This is an all-new, 4th generation Germanic looking Kia Sportage bringing major advances in fuel efficiency, comfort, connectivity, convenience and safety. The styling of this Sportage is very European and this is probably why it is selling so very well in Europe. Kia in Malaysia has introduced the Sportage in this new GT-Line versions. First came the 2.0L petrol version which we have tested and liked and now comes a diesel variant.
This 2.0L diesel powered Sportage at RM154,568 sits in a very competitive market segment. Malaysians are buying more SUVs than ever before. You have so much choice that picking the SUV for your garage has become a real chore. Just this last 3 months, market leader Honda introduced a new CR-V from RM142,400 for the 2.0L and RM155,700 for the 1.5L Turbo.
Mitsubishi was next with its local assembled 2.0L Outlander SUV at RM139,888.00 and this is a 7-seat SUV. Mazda’s all new CX-5 was next at RM134,205 for the 2.0L SKYACTIV petrol and RM163,179 for their latest SKYACTIV diesel powered CX-5.
Lets not forget Kia’s immediate sibling, the Hyundai Tucson which has been in the market for a year but now with a rivaling diesel engine on sale. This SUV sells for RM155,788 which is just a smidgen more than this Sportage.
Then there is still a number of other slightly older favorites in this segment like the Subaru Forester (which is already 1-year in the market and selling well with a turbo and non turbo variant)), Nissan X-Trail (which is the oldest in this segment right now and has 7 seats) and Volkswagen Tiguan (which comes with good features but a troubled past in after-sales and reliability).
Within this mix sits a rather surprising competitor, the Renault Koleos. With a 2.5L petrol engine and offered in either 4×2 for just RM172,800 or al full time 4×4 for RM201,800, this is European styling with Japanese engineering sitting right at the top of the segment.
The diesel stigma still runs deep with many Malaysian car buyers with smoky older diesel vehicles still running on our roads. Then there is the diesel clatter from the engine bay. All this can be laid to rest now as we have high quality Euro 5 diesel available with all the brands today and the best Euro 5 diesel can be obtained at BHPetrol stations nationwide. So bye bye to smoky exhausts and bye bye to diesel clatter.
We have to start with the looks as all the rivals in this segment are almost equal in features, safety and ability. So looks counts in attracting buyers into the showroom and then the test drive which we suggest you undertake as many as possible in one day to get a better understanding on how each and every SUV feels under your command.
Decision, Decision, Decision.
The decision to purchase is difficult seeing as Kia’s sibling, Hyundai also has a similar vehicle on sale. The Hyundai Tucson diesel is also in showrooms now and offers almost apple to apple features and almost 99% drive dynamics from a shared drivetrain. The Tucson diesel sells for RM155,788, this Sportage diesel sells for RM154,568.99 and the only other diesel alternative is the Mazda CX-5 diesel which sells for RM163,179. The decision for a diesel SUV has just become more interesting for Malaysian buyers and the final decision sits with you.
