Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi AWD A/T EX Sense

At first glance, you can see that Peter Schreier's design team at the Frankfurt studio, while visionaries from Namyang, Korea, and Irvine, California, also had a hand, made Sportage more dynamic. A calm, elegant crossover has been turned into a dynamic SUV that is gradually blurring the boundaries between crossovers and minivans.

This is why we also ranked the Ford S Max among the competitors, which is the benchmark for dynamic family car driving, because after two weeks with the new Sportage, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was their benchmark. Proof of this, perhaps, is the sports driving program. Although the fourth-generation Sportage is not wider, it is 40 millimeters longer and with a more pronounced rear spoiler, the drag coefficient has been reduced by two units (from 0,35 to 0,33). The sporty features are accentuated by a longer overhang above the front wheels (plus 20 mm) and a more modest overhang above the rear (minus 10), which, together with the dynamic movement of the family, ensures that it is always noticed on the road.

Some technical solutions such as better insulation of the dashboard, more efficient soundproofing in the engine, installation of thicker side windows, double sealing of the panoramic sunroof and additional soundproofing of the doors, achieve noise levels of up to 100 kilometers per hour. competitors are more efficient as the Korean trump card hears a gust of wind blowing through the body. Before we move on to an interior that pampers both the two in the front seats and the passengers in the rear, let's first focus on the engine and transmission. The classic six-speed automatic is great: it works almost imperceptibly and is so streamlined that we never missed a manual transmission. Together with a powerful two-liter turbodiesel, which provides as much as 185 "horsepower", they make an excellent pair, but it is worth considering the slightly higher fuel consumption. Since the engine was more tuned for a softer and more comfortable ride, at 136 kilowatts and full throttle, we skipped a dash in the back when overtaking the slower ones, although we can't ignore the fact that with such a Sportage you can quickly collect a bunch of photos of virtuous municipal overseers. and the police. Well, if the operation of the turbocharger does not raise the adrenaline in the driver's blood, but only brings a restrained smile on his face, we are not satisfied with the fuel consumption.

On the test, it was 8,4 liters per 100 kilometers, and on a standard lap it was 7,1 liters, which is a bit much. Well, the test consumption is comparable to the competition, and if you add to this the size of the car, winter tires, automatic transmission with high losses and all-wheel drive with a lot of weight, the achievement is quite expected. On a normal lap, however, it could have behaved better as the gearbox also has a so-called float feature where the engine runs at just 800rpm with the throttle down and not at idle. Maybe also due to the fact that the Sportage did not have a system for shutting down the engine during short stops? On the other hand, at least the test model had a lot, really a lot of active and passive safety equipment, so I'm not surprised that the Sportage got all five stars in Euro NCAP tests. Inside, you'll first notice the touchscreen center screen, which rises diagonally 18 centimeters above four rows of buttons lined up like an army.

Soft upholstery combined with high-quality plastic and leather does not give an impression of prestige, but creates the best atmosphere for the class and always indicates that the quality of workmanship is noticeable at every pore of the car. Definitely a compliment to Koreans as creators and Slovaks as manufacturer of this car, as they are not far behind Volkswagen (Tiguan), Nissan (Qashqai) or Hyundai's sister (Tucson). Well, the younger ones might say that many of the controls can be hidden behind a modern infotainment display, but I admit that I wasn't so much worried about the multitude of buttons as they were logical and intelligent. The driving position is excellent, and due to the larger wheelbase compared to its predecessor (from 30 mm to 2.670 mm), most of the passengers in the rear seat and trunk benefitted. Passengers have more leg and headroom, while legroom and bench height by 30 millimeters make them more natural. In other words, if a driver of about the same height, with his 180 centimeters, was sitting in front of me, I would easily sneak into their German design studio without even stopping.

The kids love the heated rear seats too, although only me and my front-seat passenger got three-stage heating or cooling. The trunk is slightly larger (up to 491 L) and has a lower loading edge, and there is also room under the main trunk for transporting smaller items. This, of course, was provided by replacing the classic spare wheel with a repair kit or rubber with the RSC inscription. That means the tires are off-road, and if we add 19 inches of height and 245mm of tread width to that, know they're not cheap at all. The boot can be extended with a divisible rear bench in a one-third: two-thirds ratio for a perfectly flat bottom, and from experience I can tell you that the rear also runs smoothly with two special wheels. The lower profile 19-inch wheels are probably also part of the problem, which is called too stiff suspension. Unfortunately, Kia has gone too far in terms of chassis stiffness, so the car informs passengers every hole it encounters in its path.

It is a pity for such a decision, since they won nothing in terms of sportiness, but gave way for comfort. What about the Sport button? With this button, we change the stiffness of the electric steering wheel, the responsiveness of the accelerator pedal and the operation of the automatic transmission, but all together it works quite artificially, even raped, so that the driving pleasure is no more. If I had to choose, I would have preferred a button for more comfort ... The test car also had an all-wheel drive option, which could have been legalized by pressing the 4x4 lock button in a 50:50 ratio. With this ride done in Magna, you probably won't go to off-road competition, but with the right tires, you can easily take your family onto the snow-covered ski trail. The list of equipment, as we have already mentioned, was very long. We tested the blind spot prevention system on the sides of the car, used rear-view cameras, helped ourselves a lot with parking sensors in the front and rear, which also detect side traffic (when you are lying outside a hard-to-see parking spot, for example), helped with the semi-automatic parking system. pamper yourself with a heated steering wheel, use lane keeping assist, rely on warnings and automatic emergency braking when driving around town, get information with the most important road sign recognition system, help yourself with a system that automatically brakes when driving downhill ...

