Kia Sportage Problems

Try a Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, or Subaru Forester. Any of them would be good choices.

The camper trailer isn’t a heavy one, so most compact SUVs would handle it comfortably, and would have the space for your fridge and extra battery. A Toyota RAV4 would do the job, so would a Suzuki Vitara, or a Kia Sportage.

So many things affect road noise, which makes it difficult to fix. There’s the road surface itself, the tyres, and the noise insulation in the vehicle. The Honda CR-V might well be quieter, but could still be noisy on the roads you drive on. If the road noise is the thing that is making you switch vehicles, then it might be worth talking to a tyre dealer about a tyre that might be quieter than the ones on your Kluger. If you want to go down that road, you could try a Mazda CX-5 or CX-7, a Kia Sorento or Sportage, Toyota RAV4.

If the shorter warranty of the Subaru is a major concern for you then certainly look at others, like the Sportage or Eclipse, but I would buy the Outback with confidence it will give you a good run beyond the warranty.

Kia confirmed that there is a software issue with the 2.0-litre diesel engine, which results in surging when the engine is cold. The told us that their supplier has been working on a solution which they hope will be available fairly soon. It is complicated by the fact the software is not supplied only to Kia and any changes have to be cleared by all users. From that I think you could assume the Tucson is probably also affected.

It’s not a common problem, with the Sportage or AWD vehicles in general. Even though yours is well out of warranty it’s still covered by the consumer protection laws, so it’s worth asking Kia for at least part of the cost of repairs.

There are three engines available in the 2018 Kia Sportage: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 114 kW in the SLi, Si Premium and Si, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 135 kW in the GT-Line, and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with 136 kW.

Camper trailers typically weigh in the range of 850 kg to 1200 kg without the extra weight of things like food, bedding, clothes, etc. so it’s probably best to look at a compact SUV. A Mazda CX5 will tow up to 1800 kg, which would seem to fit your needs. Then there’s a Kia Sportage (1600 kg), Mitsubishi Outlander (1600 kg), or Suzuki Grand Vitara (1600 kg).

Check the build date on the vehicle’s ID plate. That should tell you which model you have.

You can call Kia’s customer assistance service on 1800 600 010, but I suspect you won’t get the satisfaction you’re looking for. I believe you’ll find that the accessories you are waiting for are aftermarket items fitted by the dealer, and not from Kia.