Kia Sportage EX CRDi 2007 Review

Road Test

It is now safe to delete pre-conceptions about what the name Kia Sportage represented in Australia. No longer a flawed pretender, the Sportage is an all-new vehicle priced and engineered at a competitive enough level to be a worthy alternative to the established Japanese leaders in this segment.

The effortless performance and outstanding fuel economy of the manual diesel version tested here also highlights how the diesel versions of its Japanese rivals can't get here fast enough.

The test covered over 500km of challenging mountain country, repeated first gear wading through floods, long distance highway cruising and stop-start city work. The overall 7.65lt/100km fuel consumption figure was impressive. A slight hesitation under light throttle, low speed, acceleration which seemed to fix itself was the only item to raise an eyebrow about an engine that simply got on with the job without fuss.

The Sportage's Hyundai Tucson origins generated expectations of a fidgety ride but in contrast to some Korean softroaders, the Sportage diesel is remarkably quiet and smooth over choppy surfaces -- enough in this case for passengers to comment on it.

Keen drivers will find that the price for this easy-going suspension feel is a lack of damper control over dips at high speeds and a little too much body movement in really rough going. Indeed this was the case to the point where you would need to slow down to avoid damage.

However, the Sportage's constant four-wheel-drive system allows the driver to manually lock in an equal 50:50 torque split front to rear via a simple dash switch to allow more control than most small softroaders. Along with its extra clearance, diesel engine and high-mounted induction intake, the Sportage inspired confidence while driving through water deep enough to drown petrol-engined 4X4s. Onlookers were impressed.

For an application where the Sportage spent most of its time in the city with occasional excursions into the bush, but not seriously offroad, it is a good compromise, as long as ride quality scores over tight handling. It concedes ultimate leadership in this segment when the new X-TRAIL for example, seems to achieve both.

Yet the roadholding and handling of the Sportage is far better than driver feedback would indicate. In convoy with some of its more mainstream rivals with a load onboard, the Sportage with the extra torque of its diesel could launch more quickly out of the corners than expected and soon create a large gap.

It also had reasonable handling balance, not that many drivers would ever find out.

First impressions when pushing into a corner are of a vehicle resisting a change in direction when the steering loads up so heavily. Yet the high steering loads are not accompanied by tyre scrub and the imminent feeling of ploughing straight ahead that would normally indicate excessive understeer.

Punch through this extra steering effort and the Sportage has far better grip than the steering loads and lean would indicate. For novice drivers, it could provide a useful safety margin while for others, it is an annoyance you soon learn to ignore.

The diesel works well with the in-house six-speed manual, a transmission that seems to provide a ratio for most situations short of serious offroading. The trick is to use it to keep the diesel humming in its torque band and to get it into sixth gear at every opportunity when the engine spins at only 2100rpm at 100km/h.

Even if hills and open sweepers dictate one or two downshifts, the engine has enough torque to short-shift from fourth to sixth when accelerating on the flat.

The cruise control will hold 100km/h in most highway situations without a downshift; something that can't be said for all the manual petrol engines in this segment. A proper lockout for reverse helps define a crowded gate.

The diesel itself seems exceptionally smooth and unobtrusive, certainly better in these departments than the VW Golf diesel on test immediately after.

The Sportage's packaging would be of little consequence if these basics were not right but the cabin, styling and load area are also now highly competitive with no oddball Korean touches.

It is not often you encounter seats these days with cloth inserts and vinyl bolsters but in this case the vinyl felt better than was once the norm and suits the application. Although flatter and narrower than ideal, the front seats provided reasonable location and there were no aches and pains over the long test distances.

The dash surfaces were hard but didn't look as cheap as previous Korean efforts and the brushed aluminium highlights were of better quality than the more common, soft and easily-marked silver paint. There is plenty of storage including large door bins that could also hold drink bottles. The only downside is that the test car's non-standard climate control will be downgraded to normal air-conditioning to match local pricing. It's a pity when the climate control system was quite good.

This cost-shaving reflects Kia's specific packaging of the diesel Sportage range. The entry $32,490 model on test has obviously been configured as an alternative to petrol rivals but the side and curtain airbags increasingly regarded as the norm in this family-friendly market are missing.

Unlike the petrol Sportage models, ESP is standard and just as well, when the diesel has enough grunt to make things untidy. For an extra $3000, at least you can order the extra airbags as part of the Limited pack which also includes leather trim and sunroof. When this is little more than the cost of some marque's leather upgrades, it's good value.

Of particular interest in this test was the rear seat's ability to fold and lock down both the seat cushion and backrest in one simple motion to form a perfectly flat and long cargo platform. This left enough cargo height to carry a mountain bike down each side of the luggage area vertically after the front wheels were removed. The space left between the bikes was enough for luggage for two over four days.

The rear liftback window which can be opened without disturbing the liftback proved particularly useful in filling the space between the bikes. The only complaint about the luggage area was the ease with which its plastic covering marked when shifting the luggage. It prompted lining the whole area with old blankets as the vehicle would have returned from this test looking very secondhand if our first attempts at loading were an indication.

And that's the diesel Sportage -- robust, smooth riding and safe handling and with generic styling that won't offend. At $32,490, its great diesel makes it close enough to the main players to be treated seriously. The only catch is that Kia covers the extra cost of the diesel powertrain by making you pay extra for the safety levels now standard on Japanese petrol rivals.

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