New Kia Sportage vs used Volvo XC60: interiors
The Kia Sportage is one of the best SUVs you can buy new, but would you be better off spending the same money on a one-year-old Volvo XC60 and getting a prestige badge?...
Behind the wheel
Driving position, visibility, infotainment, build quality
Both cars have lofty driving positions befitting an SUV, and getting comfortable is easy, because there’s plenty of adjustment in their steering wheels and electrically adjustable front seats.
Visibility is excellent in the Volvo XC60, partly because it has big side windows and door mirrors. It also has relatively slim windscreen pillars that are easy to see around at roundabouts and junctions. Even your over-the-shoulder view is good. Seeing out of the Sportage isn’t quite as easy, due to its narrower rear window and thicker rear pillars.
The XC60’s 9.0in infotainment touchscreen features crisp graphics and a convenient home button positioned below it (like old Apple iPads had). A lot of the icons are small, though, so they can be hard to hit accurately while you’re driving. The climate control functions are all located on the touchscreen, too, and they’re equally fiddly to operate.
The Kia Sportage’s 12.3in touchscreen looks sharp and responds swiftly to inputs, while its menus are easier to navigate than the XC60’s. The Sportage also benefits from having a dedicated air-con panel with a mixture of touch-sensitive controls and physical knobs that are easier to operate on the move.
The Sportage’s interior looks smart and feels solidly put together, featuring plenty of soft-touch materials and metallic-effect finishes at eye level. Some of the plastics found lower down are less pleasing, though.
The more upmarket XC60 has a clear advantage in the interior quality department. It’s as classy inside as the larger and more expensive Volvo XC90, with high-quality materials everywhere and great build quality.
Space and practicality
Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot
In the front, the Kia Sportage has slightly more head room and the Volvo XC60 more leg room, but you’d need to be a giant to notice; both are very airy. It’s a similar story in the rear seats; there’s more than enough head and leg room to allow a couple of six-footers to travel in comfort in both cars, although extra-lanky passengers might appreciate the XC60’s extra leg room.
Unlike the XC60, the Sportage has reclining rear seatbacks that allow passengers to get more comfortable on long journeys. If you need to free up extra boot space, the seatbacks split and fold in a versatile 40/20/40 arrangement, whereas the XC60’s have a conventional 60/40 split with a ski hatch in the middle to cater for longer items between outer rear passengers.
The boots in our contenders are large and well shaped, with the Sportage’s being a little deeper and the XC60’s a bit longer. Neither comes with a height-adjustable boot floor, but the XC60 has a slightly lower load lip for easier access. Both can accommodate a healthy eight carry-on suitcases below their load covers.
