2011 Kia Sportage EX
Credit: Auto Week (http://www.autoweek.com)
EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I drove this from the airport to home and back to the office. I liked it for the most part. It's a good-looking little ute and definitely competitive with the Chevrolet Equinox, the Honda CR-V, the Toyota RAV4, etc.
The interior design is good for the most part and the center stack is intuitive. I'd like to see better materials and more comfortable seats for nearly $30,000, though. Maybe others will like the seats but personally I couldn't find a comfortable driving position.
The thing could use more power. A six-cylinder isn't optional though a four-cylinder turbo is on the way. That should help. This four is smooth enough but it has a bit of a chore hauling around this nearly 4,000-pound beast.
And the sticker price: No. One buys a Kia because it's cheap wheels. This car ain't cheap; it's priced right along with the Honda, the Chevy and the Toyota, all of which I'd take over this. To compel buyers, this car needs to be $23,000 as is.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR--AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: I'm with Wes. This is a competitive vehicle, but it needs to be less expensive to attract buyers to the Kia badge. It's well-equipped, with navigation, backup camera and satellite radio--the works--but some of that money should have gone into better steering and nicer interior materials. Put it this way: Hard plastic is still hard plastic, even if you inject color into the mold.
The steering was exactly what I've come to expect from automakers trying to emulate heavy European feel--it's just taut as a rubber band, so much so that my hands actually tire of holding the wheel. It'd be better if it didn't stray off course so much, requiring fairly constant tedious corrections.
Though the little four-cylinder is geared well to get the car off the line, it seems overmatched at highway speeds, where vigilance or cruise control is required to keep it running at the speed limit. I'd wait on the turbo.
COPY EDITOR CYNTHIA L. OROSCO-WRIGHT: We had fun in this Sportage over a busy weekend, and this funky crossover was up to the task. We started by loading up an overnight bag for a quick trip north--dressed as Star Wars characters for a Halloween party. In a long dress and cape, the driver's seat offered decent bolster and the footwell was spacious enough.
The four was smooth for merging onto the expressway and staying steady with 80-mph traffic, but it did seem overburdened some when trying to pass and when approaching hills and the like. The Sportage was solid if a bit tight at times. Braking was good.
On Saturday, we loaded three family members in the back seat for a kids' Halloween party. Even with the kids in costume, all three people fit fine, and the kids had room for their prizes and treats afterward. Everyone must have been comfy because both kids and my mom fell asleep on the ride home.
Aesthetically, I like the orange color inside and out. Yes, there is a lot of hard plastic, but the orange highlights, orange on the door panels and orange stitching on the seats made the interior pop. The audio/nav system was easy to use and the sounds were sweet. The backup camera is big and clear, and the panoramic roof was great on a warm fall day. There is decent space out back, but with our bag and a box back there, there wasn't much cargo room left. Not cool. But I did like the hunkered-down look of the sheetmetal.
All of that said, the Sportage is not bad package. But, the sticker seems a bit high. In this segment and for the price (or less), and for likely better fuel economy, I'd take an Equinox.
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CHERYL L. BLAHNIK: After seeing that I was slotted in a Kia for the night, I wasn't thrilled. But as I approached the Sportage in the parking garage, I began to get excited about its orange paint job and attractive sheetmetal. Then I saw the interior and was shocked at how good it looked with the splashes of the bright orange on the door panels and orange seat stitching, which help set off the cabin. Needless to say, my initial impressions were good.
Unlike Wes, I did find a comfortable seating position and was impressed by all the features this car is equipped with, like seat warmers, the double moonroof and a backup camera. The premium audio system also sounded good and was easy to use.
The biggest disappointment about this was the power, or lack of power. From the outside it looks as if it would be a peppy little ute perfect for jetting around town, but it's far from it. The four-cylinder got the job done, but the forthcoming turbocharged engine will make the drive more entertaining.
Overall, this is a big improvement for Kia--especially when it comes to styling. But as others have mentioned, it's priced too high. Paying nearly $30,000 for a Kia is something I don't think people are ready for quite yet.
MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: I think I fall somewhere in between my colleagues here. Generally, I liked this Sportage and found it to be a solid little SUV with some nice, fun styling elements and trim. Which, as noted, also let you down a bit once you look a little closer and especially when you place fingers to surface and find yourself thinking, "cool idea, average (at best) execution." But every time I fired up the engine and hit the road, the Sportage put me in a pretty good frame of mind, and I noted that gone are the days when driving around in a little Kia ute might have been a cause for embarrassment.
I didn't find the steering overly heavy, and I found a good seating position with ease. Obviously the Sportage is in need of a power boost, and no, you aren't going to bring home the entire Costco inventory, but good luck doing that in any of the small SUVs in this segment.
I think the Equinox is still the king of this group, but Kia is on the right path. The Sportage certainly has more fun spirit in my book than either the CR-V or the RAV4.
2011 Kia Sportage EX
Base Price: $25,490
As-Tested Price: $29,490
Drivetrain: 2.4-liter I4; AWD, six-speed automatic
Output: 161 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 161 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,737 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 24/22.0 mpg
Options: Premium package with color pack including heated front seats, push-button start with smart key, panoramic sunroof, rear sonar, auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink, heated outside mirrors, cargo cover ($2,500); navigation with premium audio, including satellite traffic and camera display, external amp and subwoofer ($1,500)
Credit: Auto Week (http://www.autoweek.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment