More Bang, Less Buck

[BMWDave]

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More Bang, Less Buck
By Dan Kahn
Date posted: 06-20-2005

Our first day with the new 2005 Kia Sportage, we decided to pick up a friend for lunch in status-obsessed Brentwood, California. You probably know the place as the former home of O.J. and The Governator.

As she walked toward the little SUV, our trendy friend's first words were, "What is that?"

"It's the new Kia Sportage," we replied.

"Oh?. A Kia? Are those things even safe?"

"Not only is it safe," we said. "This new Sportage is part of a recent wave of cars and SUVs from South Korea's second-largest automaker that are well-designed, well-built and comfortable, and they typically cost thousands less than the Japanese competition. And just for that, you're paying for lunch."

Although Japan still dominates the ultracompetitive small-SUV market, prices have been creeping up on the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 over the past few years. So the window of opportunity is open, and Kia's latest 'ute, which is a mechanical twin to the Hyundai Tucson, packs a ton of practical features into a sporty package for thousands less.

Shop Smart
Our 2005 Kia Sportage EX 4x4 carried a $21,400 base price, which includes a V6 engine, traction and stability control, side curtain and seat-mounted side airbags, power windows and locks, keyless entry, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a sunroof. An extra $1,300 got us the Luxury Package, which adds monochromatic bumpers, nicely contoured heated leather seats, automatic headlamps and an in-dash six-disc CD changer stereo. Other options included side step bars ($340) and a tow hitch ($340), neither of which we found particularly useful.

Total sticker price was $23,970, but we ran some numbers on the Edmunds.com True Market Value calculator and found this vehicle typically sells for $22,322 after rebates. In contrast, the only Honda CR-V with heated leather seats and four-wheel drive is the Special Edition model, which carries a TMV price of $24,278 and isn't even available with a V6.

The Sportage also includes a five-year/unlimited mileage bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Honda only covers its cars for three years or 36,000 miles. Things were starting to look up for the little Kia.

Putting the Sport in Sportage
Right off the bat, the new Sportage feels much improved over the previous model. Based on a modified Kia Spectra/Hyundai Elantra unibody passenger car platform, the new 'ute is tighter and more responsive than the old body-on-frame version. The steering isn't very precise, but there's enough resistance to prevent that twitchy oversensitive sensation many SUVs suffer from.

Hard cornering certainly isn't the Sportage's forte, but it handles respectably well for a vehicle in this class. Push too hard and the standard stability and traction control programs will intervene to keep you headed in the right direction.

In the slalom, tire adhesion proved disappointing, but body roll was well controlled and the steering felt great. When we tested a Tucson recently, the vehicle's power steering couldn't keep up with the car and gave up halfway through the test. The Sportage didn't have this problem.

Braking is also commendable thanks to standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS. Stops from 60 mph take just 120 feet. A CR-V needs 129 feet.

Not Enough Power to Burn
While lower-cost Sportage HX models come with a 140-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder, the EX is powered by 2.7-liter, 173-hp V6. The dual-overhead cam six isn't a towering inferno of power, but it's remarkably smooth, offers enough juice to pass big rigs on the highway and makes the little truck fun to hop around town in.

Its off-the-line oomph, however, could be better. Its 0-to-60-mph time of 10.7 seconds is two full seconds slower than the last four-cylinder Honda's CR-V we tested, which was 200 pounds lighter and had a five-speed manual transmission.

The rest of the running gear is pretty standard for a small SUV. The four-speed automatic isn't quite as smooth as the five-speed units offered by Honda and Toyota, but it always manages to keep the V6 right in its power band. The "Shiftronic" manual-shift mode is a little gimmicky, as the transmission still shifts when it wants to and we don't see much point in manually shifting a vehicle like this anyway.

Yes Snow, Dirt No
Kia calls this Sportage a 4x4, but in reality it's better suited to pavement-bound activities. Four-wheel independent suspension, all-wheel drive and an electronically activated center-locking differential help the Kia power over snowdrifts or the occasional dirt road, but with only 7.7 inches of ground clearance and the lack of a low-range, you'd be better off skipping off-road trails.

It's What's Inside That Counts
They say true beauty comes from within, and that is certainly true with the Sportage. Not that the little SUV is ugly, far from it. The lines are soft and inoffensive with a decidedly organic look, but it's the Sportage's interior that really shines.

