The Kia Sportage is not only sleek and modern, but it is also an affordable and fun car for families to have. Besides, it is also reliable, comfortable, spacious, and with a balanced ride. But is the Kia Sportage a good car?
Yes, the Kia Sportage is an exceptional car. The car is beautifully designed with top-notch features and outstanding performance. It is also easy to handle and very reliable. The cabin is spacious and it has decent trunk space. However, if you desire a luxurious, highly advanced, and high-performance compact SUV, you may not be very impressed.
History of the Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage is produced by Kia, which is a South Korean company. This car has been in production from 1993 to date. Currently, the Kia Sportage is in its fourth generation and it has undergone massive changes to provide the excellent Kia Sportage model that we see today.
The first generation Kia Sportage was offered as a 4-door sedan or a 5-door wagon. In the second generation, Kia introduced a 2-door convertible. Besides, the Kia Sportage slots between the smaller Kia Seltos and the larger Kia Sorento. So, if you’re looking for a perfect mid-size SUV, the Kia Sportage is the best option.
Features of the Kia Sportage
Appearance
The Kia Sportage looks sleek and modern. Some of the outstanding exterior features that the Kia Sportage comes with include standard LED headlights for superior nighttime illumination, durable black cladding, high utility roof rails, and a panoramic sunroof.
Aside from having exceptional exterior features, the interior of the Kia Sportage also looks impressive and modern. Some of the interior features that stand out are heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, 12.3-inch dual panoramic displays, and premium quilted Syntex seating materials.
The Kia Sportage comes with a wheelbase of 105.5-inches, a length of 177.8-inches, a width of 73.4-inches, and a height of 65.4-inches. Note that the measurement varies as Kia offers both the short wheelbase and long wheelbase options.
Performance
Even though the Kia Sportage comes with several trim options, the base engine is the 2.5-liter inline-4 engine. This engine delivers up to 187 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque. This car offers a smooth ride and the handling is good. However, it does not perform very well as the engine is not very powerful.
Comfort and cargo space
With a seating capacity of five passengers, the Kia Sportage is an outstanding compact SUV for families. Despite being a compact SUV, it has a large cabin with enough legroom. It also comes with ample cargo space, as it has a total of 39.6 cubic feet of space behind the second row. But if the rear seats are folded, the user will have a total of 74.1 cubic feet of space.
Safety
Kia always ensures that their cars are safe by installing some of the best safety features. The Kia Sportage is not an exception as it comes with lots of exceptional safety features, including a blind-spot view monitor, blind-spot collision-avoidance technology, a 360-degree surround view monitor, and standard auto emergency braking technology.
Fuel-efficiency
Kia could’ve done better when it comes to the efficiency of the Kia Sportage. Even though the Kia Sportage is efficient, it is not the most efficient in its class. This is because it comes with an EPA rating of 25 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and a combined 28 mpg.
Price
The Kia Sportage is pretty affordable when compared to its competition. The base trim options go for around $25,990, while the highest trim option goes for about $36,790. Note that the higher the trim, the more advanced features you get.
FAQ
Is Kia Sportage worth buying?
It depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re in search of a sleek, highly advanced, reliable, comfortable, spacious, and affordable compact crossover SUV, then the Kia Sportage is a good car for you. Nevertheless, if you’re searching for a luxurious, high-performance, and efficient compact SUV, you should look away.
What are the common problems with Kia Sportage?
The Kia Sportage is one of the most popular compact crossover SUVs on the market. Regardless, it also comes with several issues that buyers should be ready to deal with. Common problems with the Kia Sportage are engine issues, transmission problems, braking issues, cooling system problems, electrical problems, and quality issues.
How fast is the Kia Sportage?
The Kia Sportage is fitted with a base 2.5-liter engine that delivers up to 187 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque. Besides, the best-performing Kia Sportage trim option, which is the Sportage X-Pro Prestige AWD trim delivers a top speed of 124 mph. It can also accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 9.3 seconds.
Is Kia Sportage a good daily driver?
Yes, Kia Sportage is a good daily driver. This is because it offers a smooth and fun ride. Additionally, it is compact and easy to maneuver in traffic. Even though the Kia Sportage is a good daily driver, it is not very fuel-efficient. So, if you’re looking for a fuel-efficient car, you may have to look away.
Which is the most reliable Kia Sportage model year?
Kia has been producing Kia Sportage since 1993 to date. However, not all Kia model years are reliable as some come with more issues than others. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for the most reliable Kia model year, consider picking the 2008 Kia Sportage. This car is very reliable and cheap to maintain.
Bottom line
The Kia Sportage is a wonderful compact crossover SUV. It is a nice family car as it can seat up to five people. Besides, the ride is smooth and well-balanced, making it great for daily driving. Furthermore, the Kia Sportage is comfortable, spacious, reliable, and safe.
However, this SUV is not very efficient as some rivals from the same class are more efficient. Additionally, it comes with a few problems that users should deal with promptly to avoid serious problems and costly repairs. Overall, the Kia Sportage is an outstanding SUV.
