<<BACK TO HOME

Nargess Shahmanesh-Banks test drives the new Kia Sportage in Switzerland
It's easy to create a perfectly styled and engineered car on an unlimited budget. What requires flair and imagination is crafting one like the Sportage that has been produced under limited funds and within a tight framework, says Nargess Shahmanesh-Banks.

The 2005 Sportage aims at attracting the customer who is new to the SUV market, yet believes that driving one will change his/her imag
Stylishly designed on the outside, yet roomy inside

The SUV market is a crucial one for carmakers with recent data hinting at European demand growing faster than the overall new car market, reaching as much as a million units a year by late 2008! Additionally, according to Kia, 35 per cent of this figure will be for small SUVs.

The Sportage is Kia's answer to the small SUV genre. The original model, launched back in 1993, went on to become Kia's global best seller, selling over 550,000 units. The new one, built at the Kwangju factory in Korea, aims at an even wider global market share.

"Despite keeping its name, the new Sportage is completely different to its predecessor in every respect," says Paul Williams, MD of Kia Motors UK. The old Sportage was a practical vehicle that lived up to its price and image. The 2005 model is all that and more.

In terms of design this is an astonishingly well packaged product with just enough extra styling to set it apart from its direct competitors the likes of Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, to name a few. What also sets it apart from the pack is an incredibly competitive price tag that will guarantee a large share of the small SUV market for the Korean carmaker.

Compact yet roomy

A little larger than the average small SUV, Sportage’s long wheelbase (2630 mm), overall width (1800 mm) and modest overhangs, push the wheels out towards each corner for good stability, agile handling, a supple ride, good approach (28.8°) and departure angles (28.9°) for off-road agility.

Longer (4350 mm), wider (1800 mm) and higher (1695 mm) than the average small SUV, the car offers much of the technical sophistication and stylish looks of the more grown-up Kia Sorento SUV, but in a smaller package.

Inside is roomy with total cabin volume allowing for 2943 litres of space. The top-hinged tailgate with its flip-up rear window makes loading the Sportage simple and convenient. A unique rear seat design has a new ‘drop & fold’ one-touch system, which lowers the cushion and ensures the backrest folds fully flat to create a spacious, square-sided, flat-floored cargo area, more than 1.6 metres long. To accommodate even longer loads, the front passenger seat backrest folds forwards, lying flat on the cushion. The top-hinged tailgate features a flip-up window for loading versatility.

The Sportage will be available with a single 5-door hatchback body style with a choice of three engines, 2 litre and 2.7 litre V6 petrol as well as a 2 litre diesel, four-wheel-drive powertrain, five-speed manual or four-speed with manual-mode automatic transmissions, and two trim/equipment levels, XE and XS.

The 2 litre, 16 valve petrol engine has continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), which automatically adjusts the valve timing to boost performance and engine throttle response and to enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions, at low and medium engine speeds. This engine generates 142 ps (104 kW) at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 184 Nm (136 lb ft) at 4,500 rpm. Matched to a manual transmission, this engine delivers fuel consumption of 34.4 mpg on the combined cycle, with a CO2 rating of 194 g/km.

For the ultimate in Sportage performance, the powerful V6 petrol engine is available, a lightweight, compact, all-aluminium 2.7 litre, 175 ps (129 kW) engine. It is equipped with 24-valves, multi-point injection and three-stage variable intake system to boost torque at low and medium revs, while also delivering rapid response to driver commands and efficient fuel combustion. It generates 241 Nm (178 lb ft) of torque at 4,000 rpm and is the fastest accelerating model in the new range, reaching 100 km/h in just 10.3 seconds. On the combined cycle, fuel consumption is 28.2 mpg and the CO2 figure is 237 g/km with the standard automatic transmission.

The 2.0 litre CRDi diesel choice generates a maximum power of 113 ps (83 kW) at 4,000 rpm and torque of 245 Nm (181 lb ft) at 1,800 to 2,500 rpm. With this engine, fuel consumption on the combined cycle is 39.8 mpg with manual transmission and 35.3 mpg with the automatic, giving CO2 ratings of 187 g/km and 210 g/km respectively.

The new-generation ‘adaptive’ four-speed automatic transmission is available as an option on the diesel and as standard with the V6 petrol engine. It offers fully automatic operation, or a driver-operated sequential manual mode. Safety features include twin front, side and full length curtain airbags, as standard on all models.

Kia is aiming high with its current and future product line-up. Market share in 2004 reached a record 1.11 per cent. "Our sales strength is based on a balanced product portfolio rather than relying on one or two models. This gives our brand broader appeal as well as contributing to the profitability of our network," says Williams.

"It took Kia 10 years to achieve its first 50,000 sales but the company is now on target to exceed the same figure in just two years (2003-2004) and plans to be selling 50,000 cars in a single year by 2006," he adds. Nine product launches took place between 1991 and 1999 with 16 more planned between 2004 and 2007.

Founded in Korea only 60 years ago, Kia is currently Europe's fastest growing car band. The company predicts total global exports for 2004 to reach 800,000. The carmaker that was saved by current parent company Hyundai six years ago has begun building its first European assembly plant in Slovakia, where cars will begin to roll off the production line in 2006.

Kia also has a research and development centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, where cars of the future are designed and engineered. The centre produces distinctive styling for Europe's discerning customers. It also has a flagship R&D centre in Namyang, Korea, plus centres in the US and Japan to ensure superior product development for years to come.

Why the success? Kia knows that it cannot sell on brand alone, that it needs to offer a little extra to gain market share. It is simply this brand honesty that has made Kia such a success particularly in a more fussy market like Europe and will increasingly win markets for the smaller Huyndai arm. It is also this factor that will, perhaps, help parent company achieve its goal of becoming fifth largest global carmaker by 2010.