Kia Sportage review

Beautiful New SUV

Well Priced, So-Called “Crossover” Is Dripping With Kit
Will Disappoint 14 Year Olds Seeking “Fun” Behind The Wheel
***** out of 5

For – beautiful, fully equipped, well priced, massive guaranty
Against – I can’t think of any

The British media’s love of the status quo is legendary. For years, newspapers and magazines wrote knocking copy about Japanese cars, while demonstrating a tin ear to the qualities that buyers craved; value for money and reliability above all. I’m not sure why they did it. Perhaps it was a knee jerk reaction, trying to please their perceived European masters who were producing the unreliable dross that the incoming Japanese were showing up.

In the event, the Japanese forced European manufacturers to raise their standards of quality and reliability.

Korean manufacturers are now getting the same brain dead treatment, with parts of the British media apparently unaware that Hyundai and Kia have been quietly transforming themselves from purveyors of honest, cheap and cheerful motors to providers of stylish, must-have machines, all at competitive prices and carrying mind-bogglingly impressive guarantees.

The Sunday Times report on the new Kia Sportage was typical. Headlined “There’s a string vest under that sharp suit”, the report can’t hide the fact that car looks absolutely fantastic – look at the pictures, it’s beautiful – so it tries to undermine it with comments about the way it handles, and saying its performance is poor. “There’s little fun to be had from handling it on a winding road”, says the Sunday Times aiming its comments at an audience it perhaps thinks is about 14. If there’s anybody out there with the resources to buy an SUV who wants “fun” on winding roads, and changed their minds about what to buy because of that, I’ll shut down this website forthwith.

I can tell you that the Sportage handles perfectly adequately. It goes quiet fast enough to satisfy any normal person. The interior is high quality and well thought out, although the Sunday Times says it is inconsistent, whatever that means. The economy remains to be seen. Kia claims an average of 47.1 mpg. I haven’t been able to test that yet, but my first reaction is “in your dreams”.

Lighter, less solid
I drove the Sportage after jumping out of a Nissan Qashqai+2, and the Kia felt much lighter, less solid (not surprisingly) than the heavier Nissan, which costs about £6,000 more (including the third row of seats) and has a much shorter warranty. On a route through Sussex with little high speed stuff and many corners, the Sportage drove well. It went where I pointed it with no fuss. It didn’t roll about. The suspension didn’t like the worst British roads, but what does. The gearbox worked well. On brief highway-type interludes the Sportage cruised quietly and sedately. Because the Sportage is less powerful than the Nissan, it goes a bit wobbly in top gear if you let the speed dip under about 40 mph. So you change down at 40 mph, right? The interior was nice.

I first set eyes on the new Sportage at last March’s Geneva Car Show, and I’ve been excited about it ever since. Its looks are remarkably attractive, are they not?

The first example of the new Sportage is now on sale in limited numbers in Britain in the form of a First Edition, priced at £20,777 with a huge number of what European manufacturers would call extras. It has a 2.0 litre diesel engine developing 134 bhp. There’s a six speed manual gearbox. An automatic version later this year will cost £22,077. It has four-wheel drive, but later versions will be available with just front-wheel drive.

Alphabet soup
The alphabet soup of computerised safety devices on the First Edition includes downhill brake control for more efficient off-roading, Hill -Start Assist Control and a Roll-over Sensor. The car also has leather seats which are heated front and rear, dual-zone climate control and an audio system that incorporates an RDS radio, a CD player and MP3, USB and iPod connectivity. There’s a rear-view safety camera, front fog-lights, rear privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels complete the package. How impressive is that for under £21,000?

Later, cheaper, versions will offer the choice of a 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol or a 1.7-litre turbodiesel engines with Stop and Go technology, and the option of two-wheel drive.

This third-generation Kia Sportage is new from bumper to bumper and tyres to roof. It is more dramatically styled than the car it replaces, which was a bit square and dumpy. Now Kia calls it a “crossover”, really meaning that it is still an SUV, but is now more car-like and much lighter. It does the same stuff as an SUV – carrying more luggage with more space for people than a car, off-road if necessary.

Built in Slovakia
The new Sportage is longer, lower and wider than the old one. It also weighs around 90kg less and has a sleeker aerodynamic profile, with a CD down from 0.40 to 0.37.

The new Sportage will be built at the company’s factory at Zilina, in Slovakia, where the outgoing model has been made since September 2007.

Neil Winton – September 1, 2010