The Kia's cabin feels downright cavernous. The Sportage boasts 40.7 inches of front headroom and 42.1 inches of front legroom, both of which best the CR-V's dimensions. It's interesting to note that the Honda is a full 10 inches longer overall (181.8 inches versus 171.3 inches), meaning the Sportage is not only more space-efficient, it's also easier to parallel park.

Rear-seat leg- and headroom aren't quite as plentiful, but still more than acceptable for a vehicle in this class. Cargo space measures 23.6 cubic feet with the seats up and 67 cubic feet when they're folded flat. Not surprisingly, the larger CR-V offers more space; 33.5 cubic feet with its seats up and 72 cubic feet when its rear seat is folded. But the Sportage proved large enough. We hauled everything from engine parts to birthday presents with no problem.

Fit and finish is impressive, even luxurious considering the $23K price tag. The seats are firm and supportive, and the eight-way power-adjustable driver seat (standard on the HX) makes it easy to find a comfortable position. Most of the two-tone interior panels are covered in either soft-touch or textured material, save for a few brushed-aluminum trim pieces that do a nice job of dressing things up.

The triple-dial climate controls feel a little flimsy, but they're well within reach and easy to operate. Also, the in-dash six-disc CD changer stereo pumps out plenty of crystal-clear tunes, but we didn't love the old-school LCD display or the fact that despite the "MP3" label on the head unit it refused to play some (but not all) of our MP3 CDs.

Slamming doors on the Sportage produces a satisfyingly solid thump, and wind and road noise are kept to a minimum. Sitting behind the leather-wrapped wheel, it feels like a more expensive vehicle than it is.

The Bottom Line
Kia has come a long way from its roots as a cheap bargain-basement alternative to the Japanese Big Three. Its cars and SUVs just keep getting better, but prices have remained relatively low.

With the possible exception of a few status-conscious West L.A. snobs, the 2005 Kia Sportage would be a great pick for any small-SUV shopper who holds value in higher regard than nameplate recognition. Sporty handling, a 10-year warranty and an impressive list of standard safety equipment combined with a price tag $2,000 lower than the competition makes Kia's latest sport-ute a real bargain in our book.

[280Z Turbo]

I gotta admit, some of these new Hyundais and Kias are starting to look more and more attractive.

The only downside is that a Korean badge doesn't exactly say high class. It's like the store brand version of Fruit Loops. It tastes the same, but it's just not as good without Toucan Sam on the box.

This coming from a Datsun owner. :P  

[ifcar]

The 2.7-liter V6 is the car's only problem, designed before Hyundai/Kia was actually doing well.  

[R33 GT-R]

They look good stock but when they are slammed they look really good.

[TurboDan]

The 2.7-liter V6 is the car's only problem, designed before Hyundai/Kia was actually doing well.

Are they unreliable or something?

[ifcar]

It's just underpowered and not especially fuel efficient.

[Raza]

The Koreans are making leaps and bounds in quality.  It won't be long before the rest of the manufacturers have to take them seriously.

[BMWDave]

The Koreans are making leaps and bounds in quality.  It won't be long before the rest of the manufacturers have to take them seriously.

They pretty much already have to take them seriously.

[Raza]

The Koreans are making leaps and bounds in quality.  It won't be long before the rest of the manufacturers have to take them seriously.

They pretty much already have to take them seriously.

Only at the bottom of the spectrum.  I mean overall.

[R33 GT-R]

The Koreans are making leaps and bounds in quality.? It won't be long before the rest of the manufacturers have to take them seriously.

They pretty much already have to take them seriously.

Only at the bottom of the spectrum.  I mean overall.

Yea, hence all the crazy deals being offered this month at dealerships across the US.  

[Raza]

The Koreans are making leaps and bounds in quality.  It won't be long before the rest of the manufacturers have to take them seriously.

They pretty much already have to take them seriously.

Only at the bottom of the spectrum.  I mean overall.

Yea, hence all the crazy deals being offered this month at dealerships across the US.

New models are coming in soon, though.  That's part of it.

[R33 GT-R]

this topic reminds me of a trip to Mexico while in college

[TBR]

I agree with ifcar, it needs the '06 Sonata's new 3.3l, but other than that it is a good vehicle.