KIA Sportage 2010 Video Test
"Cute and chunky" are probably the best words to describe KIA's new Sportage SUV, a direct alternative to Nissan's hugely popular Qashqai.
Underneath, it's exactly the same as the Hyundai ix35, and cars for the UK are even built on the same production line at KIA's factory in Slovakia.
We weren't in Slovakia, though. We were in Korea, testing the car at Hyundai/KIA's Namyang R&D centre because, despite the fact that the new Sportage is on the road in Korea, our main reason for being there was to visit the R&D centre.
To drive, it's very similar to the Hyundai ix35, which is no big surprise. Not that I cold tell very much driving up and down a runway talking to camera trying to get a video made in the five minutes total I had with the car.
It comes on 16", 17" or 18" bling wheels with progressively less rubber between the rims and the road. I can't recommend the 18s for the UK, which, thanks to 13 years of labour misappropriation of road maintenance funds into traffic harming measures, now has some of the worst roads in the developed road. The seat and driving position were instantly comfortable.
The dash is designed to hold built-in satnav in the right place (a relatively new feature in Korean cars). It's easy to get in and out of. Comfortable in the back. And while the rear seats don't cantilever fold in the manner of the old Sportage, there's plenty of luggage space and (hopefully) a full size ally spare under the load deck. The full Eurospec tells you most of what you need to know.
The new twin turbo 1.7 litre diesel engine will feel a lot more lively than 115PS implies because it won't have the lack of torque at low revs that bedevils too many diesel engines. It's also very economical, and by next year, KIA hopes to get the CO2 down to 125g/km, which will even beat the 4WD Toyota Urban Cruiser and the 2WD Nissan Qashqai 1.5 diesel. Though like most Qashqais on the roads, the lowest CO2 Sportages will be two-wheel drive rather than four-wheel drive. You can't have everything.
Impressively, though, as in the ix35, the forthcoming petrol 1.6 litre ‘Gamma' GDI engine comes in at under 150g/km CO2 and the ‘R' type 2.0 litre diesel is 147g/km. So that's three chunky Sportage SUVs under £150g/km that saves first year registration tax and keeps the VED down in years to come.
KIA's own crash tests at Namyang lead it to fully expects a 5 star NCAP rating, though this will not be announced until November.
Full road test of a UK spec Sportage with UK road impressions coming soon.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS / EUROPE
New Kia Sportage
Body & Chassis
Five-door, five-seater compact SUV, with all-steel unitary construction bodyshell.
Choice of four transversely-mounted diesel and gasoline engines driving the front (2WD) or front and rear wheels (AWD) via a five-speed or six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission – depending on model.
Engines
DIESEL
2.0-litre / 136 ps Diesel [ Available from launch ]
Name / Type ‘R2.0’ / DOHC, four-cylinder in line, with single VGT
Capacity 2.0-litres, 1995 cc
Max power 136 ps (100.0 kW) @ 4000 rpm
Max torque 304 Nm (32.6 kg.m) @ 1800-2500 rpm
Fuel system CRDi, common-rail, high pressure, direct injection
Turbo system Variable geometry turbocharger (VGT)
Emissions class Euro 5
1.7-litre / 115 ps Diesel [ Available from late 2010 ]
Name / Type ‘U2’ / DOHC, four-cylinder in line, with single VGT
Capacity 1.7-litres, 1685 cc
Max power 115 ps (84.5 kW) @ 4000 rpm
Max torque 255 Nm (26.0 kg.m) @ 1800-2500 rpm
Fuel system CRDi, common-rail, high pressure, direct injection
Turbo system Variable geometry turbocharger (VGT)
Emissions class Euro 5
PETROL
2.0-litre / 163 ps Gasoline [ Available from launch ]
Name / Type ‘Theta II’ / DOHC, four-cylinder in line, with dual CVVT
Capacity 2.0-litres, 1998 cc
Max power 163 ps (120.0 kW) @ 6200 rpm
Max torque 194 Nm (19.8 kg.m) @ 4600 rpm
Fuel system Multi-point injection
Emissions class Euro 5
1.6-litre / 140 ps Gasoline [ Available from late 2010 ]
Name / Type ‘Theta II’ / DOHC, four-cylinder in line, with dual CVVT
Capacity 1.6-litres, 1591 cc
Max power 140 ps (103.0 kW) @ 6200 rpm
Max torque 166 Nm (17.0 kg.m) @ 4500 rpm
Fuel system Multi-point injection
Emissions class Euro 5
Transmissions
2.0D 1.7D 2.0G 1.6G
Manual 6-sp 6-sp 5-sp 6-sp
Automatic 6-sp ---- 6-sp ----
Drivetrains
2.0D MT/AT 1.7D MT 2.0G MT/AT 1.6G MT
2WD S / ---- S S / S S
AWD S / S ---- S / S ----
S = available as standard
2WD
Delivers 100% of torque to the front wheels. Safety aided by electronic Traction Control, ABS anti-lock braking and (optional) ESC with Downhill Brake Control and Hill-start Assist Control.
