Kia Sportage SUV - Practicality & boot space

It didn’t seem to matter that the outgoing Sportage didn’t have the biggest boot in its class, because it was still one of the most popular midsize SUVs, regularly appearing in our list of the UK’s best-selling cars. That the new one has a much bigger boot should make it even more appealing.

Kia Sportage interior space & storage

Four six-foot-tall adults will be comfortable in the Sportage because there’s plenty of legroom and shoulder room. There’s even enough headroom if you pick a trim level with the panoramic sunroof, which has the added benefit of flooding the interior with light. Travelling with five adults on board will be a bit more of a squeeze, but that’s true of most of the rivals to the Sportage.

It seems like Kia has channelled the spirit of rival brand Skoda when it comes to useful features. The front seat headrests incorporate coat hangers, while there are additional hangers and even USB chargers in the seatbacks.

Boot space

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The mild-hybrid Kia Sportage benefits from up to 526 litres of boot space – the non mild-hybrid petrol version boasted even more, but now all Sportages come with some degree of electrification, they all get robbed of some space due to the batteries. It’s about as much space as that of a family estate car, which should give some idea as to how useful the Sportage is at carrying big loads. Surprisingly, the plug-in hybrid offers a generous 540 litres, which is actually more than the mild-hybrid manages. 

Fold the rear seats (this can be done individually using levers in the boot), and you’ll have a huge 1,776 litres to fill. The floor is flat to make loading easier and there isn’t a large load lip either.

Towing

The mild-hybrid and hybrid versions of the Sportage can tow up to 1,650kg, while this is limited to 1,350kg for the plug-in hybrid.