Kia Sportage vs Nissan Qashqai: 2010 group test
Kia hopes its new Sportage will be the class of the crossover field. We see how it fares against Nissan's top-selling Qashqai
Kia is hoping to make hay with the latest addition to its range! The new Sportage slots beneath the Sorento SUV as the firm’s family-sized crossover, and aims to add a dash of style to the market.
With renowned ex-Audi stylist Peter Schreyer responsible for the newcomer, the Sportage is like nothing else on the market. But it has substance, too, as it comes with a large and versatile cabin, plus a huge list of standard kit.
For now, the Sportage is available only with a 2.0-litre diesel engine and in First Edition four-wheel-drive trim, although a wider line-up including two-wheel-drive variants arrives later this year.
Yet it won’t have everything its own way, as the Nissan Qashqai is one of our favourite crossovers, as well as one of the UK’s best-selling cars. Its revamped 2.0-litre diesel brings impressive eco credentials, and in n-tec trim it’s well equipped.
Both models offer a big dose of style, performance and economy, plus car-like handling – but only one can be our pick of the crop...
Verdict
The Qashqai has been a huge hit since it blew the family 4x4 market wide open, but it tastes defeat here. The Kia Sportage is arguably the firm’s best effort yet, mixing exciting looks, decent ride comfort and tidy handling. It also has a larger and more classy cabin than its rival, and solid build quality.
Used - available now
2021 KIA
Sportage
76,666 milesManualDiesel1.6L
Cash £9,995
2021 KIA
Sportage
54,000 milesManualPetrol1.6L
Cash £10,490
2023 KIA
Sportage
16,000 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L
Cash £22,399
2017 KIA
Sportage
90,416 milesManualPetrol1.6L
Cash £6,999Most appealing of all is the Korean car’s price. For £2,718 less than its rival, the four-wheel-drive First Edition is better equipped and greener than the Qashai, and it comes with Kia’s trailblazing seven-year warranty.
The Nissan isn’t disgraced, though. It’s still great to drive and recent revisions have made it more eco-friendly and better looking than ever. But it can’t match the all-round brilliance of its sharp-suited competitor. The Sportage’s low price and generous kit count seal the deal for a maiden road test victory.
First place: Kia Sportage
We all expect family 4x4s to be practical, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring – as this latest Kia proves. Take a look at the Techno Orange machine in our pictures, and you could be forgiven for thinking the Sportage is a concept car.
The crossover model is oneof the most exciting and daring Kias we’ve ever seen. With sharply styled headlamps, a striking chrome grille and a windscreen outline that rises at each corner to create a peaked cap effect, it looks unlike any of its rivals. Smart 18-inch alloys, black sills and chunky bumpers add to its rugged appearance.
The interior is not quite so distinctive, but it’s spacious and well built. The switchgear is more modern than the Nissan’s, and although the cabin can’t match the exterior for excitement, it still marks an improvement over other models in the Kia line-up.
The shapely dash is attractive and logically laid out, while the low seat provides a better driving position than in the Nissan – although we’d like a little more reach adjustment from the steering wheel. And the instruments on the Sportage house a gearshift indicator, to help make the most of the 2.0-litre engine’s economy.
The amount of equipment fitted as standard in First Edition trim is astounding, with the Kia boasting heated leather seats all round, a rear view camera, cruise control and iPod connectivity. There’s also decent legroom for passengers, comfortable seats and a flat transmission tunnel. This all helps the rear feel more spacious than the Qashqai’s, despite its narrow window.
The boot is well shaped, but the inclusion of a full-sized spare wheel makes it shallower than the Qashqai’s. Still, it does have a couple of cubbies, a luggage net, 12V socket and sturdy tonneau cover. Plus a couple of straps on the rear seats allow them to be folded in one action.
On the road, the Kia doesn’t feel as punchy as the Nissan, although it’s never underpowered.
In our in-gear tests it struggled to match the Qashqai, thanks partly to the longer gearing on offer from its six-speed gearbox. Refinement is good, while the ride is particularly comfortable, despite its big 18-inch rims.
That extra suppleness comes at the expense of handling, though, as the softer springs struggle to control body roll in bends, meaning the Sportage pitches and dives more under acceleration and braking than the Qashqai.
Our only other criticism concerns the light steering, which doesn’t inspire confidence.
At the pumps, the Sportage is greener than the Qashqai, with an official combined figure of 47.1mpg, while its CO2 output is only 156g/km. Add an impressive seven-year/100,000 mile warranty, and you can see why the Kia makes so much sense.
Second place: Nissan Qashqai
Ever since it replaced the uninspiring Almera as Nissan’s family car offering, the Qashqai has been an Auto Express favourite. And its blend of good looks, smooth engines and car-like driving dynamics is equally appealing in four-wheel- drive trim. A host of revisions should make it better than ever.
The tidy exterior is an improvement, but parked next to the eye-catching Kia, the Nissan isn’t as dramatic or exciting as its rival. The design changes have been kept to a minimum, but the face has been refreshed thanks to a new grille and more angular headlamps. Chunky black plastic cladding on the doors and under the bumpers adds to the Qashqai’s off-road appeal, and the large two-tone alloys and silver roof-rails of our test car ensure the Nissan is still one of the sharpest crossovers around.
The interior hasn’t received quite as much attention, though, and makes do with a slightly dated layout. Sat-nav is fitted as standard, but you can’t display the instructions in a supplementary readout between the rev counter and speedometer, and the main screen is positioned too low down on the centre console.
We’ve always praised the Nissan for its car-like driving position, but after a stint behind the wheel of the low-slung Kia, it feels like a 4x4 and provides a more commanding view of the road. Its seats don’t offer quite as much support as those fitted to its rival, either. It’s comfortable enough in the rear, although the sloping roofline means that headroom is at more of a premium than in the Sportage, and the Kia’s extra length translates into more legroom in the back.
On the road, the Qashqai is livelier. Its 148bhp engine is much more eager and free- revving than the Sportage’s powerplant. Against the clock, it was fractionally slower from 0-60mph at 10.6 seconds (as opposed to 10.4), but it’s quicker through the gears, adding to its feeling of flexibility.
With a stiffer suspension set-up, the Qashqai offers much better body control, but progress does tend to get unsettled over bumpier roads. And while the gearbox has a short shift, our example was a little notchy. In our braking tests, the Nissan recorded respectable figures, with a consistent feel through the pedal.
Where the Japanese car struggles to match its rival is when it comes to aftersales back-up. It can’t compete with the superb seven-year/100,000-mile warranty of the Kia, although you do get three years of breakdown cover. Both servicing and insurance costs are reasonable. The Qashqai CO2 emissions and fuel economy are also beaten by the Sportage.
However, its official returns of 167g/km and 42.1mpg on the combined cycle are reasonable.
The Qashqai still makes a convincing family 4x4, becauseit looks good and should be affordable to run. But in this test, the odds are stacked against it.
