Used Kia Sportage review: 2016-2021
By David Morley · 24 Oct 2026
Kia’s Sportage model tapped into a rich vein of buyer interest when it was launched here and, by the time the QL (Kia’s internal name for the model) range turned up, the Sportage was an established and popular franchise. Which is probably part of the reason Kia decided to make the Sportage line-up such a comprehensive one. There was only one body style; a five-door SUV wagon (which was what everybody wanted anyway) but beyond that there was lots of choice. Trim levels started with the base Si, then moved to SLi and finally to Platinum. The Platinum badge was dropped in 2017 and replaced with the GT-Line tag to bring the Sportage into line with the rest of the Kia range in Australia. At about the same time, a new variant called Si Premium was slotted in between the Si and SLi. The base version was available with a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 114kW or a turbo-diesel of the same size making 136kW but a lot more torque (400Nm played 192Nm). The Si Premium was a 2.0-litre petrol proposition only, but the SLi could be had with either engine as well as the option of a 2.4-litre petrol engine with 135kW. The Platinum and its replacement GT-Line, meanwhile, were available with either the 2.4-petrol or turbo-diesel engines. All variants were fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission and while the 2.0-litre versions were all front-wheel drive, the others featured an on-demand all-wheel drive system that engaged the rear axle when grip levels dictated. The Sportage of this vintage was popular for some good reasons. It was big inside compared with its competitors and overall build quality was better than average, too. The locally-tuned suspension and steering worked wonders in making the car more comfortable and agile than it might have been, and the turbo-diesel engine option made for very frugal, relaxed motoring. On the downside, the base 2.0-litre engine felt flat and gutless, and for cars built before July 2018, the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) systems such as autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and forward collision warning were only available if you ponied up for the Platinum or GT-Line models. Those features became available across the board after that 2018 facelift, but some ADAS functions such as blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert were still restricted to the GT-Line variant. Overall, this make and model seems pretty robust and many owners have had trouble-free runs. But there is one major thing to watch and that’s oil consumption and early engine wear on either of the petrol engines offered in the Sportage. The engine problems with petrol-powered Sportages concern what’s called piston-slap and bore scoring, both of which are symptoms of accelerated internal engine wear. There are several theories on what causes this, but debris left over from the machining process at the factory as well as poor engine design are just two of them. Either way, if your Kia Sportage engine is making a ticking or tapping noise or consuming lots of engine oil, chances are you have one of the dud engines. There was not a safety recall for this, but Kia Australia was looking at each case on its own merits. The bottom line is that a lot of petrol engines in Sportages (and other Kias) were replaced at Kia’s cost, so that’s the first thing you should check when assessing any second-hand Sportage; has the engine been replaced? If it has, great. If it hasn’t, then the engine probably wasn’t a 'bad' one in the first place. Kia’s own database (via a dealership) should be able to determine what cars were fitted with replacement engines. We’ve also heard of a lot of Kias of this vintage with peeling paint. White seems to be the most affected colour, and it seems as though a bad batch of paint from the supplier was the cause. Again, Kia was sorting this out on a case-by-case basis. The Sportage was recalled twice by Kia, the first to check the anti-lock braking module which could pose a fire threat. The second recall was also for a fire risk as the software that controlled the heater core’s temperature could allow the core to run too hot. You can check out the details at https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/ . The first-gen cars were the ones that missed out on the ADAS active safety gear unless you paid for the flagship model. With that in mind, go for a later, second-gen car if you’re shopping for anything but the Platinum or GT-Line versions. On the basis of those engine problems, we’d probably give the petrol-engine Sportage a miss, too. Plenty of Sportages of this vintage have reached the 200,000km mark while still having plenty of life left in them. And if the engine problems haven’t occurred by then, it’s a pretty safe bet they aren’t going to surface now. The turbo-diesel, in particular, draws on Kia’s decades of engineering experience in designing and building small-capacity diesel engines, and should be a good long-term prospect provided it’s serviced correctly. The absolute plum buy would be a post-facelift turbo-diesel GT-Line which got all the ADAS functionality as well as a new eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The diesel engine is far and away the best option in this car and the new automatic only made it better. If you can stretch to a very late example of this car, say from 2020 or 2021, you should find it still has a small amount of the factory seven-year warranty remaining, which is huge peace of mind in any second-hand car. Prices for QL Sportages start at between $7000 and $10,000, but for that you’ll be buying a 2.0-litre petrol example with as many as 200,000km on board. At the other end of the scale, prices can reach the low-$30K mark, but that should get you into a low-mileage, high-specification turbo-diesel car, even with some of that all-important factory warranty remaining. Kia’s dealer network in Australia has something like 140 dealerships across the country, so parts and service should be no problem. Equally, there’s no shortage of independent workshops that know their way around a Kia Sportage and that will generally be a less expensive option. Parts supply is no problem and Kia’s status as a major global brand means service and repair parts are available form a wide range on online sellers. The Sportage was a good sales performer for Kia and the brand sold upwards of 10,000 examples per year while the QL model was on sale. So, there are now plenty for sale as used-cars, and the bigger online sales sites often have literally hundreds to choose from via private sellers and licensed dealers.
