of its lifespan.

There’s really not a lot bad to say about the way the Sportage looks. It certainly doesn’t look dated, despite the fact that this generation is turning five in 2026.

It follows the same line that the majority of the Kia/Hyundai group seem to be going for with a minimalist approach and maximalism hiding underneath: the headlights don’t look like headlights anymore, the daytime-light strips are straight out of Tron, and everything is very angular.

I dare say that even without the up-spec GT-Line kit, the S still looks quite nice. I’d even go so far as to say it’s one of the more stylish and future-proofed SUVs of 2026. Even those small 17-inch wheels don’t look bad.

Kia offers the Sportage in white as a standard colour, while opting for one of the eight other exterior colours will see a $600 charge. S and SX buyers have the choice of Clear White, Steel Grey, Gravity Grey, Fusion Black, Vesta Blue (the colour of the test car), Heritage Blue and Wolf Grey.

SX+ and GT-Line customers receive the choice of two exclusive colours in addition to the seven above: Snow White Pearl and Jungle Wood Green.

The S is the entry-level trim for the Sportage, meaning you’re seeing the most basic of interiors, but it doesn’t mean that it’s lacking in appeal.

It’s a homely appearance that puts form over function, faux leather is used sparingly, the cloth seats provide excellent comfort, and there are physical buttons for just about every function you need at a glance.

Heated seats are reserved for SX+ and above and seat ventilation is reserved for GT-Line only. I advocate for seat ventilation on any vehicle with faux leather in Australia, as black interiors tend to get sticky and sweaty with direct sunlight. Cloth, on the other hand, does not have this issue; it’s certainly my choice for seat trims in a family car or everyday driver.

Overall seat comfort is great, the front seats have a bit of a bolster that holds you in nicely. After a six-hour drive, I didn’t feel like I needed to jump out and stretch at any time – high praise from someone with a horrendous lower back.

The only issue I had with the driver's seating position came from the fact that my 184cm, longer-legged frame seemed to catch my knees on the steering column with its bulbous trim as I looked to settle them into a comfortable position on the freeway.

Despite there being plenty of hard plastic, to be expected from this trim level, your elbows only rest against soft-touch materials and the steering wheel is trimmed in a leather-feel material that adds a little more luxury over a rubberised or plastic material.

Most people prefer physical buttons and dials to control basic functions over the now short-lived trend of putting everything on the touchscreen, and for the most part it’s a very welcome revival.

However, the Sportage has a sensitivity problem that sees drastic changes in temperature while trying to operate the dial while driving. You might have the air conditioning set at 18 degrees Celsius, then you hit a bump while trying to up it to 20 and suddenly you’re at maximum heat.

The S does not have a dual-zone climate control, which is reserved for SX and above, but the air conditioning had yet another issue I’ve never had in a new car before – it was either too hot or too cold, with no in-between and no comfortable temperature. This is certainly a personal preference thing, but maybe the internal thermostat isn’t as accurate as many would like it to be, causing a disparity between temperatures.

Two cupholders, a bay for a phone that gets upgraded to wireless charging from SX+ and above, two USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket, and a sturdy gear selector round up the front-row interior nicely.

The rear seats suit a wide range of people. A family of four with two children or teenage kids would have no problem touring with a loaded car comfortably. However, taller adults may get a little uncomfortable riding in the back for an extended period, as you tend to sit quite high in the back. Still, the seat backs of the driver and passenger are covered in soft cloth, so you’re not bashing your knees against hard plastic.

It’s all very basic for rear passengers: a fold-down armrest reveals two cupholders, two vents built into the centre console, along with two USB-C ports.

Boot space has stayed the same since it entered the new generation, meaning the non-hybrid models receive 543 litres, akin to a Hyundai Tucson at 539L and slightly smaller than the Toyota RAV4. Folding the second row down opens the rear up to 1829L, which is large enough to stack plenty of equipment in for camping or interstate travel.

There’s a security cover included for the boot, a 12-volt socket, and lifting the floor reveals a full-sized spare wheel, which is pretty rare for a car in 2026.

Kia cars often have a well-behaved infotainment system for its modern range, and the Sportage does a decent job of handling the majority of its processes through the 12.3-inch touchscreen.

Factory software sees a wireless/wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto system, DAB/AM/FM radio, along with a number of different screens to play with – if you want in-built satellite navigation, you’ll need to upgrade to an SX or above.

If you have any modern-day phone, the lack of a built-in navigation system is fine considering how fast CarPlay has become in recent years.

