Thursday, June 11, 2015

Kia Sportage is Further Proof That the Korean Firm Are Officially Coming of Age

The apostrophe in the name Kia Cee'd is rather annoying.

I wish they had just left it as Ceed, perhaps claiming it was short for Exceedingly Good. And like Mr Kipling, they are having their cake and eating it.

Is there no stop to the march of the Koreans?

They have announced this week that their biggest-selling car Cee'd has now just topped one million sales in under a decade. Clearly the apostrophe did the trick.

The Cee'd gets a facelift later in the year, pictures were leaked this week on a German website, but the Sportage has already been freshened up with the Sorento with a new Optima and Optima Estate to come next year – maybe even a sports car on the way.

But the Sportage is still king of the school run.

It still looks the business with the tiger nose grille, the slim headlights with LED highlights and even the sculpted shape of the top of the windscreen.

The chrome trim on the side windows, smart alloys and sloping roofline give it a sleek side profile, while the curvy rear completes the transformation from rugged sport utility to stylish crossover.

The Sportage, at 4440mm long and 1855mm wide, is actually bigger than the old Sportage. There is decent head and legroom, although the sloping roofline means rear headroom is tight for tall adults.

The boot has capacity of 564 litres to easily swallow the big supermarket shop - plus the rear seats fold flat, giving the Sportage the versatility demanded by active owners or growing families.

If the exterior is still bang up-to-date, the interior is also on the money. It's packed with subtle design features - including a dashboard that copies the lines of the front grille.

The trim and finish are a marked improvement for Kia.

And it's just as impressive on the road. Kia engineers spent a lot of time developing the Sportage for British roads - giving it suspension to cope with our potholes and uneven surfaces.

They've done a sound job because the Sportage soaks up the bumps in style, and the handling feels more car-like than SUV.

I drove their 1.7-litre turbo diesel - it's refined and is a decent performer. The six-speed gearbox is smooth and I got about 50mpg, which is not bad at all for a 4x4.

The Sportage also comes with the choice of either two or all-wheel drive - the latter a must for our winters - or even our springs, considering the gritters were out this week.

But for all the extra looks and quality, Kia have kept prices very competitive. The 1.6-litre 2WD petrol starts at £17,500, while the entry-level 2WD diesel I drove was £19,100 - still a real bargain compared to more illustrious rivals.

Then add in Kia's seven-year warranty and the styling and it's a hard car to ignore – and it doesn't get an annoying apostrophe in the name!

FACT FILE

Model: Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDi 1 2WD 5dr

Engine: 1.7-litre diesel

Power: 114bhp

Top speed: 107mph

0-60mph: 12.3seconds

Average mpg: 54

Co2 emissions: 135g/km

Warranty: 84 months / 100000 miles

Price: $19,100

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