KIA Sportage review 2011
By Ian Lynas, 28th September 2010
KIA has hit the streets with what it's calling the "First Edition". It's a special version of the forthcoming Sportage, which proved to be a hit earlier this year with visitors to the Geneva Motor Show.
The newcomer is an eagerly-awaited model and arrives ahead of the range launch expected in November. There is a limited supply of these special cars - I am led to believe that this figure is around 850 units.
Why the First Edition tag? The answer is simple; when news broke of the new Sportage, current customers of the outgoing car and many potential new customers were keen to have one in their driveway. Kia in the UK put a request in to have new vehicles as early as possible, hence the First Edition was created.
I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a manual version recently. Right away I was struck by the quality of drive and the high specification that comes with the First Edition.
Value for money has always been a key feature with Kia and the First Edition Sportage is well priced. The AWD manual is £20,777 and the AWD Automatic is priced at £22,077 - metallic paint costs £435 extra.
Both these models are powered by the responsive 2-litre CDRi, which has been revised for the new Sportage range.
With the new vehicle comes a premium feel, it is more dynamic and specially adapted ride and handling tuned for our roads. This newcomer is capable of towing up to 2,000 kgs and CO2 figures are reduced by as much as 31g/km.
In keeping with the rest of the Kia range, the new Sportage comes complete with a seven year or 100,000 mile warranty and this has proved very successful for the Korean company. Not only does it bring peace of mind to the owner, but it has also assisted residual values.
Designed by Peter Schreyer this new crossover will compete with the Nissan Qashqai, Peugeot 3008, Ford Kuga and VW Tiguan and is longer, lower and wider than the SUV it replaces, it also weighs some 90 kgs less.
Perhaps the Sportage has lost some of its off-road prowess in the transition but when the going gets tough I am assured by Kia that it can perform. Perhaps at some future date I may get the opportunity to put this to the test.
Powering my test car was a 134bhp diesel engine allied to slick six-speed manual transmission. On a combined cycle, the car returned an impressive 47.1mpg and that is an improvement of 7.3mpg over the outgoing vehicle.
Providing the surefooted road holding is the intelligent electronically controlled single high-ratio all-wheel drive. This normally delivers 100% of engine torque to the front wheels but this can be redistributed up to a maximum of 60:40 front to rear to improve cornering stability or other situations where more traction is required. For off-road driving, you can manually select 'lock' mode, which gives a 50:50 torque split at speeds of up to 25mph.
The new Sportage gets a number of new electronic features: Electronic Stability Control, Downhill Brake Control, Hill Start Assist and a roll-over sensor.
Earlier, I referred to the high equipment levels on this First Edition model - these include full leather upholstery with heated front and rear seats, dual-zone climate control, an audio system with RDS radio, CD, MP3 and iPod connectivity. Further good news is that Bluetooth connectivity is standard.
There is a rear-view camera to assist parking, along with sensors and a further safety enhancement; daytime LED running lights are standard. Colour choice is excellent - five in total; my test car was finished in striking Techno Orange.
The final piece of good news is that this particular version has an insurance rating of 13 under the new 1-50 rating system.
