We used to tow with a 2.0 petrol version and 1250kg Caravan back in the late 90's
The combination was fair, but not brilliant it was fine on the flat but struggeled against headwinds and inclines. The early models also suffered from poor build quality, although i believe there have been some improvements in later models.
i recently sold a 2.0 diesel 137bhp model (57 plate). It towed my 1500kg 7.19m single axle van with no worries! Only hard thing was getting the nose weight to 75kg or under. Engine and gearbox well up to the job. Now i tow same van with Sorento. More power, less gears and even easier towing, especially with cruise control hehe. Plus it can handle a much higher nose weight. I gine the sportage a thumbs up, and the sorento a much bigger thumbs up lol!!
------------- Why am i doing this instead of camping??!!
There is another thread further down the list ,"Towing with CRV, Tucson etc" which has some input from Sportage owners, ( Tucso is essentially the same car too!).
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!