KIA SPORTAGE 2.0-LITRE PETROL
If Youre After A Budget 4x4 And Want The Security Of A New Purchase, Look No Further Than Kias Sportage 2.0-Litre. Andy Enright Reports
Few things are cut and dried when it comes to purchasing new cars. Heres one that is. If you want a compact 4x4, and dont want to spend a lot of money, either buy secondhand or buy a
Kia Sportage 2.0-litre model.
As one of the least expensive contemporary 4x4 its possible to buy, the Sportage offers a modern and smartly styled compact sports utility thats slick enough to pass muster.
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There are some less expensive 4x4s than the
Kia, but these are based on rather ageing platforms and are a good deal less sophisticated. The Sportage is based on the same chassis as the
Hyundai Tucson, yet crucially undercuts the Hyundai by a few hundred pounds. This is significant, as in many respects,its Hyundai putting a toe in the water and assessing whether they can charge a few hundred pounds extra for some perceived badge equity. My advice would be to show Hyundai what they can do with this venture and stick with the Kia.
Its materially no inferior to the Tucson and offers the same advantages and shortcomings. Somewhat improbably, the Hyundai Elantra hatchback provides the underpinnings for both the Sportage and the Tucson. This should also give you a clue as to why the Sportage rides so well on road. The suspension set up is a good deal more sophisticated than the rather rudimentary configurations found on many small 4x4s and offers car-like levels of comfort twinned with a refreshing lack of lurch and roll.
The part time four-wheel drive system does just enough to offer a degree of off road capability yet doesnt mean the car is encumbered by heavy duty hardware thats very rarely used. In fact the Sportage operates in front-wheel drive mode most of the time and most will find the 2.0-litre petrol engine more than adequate. With 141bhp on tap, the engine uses continuously variable valve timing and thrives on revs.
Peak power arrives at a very high 6,000rpm and the modest 136lb/ft peak torque arrives at 4,500rpm. This should tell you a couple of things. Firstly, that this petrol engine isnt great at the sort of low-down lugging required of serious off roaders and secondly that if you want to get anywhere quickly, youll need to work the engine to do so. Engine refinement isnt the best, but the good news is that the powerplant sounds reasonably purposeful.
Its also surprisingly brisk in a straight line, the Sportage getting to 60mph in 11.1 seconds and running on to a top speed of 108mph. The styling is a good deal more contemporary and certainly isnt going to look out of place amongst a gaggle of
Toyota RAV4s and
Honda CRVs. Two equipment levels will be available as will an automatic transmission option.
Buyers choose between XE and XS specs at prices starting from £14,495.
"The Sportage is modern in both execution and philosophy"
The Sportage also adopts a few MPV-style practicality features. The rear
seat cushion and the backrest are a case in point, adopting Kias Fold and Dive system. Whilst it may sound like a tactic taught by Argentinean football coaches, it is in fact a method of creating a spacious, square-sided and completely flat cargo area. The front passenger seat backrest can also be folded flat to house extra long loads and at the back theres even a flip-up rear window which means that items can be dropped into the luggage area without having to open the tailgate.
Not that opening the tailgate is overly difficult. Unlike many compact 4x4s, the Sportage is big enough to keep the spare wheel in its proper place under the luggage bay floor instead of mounting it on the rear tailgate. This means that the tailgate is pleasantly light to open and doesnt whistle at motorway speeds a problem that afflicts cars with hatch mounted spares. Kia are bullish about the latest Sportages prospects, expecting it to shift 20,000 units per year across Europe.
"The new Kia Sportage is a next generation vehicle sporty and elegant, adaptable and spacious", commented Jean-Charles Lievens, Vice President of Kia Motors Europe. "It will offer Kia customers three modern vehicles in one with passenger car refinement, ride and handling, sports utility vehicle exterior, ease of access and four-wheel grip, plus estate-like versatility, people space and cargo space." Whilst its doubtless true that the Sportage will perform the crossover role with aplomb, such claims usually fall flat on their face as the jack of all trades scenario arises. At around £14,500, this Sportage undercuts its Hyundai Tucson cousin significantly and arguably brings a new level of sophistication to a market that was previously populated by some rather uninspiring products. Features like traction control, ESP stability control and front, side and curtain airbags were once the province of 4x4s nudging £20,000. The cabin is styled in a broadly inoffensive manner with far more attention paid to ergonomics than its rather haphazardly styled predecessor.
If only Kia could prevent themselves adding icky plastic wood to the dashboards. The Sportage interior waves goodbye to the acres of featureless elephant-grey plastics and instead offers a neat cluster of instruments on the centre console, mounted high so that you dont need to go fishing about at shin level to adjust the air conditioning. On the other side of the steering wheel assembly are the switches for the four-wheel drive system and the ESP stability control while the fascia itself features a metallic bezel around the main instruments. The exterior styling is neat without offering too much in the way of signature detail.
The chunky wheelarches give the car a rather overinflated look but the overall effect is not unpleasant. It just blends into the background a little. Perhaps this is Kias strategy. Offering a car that looks not unlike many rivals costing thousands of pounds more may indeed be a wise move.
The only change Id consider would be the fitment of wider wheels to fill out those chunky arches a little more convincingly. The Sportage 2.0-litre is a whole generation ahead of rivals like the
Suzuki Grand Vitara in terms of quality, styling and appeal. Although higher mileage drivers may prefer to save for the 2.
0-litre diesel model, for most customers this petrol engine will be more than adequate. Buying a modern compact 4x4 neednt mean mortgaging yourself to the hilt any more.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Kia Sportage 2.0 petrol range
PRICES: £14,495-£15,995 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 11
CO2 EMISSIONS: 187-194g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 11.1s / Max Speed 108mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (Combined) 34.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4325/1830/1730mm [est]
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