There’s now only one diesel powered medium sized SUV on the market
and fortunately it will be here for a while – the 2025 Kia Sportage remains
the last medium SUV with diesel power proving the most popular
powertrain in the Sportage SUV line-up. Diesel power currently represents
36 per cent of Sportage sales growing from 30 per cent for most of last
year. And despite the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard penalties coming
into effect on July 1 Kia suggests the diesel option will remain for some
time, the company able to offset penalties by achieving credits from its
popular EV3 and EV5 models as well as a growing number of hybrids. The
current 2.0-litre turbo diesel remains popular with its 416Nm of torque
giving it a very relaxed performance - well suited to the four-wheel drive
only diesel range.