A smooth ride for a good price
If you are in the market for a small, affordable sport utility vehicle, you might want to check out the new Kia Sportage. The sportage used to be a very small and buzz-like, but it has grown up and gotten a lot quieter.
Unlike the previous model, the new Sportage is available with two engine options. You can either have a base 2.0 litre, in-line four-cylinder engine, which produces 140 hp. Or you can have a 2.7 litre V6, which produces 173 hp. Either way, you'll be getting a very quiet car.
Take note though, you won't be getting a fast car. The V6 might be decent at highway speeds, especially when you poke it, but speed is not the strong point.
![Kia Sportage](images/interrobang/10032005/kia_sportage.jpg)
Neither is handling. This has the softest suspension set-up I have come across in the last 10 years on any type of car. As a result, if your cargo isn't tied down it'll be shifting from side to side all the way home. There is, however, an upside to that mushy set-up; the ride is really comfortable on the highway. It makes a great highway cruiser, which I found out on my drive to Montreal. I have had both the four-cylinder and V6 models as test vehicles, and thankfully for my road trip, I had the V6 with me. That enabled me to keep a good pace on the road, however I wasn't passing by too many gas stations, and for a small SUV, it drank more than I expected.
On the plus side, I thought the interior was well put together and spacious, and I especially liked the reclining rear seats. On the down side, the trunk space is rather small.
Also a downer is the manual gearbox in the base model. The clutch feels like you're squishing a sponge, and the gearbox feels like you're spinning a screwdriver in a yogurt bowl. The plus point on the auto is the Steptronic automatic four-speed transmission, which allows you to change gears in an auto box. It's not really useful in a car of this type, but it's a nice additional feature to have. While this might be a mini-SUV, don't try to go off-roading with it; it's not really designed for that.
It's designed to be a year round vehicle which suits our climate just fine. The seven and half inch ground clearance would be great for those winter snowstorm months.
Now to the best part; not only does this vehicle have one of the best warranties on the market (five-year bumper to bumper), it has a very affordable price tag too. The price starts at just under $20,000 and comes loaded under $30,000, which makes it a good buy. So, if you are looking for an everyday vehicle, check this Kia out — you might be surprised.
Unlike the previous model, the new Sportage is available with two engine options. You can either have a base 2.0 litre, in-line four-cylinder engine, which produces 140 hp. Or you can have a 2.7 litre V6, which produces 173 hp. Either way, you'll be getting a very quiet car.
Take note though, you won't be getting a fast car. The V6 might be decent at highway speeds, especially when you poke it, but speed is not the strong point.
![Kia Sportage](images/interrobang/10032005/kia_sportage.jpg)
Neither is handling. This has the softest suspension set-up I have come across in the last 10 years on any type of car. As a result, if your cargo isn't tied down it'll be shifting from side to side all the way home. There is, however, an upside to that mushy set-up; the ride is really comfortable on the highway. It makes a great highway cruiser, which I found out on my drive to Montreal. I have had both the four-cylinder and V6 models as test vehicles, and thankfully for my road trip, I had the V6 with me. That enabled me to keep a good pace on the road, however I wasn't passing by too many gas stations, and for a small SUV, it drank more than I expected.
On the plus side, I thought the interior was well put together and spacious, and I especially liked the reclining rear seats. On the down side, the trunk space is rather small.
Also a downer is the manual gearbox in the base model. The clutch feels like you're squishing a sponge, and the gearbox feels like you're spinning a screwdriver in a yogurt bowl. The plus point on the auto is the Steptronic automatic four-speed transmission, which allows you to change gears in an auto box. It's not really useful in a car of this type, but it's a nice additional feature to have. While this might be a mini-SUV, don't try to go off-roading with it; it's not really designed for that.
It's designed to be a year round vehicle which suits our climate just fine. The seven and half inch ground clearance would be great for those winter snowstorm months.
Now to the best part; not only does this vehicle have one of the best warranties on the market (five-year bumper to bumper), it has a very affordable price tag too. The price starts at just under $20,000 and comes loaded under $30,000, which makes it a good buy. So, if you are looking for an everyday vehicle, check this Kia out — you might be surprised.