2008
Kia Sportage
by Rebecca Antioco -09/2008
This review covers model years 2007 through 2008.
Kia is the little car company that could, striving to shed its poor label by manufacturing reasonably priced but good quality vehicles and slapping them with an industry-leading warranty. A few years ago, the company redesigned its compact SUV, making it into the car-based utility vehicle that it is today, one that’s stylish, comfortable and affordable — but not cheap.
Sportage is available in two trim levels, LX (with either an inline four-cylinder engine or a V-6) or EX (V-6 only), as either front-wheel or four-wheel drive. A four-speed automatic transmission is standard on all V-6 models and optional on the four-cylinder LX. Adding automatic transmission to this model also gets you standard air-conditioning, a must for desert-dwelling drivers. During my week of test driving, when temperatures hovered around 100 degrees, the A/C strained to cool the cabin adequately.
Standard equipment on the base LX includes six-speaker sound system, power windows and locks, cruise control, tilt steering, flat-folding front passenger seat, 60/40 split folding rear seat, and eight-way manual adjusting driver’s seat. A note here: Some of the seat adjustment is accomplished via knobs on the side of the seat that you turn to your desired setting. This type of manual adjustment, on any vehicle I’ve tested, is difficult to use, cumbersome and imprecise. Why it is used instead of a simple lever or any other mechanism is beyond me.
Upgrade to the V-6 equipped LX and you get much of the same, with the only added features being standard A/C and metallic accents to break up the sea of plastic on the interior. Moving up to the EX gets you a power sunroof, dual heated power mirrors, body-colored side cladding and fender flares, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shift, standard remote keyless entry and a trip computer.
The LX is available with optional sport package ($900), which is mostly an appearance upgrade, but also gets you keyless entry and an alarm system as well as MP3 compatibility on the stereo. A Luxury Package ($1300) is available for EX models and includes heated leather seating, an upgraded audio system, automatic headlamps, color-keyed bumpers and auto-dimming inside mirrors with HomeLink. Disappointingly, there is no auxiliary input for an iPod or other MP3 player, and no power-seat adjustment, even on the highest model EX.
Outside, the Sportage is an attractive, if average looking vehicle. It won’t turn any heads, but it won’t elicit any negative comments either. Interior appointments are basic, but not unattractive. The stereo controls are a bit economy-looking, and there is a lot of hard plastic everywhere, with metallic accents on the door handle insets, around the shifter and on the center console breaking up the monochromatic look in the EX.
I drove the EX 4x4 with the Luxury Package. Acceleration from the V-6 is average, and at 173 horsepower it’s only slightly more powerful than the 166-horsepower four-cylinders in Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. I would skip the base 140-horsepower four cylinder; it’s likely to feel underpowered under heavy acceleration. Aptly, the handling has a sporty feel, zipping around corners with minimal body lean. The four-speed automatic transmission performs admirably, although most competitors offer a five-speed. Still, most drivers won’t complain. The cabin is adequately insulated from road noise on the highway and the overall feel is comfortable and on the sporty side.
Sportage comes with an impressive list of safety features, including traction and stability control, and earned the government’s highest five-star rating in both front and side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Sportage its second-highest “Acceptable” rating in both front and side impacts.
There are some crossover vehicles on the market today with more powerful engines or more attractive interiors. But, in terms of value and bang for the buck, the Sportage is a good choice and worth at least a test drive.
