By Frank S. Washington
DETROIT, MI – I recently experienced some engineering deftness while driving the 2011 Kia Sportage EX AWD crossover vehicle.
I noticed when exiting the vehicle that the door handle was feathery light, almost as though the door was unlocked. I checked several times and that was not the case. However, when I opened the door to get in the sporty Sportage, the door handle had heft, substance, and a weight that made me feel secure.
My point is that Kia engineers made the door feel that way: Feathery to the touch when exiting and more substance when opening the door to enter. My week-long test drive of the Kia Sportage EX AWD was marked with that kind of juxtaposition.
AWD stands for all-wheel-drive and in the Sportage the system sends 100 percent of the torque to the vehicle’s front wheels until slippage is detected. However, the all-wheel-drive system can be locked; evenly dividing torque between the front and rear wheels up to 25 MPH. That’s more than enough oomph to free the vehicle from most slippery spots.
My test vehicle had a 2.4-liter four cylinder engine that was mated to a six speed automatic transmission. The combination provided 170 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. I found this more than enough power on the Interstate, I drove to Chicago, and I had enough off the mark spunk to navigate Windy City traffic which as always was treacherous.
There is a 176 horsepower 168 pound-feet of torque version of the engine with a CVT (continuously variable transmission). My car was rated as a SULEV, super low emission vehicle, and the CVT was a ULEV, an ultra low emissions vehicle. And there is a six-speed manual gearbox. A 2.0-liter turbo joins the lineup this model year, it will make 240 horsepower.
But my test car proved quite satisfactory in the here and now cold weather. It had heated front seats with two settings and I used mine without hesitation. As with most heated seats, it took a few minutes to feel toasty but the Kia Sportage’s heated front seats did warm me and at one point a passenger.
Ride and handling where good but that’s always tough to judge in cold weather. Winter tires, ice patches, slush, snow and pot holes as the weather warms make for driving that can be compared to an obstacle course. I found the Sportage more than capable.
My only quibble was mileage. The test vehicle had a 21/28 mpg EPA rating. That sounds good but I didn’t think the Sportage’s range was all that great. The fuel tank held 14.5 gallons which I didn’t think was all that much for a utility vehicle. I think Kia engineers would do well to increase the size of the fuel tank, if possible, by 5 gallons. That would make its highway range more than 400 miles.
Still, the 2011 Kia Sportage was very comfortable and simple. Controls were eye level. They were horizontal consisting of audio, climate and audio. I was particularly pleased with the auxiliary and USB jacks. Kia provided a plug that fit both which meant I could control my iPod from the radio controls and it would charge. That’s a big deal on the highway; it means I didn’t have to take my charger with me.
My test car also had automatic climate controls, Bluetooth that turned my cell phone into a hands free car phone, LED daytime running lights, a panoramic (glass) sunroof, tire pressure monitoring satellite radio, and a CD player.
The Kia Sportage had a sloping roofline, cats eye head lamps and a really slick design. But when any vehicle is covered with the ice, mud, slush and snow of winter looks are not important. The real test is how comfortable does it keep driver and passengers and how does it handle the roads. On all points, the Kia Sportage did just fine.
My test vehicle had a sticker of $29,990.
Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com and AboutThatCarBlog.com.
This article was printed in the April 24, 2011 – May 7, 2011 edition
