Kia Sportage Review
Published: 14th August 2005
Kia Sportage
Comfort and Refinement
The Kia Sportage 2.7 V6 XS is equipped with a high level of standard equipment which would be expensive options on other 4x4 SUV’s. For example you will find comfortable leather-faced heated seats, an electric sunroof, privacy glass and climate control - all as standard on the XS specification model.
We were pleased to see that you are able to lock the doors via a switch located on both the driver’s and front passenger’s door. On the driver’s door armrest you will find the controls for the four electric windows, central locking and electrically adjustable heated door mirrors.
Directly ahead of the driver, the hooded instrument cluster has a sporty look, with a three-dial layout - large central speedometer, flanked by a tachometer (left) and engine water temperature and fuel gauges (right). Twin steering column stalks provide the traditional controls for lights, washers and wipers, while a third stalk controls the cruise control.
Our car was fitted with a standard electric tilt and slide glass sunroof, normally we wonder why fit a sunroof with air conditioning, but more and more we find ourselves using it rather than the a/c which can be too harsh, causing our skin to dry out. Whilst travelling through Ireland we faced some of the hottest temperatures for over ten years and the standard climate controlled air-conditioning kept the Sportage at the perfect touring temperature.
We made use of the cruise control on motorway journeys to and from the ferry port at Holyhead. Being able to keep the Sportage at a fixed speed not only helped with fuel economy, it was also more relaxing on the motorway. We only really had to disengage the cruise control in heavy traffic and of course it does help to ensure that you don’t creep up over the speed limit.
We were pleased to see an electro-chromatic interior rear-view mirror which dims at night to eliminate the glare from headlamps of following vehicles. Our test car featured an electronic compass which was fitted in the rear view mirror and at night we found it a bit distracting - fortunately it could be switched off. Automatic headlamp control is standard throughout the Sportage model range which enables you to set the headlamps to activate automatically at dusk or in low level light conditions such as tunnels and underground car parks.
How It Looks - Exterior
The Kia Sportage is designed with simple, clean lines and progressive styling to create a thoroughly fashionable appearance; it is robust but not aggressive, with distinctive proportions, refined detailing and several unique styling elements.
From the rear it reminded us a little of the Volvo XC90 - we guess that most car designers start with the front of the car but at Kia they must have started with the rear as it looks so right.
From some angles the Sportage can look a little awkward but overall it is very contemporary and attractive.
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