AWD
Full-time on demand electronically controlled single ratio (High) system delivers 100% of torque to front wheels during normal road driving. Manually selected ‘Lock Mode’ splits torque 50/50 between front/rear axles for enhanced stability during slippery conditions (up to 40 km/h).
Suspension & Damping
Front Fully independent by subframe-mounted MacPherson Struts, with coil springs and gas-filled shock absorbers. Anti-roll stabiliser bar.
Rear Fully independent by subframe-mounted multi-links, coil springs and gas-filled ASD shock absorbers.
Steering
Type MDPS, electric power-assisted rack and pinion
Overall ratio 15.9:1
Gearing 2.96 turns lock-to-lock
Turning circle 10.58 metres
Brakes
Power Single 11 -inch booster (LHD)
Tandem 8- & 9-inch booster (RHD)
Front 300 x 28 mm ventilated discs
Rear 262 x 10 mm (2WD) / 284 x 10 mm (AWD) solid discs
Parking brake Hand operated lever
ABS 4-channel anti-lock system with EBD
BAS Boosts braking power during emergency stops
DBC Downhill brake control maintains 8 km/h speed during descents
Wheels & Tyres
Standard Alloy 16 in x 6.5J 215/70 R16 tyres
Options Alloy 17 in x 6.5J 225/60 R17 tyres
Alloy 18 in x 6.5J 235/55 R18 tyres
Spare (Standard) Tyre mobility kit
Spare (Option) Full size alloy wheel and tyre
DIMENSIONS
Exterior (mm)
Overall length 4440 Overall width* 1855
Overall height 1635** Wheelbase 2640
Front track 1614 Rear track 1615
Front overhang 890 Rear overhang 910
Ground clearance 172
*excluding door mirrors / **excluding roof rack
Interior (mm) Front Rear
Headroom 992 977
Legroom 1051 963
Shoulder room 1440 1400
Hip room 1364 1246
Capacities (all models)
Fuel tank 55 litres
Luggage (VDA) 564 litres (behind rear seats)
1353 litres (behind front seats, rear seats folded)
Off-road Capabilities
Approach angle 22.7 degrees Departure angle 28.2 degrees
Ramp over angle 17.7 degrees Roll over angle 45.0 degrees
Max climb angle 44.19 degrees
Weights (kg)
2.0D MT/AT 2.0G MT/AT
All-wheel drive
Kerb weight (min.) 1525 / 1601 1450 / 1469
Gross weight 2140 / 2140 2030 / 2030
Towing (max) kg* 2000 / 1600 2000 / 1600
2-wheel drive
Kerb weight (min.) 1458 / ---- 1380 / 1397
Gross weight 2090 / ---- 1980 / 1980
Towing (max) kg* 2000 / 1600 2000 / 1600
Performance
2.0D MT/AT 2.0G MT/AT
All-wheel drive
Top speed / kph 181 / 180 182 / 180
0-to-100 kph / sec 11.3 / 12.1 10.7 / 11.2
2-wheel drive
Top speed / kph 182 / 182 184 / 182
0-to-100 kph / sec 10.8 / 11.9 10.4 / 10.6
Fuel Economy (litres/100 km)**
2.0D MT/AT 2.0G MT/AT
All-wheel drive
Combined cycle 5.7 / ---- 7.6 / 8.2
CO2 g/km 149 / ---- 181 / 195
2-wheel drive
Combined cycle 5.5 / ---- 7.5 / 7.9
CO2 g/km 147 / ---- 177 / 187
*trailer with brakes
**fuel consumption and CO2 data, manufacture’s estimated figures