I experienced a few dropouts as my phone disconnected from the wireless Apple CarPlay while my phone was in wireless mode, yet plugging it in via the USB-C connection point seemed to make it more reliable.

The 12.3-inch instrument cluster is connected to the infotainment via plastic fascias to make a streamlined dash.

Despite featuring a full-digital cluster, it’s all very basic with only minor customisation across the board. The lack of ability to display a map in front of you is unexpected for a car of this era, and that’s the same across all trim levels.

All new Kia Sportages have the ability to connect remotely via a phone with the Kia Connect app to remotely lock the car, control lights, and track its location – this is free for the first seven years of ownership.

Starting with the engine, the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel has entered legendary status accounting for around 30 per cent of all Sportage sales. It has been a staple of Hyundai/Kia group vehicles since 2009. Sure, it's undergone a plethora of changes, but it now shares the same underpinnings as what was found in the second-generation Hyundai Santa Fe.

A power output of 137kW doesn’t make it the most powerful on the market, but a torque figure of 416Nm is healthy for a medium SUV. It provides enough grunt from a standstill for this front-wheel-drive-biased SUV to be capable of towing up to 1900kg (braked).

It’s a very peppy engine when needed, but doesn’t see an unmanageable amount of power for the chassis. It's best described as effortless.

It does have that typical diesel sound and vibration to it, especially when pushed, but it doesn’t need much pressure on the accelerator to open it up to an impressive bark. However, cold starts are especially noisy as the engine gets itself up to a temperature that maximises diesel ignition.

The eight-speed automatic transmission is simply wonderful at extracting the best of the diesel powertrain, shifting through its gears to keep RPM low, torque high, and your fuel economy relatively futile.

There are three driving modes for the road and terrain modes if you were planning on hitting unsealed/dirt roads. I spent the majority of my time in eco mode, which softens the accelerator response and cuts fuel usage marginally, while offering a smoother driving experience.

Kia Australia did not tweak the suspension on the diesel model for its facelift, which means that it’s the same firm feeling it has always had. The positive is that it offers a very sturdy and planted drive while on our terribly maintained roads, but the trade-off is a bit of a crashy noise and more felt through your legs as the Sportage clatters over potholes.

It’s not the worst for front row passengers, but full-sized adults in the second row might voice a few complaints after the twentieth pothole hit of a poorly paved tax-funded route.

Having driven all trims and powerplants of this generation, the base gets away with a lot more due to its smaller wheels and bigger sidewalls. If suspension comfort is high on your list, I’d opt for one with 17-inch wheels or a hybrid, which has seen a suspension adjustment.

The steering sits on the heavier side of the spectrum when compared to others in this segment. It does offer a planted and sharp drive, but it got a bit tiring on my arms as I made my way up through twisty roads for hours at a time.

When I drove this car at launch, I noted that it had touchy brakes, and they seem to have settled in a bit better now that the car has been broken in with a few thousand kilometres. Still, the bite point can be a bit of a mystery at times.

Wind and road noise seem to be well managed with a faint whistle as you exceed 90km/h, but it’s nothing that can’t be tuned out as you cruise along.

The shame of the bitey brakes and the heavy steering does reveal the Sportage’s size, because other than those two things, it does feel like a small car with more ground clearance – a very approachable and simple vehicle to steer at freeway speeds or around a parking lot.

The facelifted Kia Sportage has only been on the market for less than a year, so jumping into a used one might be a tough ask. However, pre-facelifted models are available at affordable prices through Drive Marketplace.

If you're looking for more pricing, specifications, and the latest offers on the Kia Sportage, head here.

The 2026 Kia Sportage should be one of the top cars to take for a test drive when looking at buying a new medium SUV. For me, the diesel is the cream of the crop.

I fell in love with the simplicity and the powertrain of the Sportage S diesel – high praise for a segment that interests me very little as a 26-year-old with no kids. It's clear I'm not the only one who thinks like this, as the amount of Sportages you see on the road is instantly noticeable once you pay attention.

The engine is fantastic, tried and tested over nearly two decades, it’s so basic that it just works, not to mention the gearbox that works with the engine, not against it.

Sure, you’re missing out on a fair amount of technology you’d find in a Chinese car of this price point, but what it does have, it does well, instead of just being an average car across the board.

Take a look at the new Toyota RAV4 and the Hyundai Tucson before you decide on your new car, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you walk away with a diesel Sportage.

It may be your last chance to get one with this powertrain, with stringent New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) laws coming into effect likely numbering the days of this powerplant. And certainly numbering the days of the petrol 2.0-litre, with the brand hinting at the possibility of that being removed from the line-up.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

Read more about Zane Dobie