Add to this an electrically adjustable sunroof, electrically adjustable tailgate, smart door key and ignition switch (now actually a button), cruise control with speed limiter, hands-free system, automatic switching between high and low beam, JBL speakers, navigation, etc. Then it's no surprise that the price is higher too. However, life in such a car is very pleasant and, um, we can say for a long time, because electronics are often smarter than (we) scattered drivers. Don't be fooled by the long list of equipment: it's just a bonus of an already good car that pampers you with a dynamic turbodiesel, an excellent automatic transmission, four-wheel drive capability and a fairly large trunk. It also has some drawbacks, such as switching too slowly between day and night lighting (the system only wakes up in the middle or even at the end of the tunnel) or too stiff suspension, not to mention slightly higher fuel consumption and gusts of wind, but these are secondary life worries. In short, a very good car that many will buy and then fall in love with as a new member of the family. Don't count on sportiness alone, Kia has a few more steps to take if it wants to catch up with its best rivals. This is where her journey begins.

Alyosha Mrak photo: Sasha Kapetanovich

Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi AWD A/T EX Sense

Basic data

Sales:	KMAG dd
Base model price:	29.890 €
Test model cost:	40.890 €
Power:	136kW (185 KM)
Acceleration (0-100 km / h):	10,1 with
Maximum speed:	201 km / h
Mixed flow ECE:	7,1l / 100km
Guarantee:	Seven years or 150.000 kilometers total warranty, first three years unlimited mileage.
Oil change every	Seven years of free regular service. km

Cost (up to 100.000 km or five years)

Regular services, works, materials:	0 €
Fuel:	7.370 €
Tires (1)	1.600 €
Loss of value (within 5 years):	17.077 €
Compulsory insurance:	5.495 €
CASCO INSURANCE (+ B, K), AO, AO +	9.650 (
Calculate the cost of auto insurance
Buy up	€ 41.192 0,41 (km cost: XNUMX) €)

Technical information

engine:	4-cylinder - 4-stroke - in-line - turbodiesel - front mounted transversely - bore and stroke 84,0 × 90,0 mm - displacement 1.995 cm3 - compression 16:1 - maximum power 136 kW (185 hp) at 4.000 rpm – average piston speed at maximum power 12,0 m/s – specific power 68,2 kW/l (92,7 hp/l) – maximum torque 400 Nm at 1.750-2.750 rpm min - 2 camshafts in the head) - 4 valves per cylinder - common rail fuel injection exhaust gas turbocharger - charge air cooler.
Energy transfer:	the engine drives all four wheels - 6-speed automatic transmission - gear ratio I. 4,252; II. 2,654 hours; III. 1,804 hours; IV. 1,386 hours; v. 1,000; VI. 0,772 - differential 3,041 - rims 8,5 J × 19 - tires 245/45 R 19 V, rolling circumference 2,12 m.
Capacity:	top speed 201 km/h – 0-100 km/h acceleration 9,5 s – average fuel consumption (ECE) 6,5 l/100 km, CO2 emissions 170 g/km.
Transportation and suspension:	crossover - 5 doors, 5 seats - self-supporting body - front single suspension, coil springs, three-spoke transverse rails, stabilizer - rear multi-link axle, coil springs, stabilizer - front disc brakes (forced cooling), rear disc brakes, ABS, rear electric parking brake wheels (switch between seats) - steering wheel with a gear rack, electric power steering, 2,6 turns between extreme points.
Mass:	empty vehicle 1.643 kg - permissible total weight 2.230 kg - permissible trailer weight with brake: np, without brake: np - permissible roof load: np
External dimensions:	length 4.480 mm – width 1.855 mm, with mirrors 2.100 1.645 mm – height 2.670 mm – wheelbase 1.613 mm – track front 1.625 mm – rear 10,6 mm – ground clearance XNUMX m.
Inner dimensions:	longitudinal front 880-1.100 mm, rear 610-830 mm - front width 1.520 mm, rear 1.470 mm - head height front 880-950 mm, rear 920 mm - front seat length 500 mm, rear seat 480 mm - luggage compartment 491 - 1.480 370 l – handlebar diameter 62 mm – fuel tank XNUMX l.

Our measurements

Measurement conditions: T = 5 ° C / p = 1.028 mbar / rel. vl. = 56% / Tires: Bridgestone Blizzak LM 001 245/45 R 19 V / Odometer status: 1.776 km
Acceleration 0-100km:	10,1s
402m from the city:	17,3 years ( 132 km / h)
test consumption:	8,4 l / 100km
Fuel consumption according to the standard scheme:	7,1 l / 100km
Braking distance at 130 km / h:	71,7m
Braking distance at 100 km / h:	42,1m
AM table:	40m
Noise at 90 km / h in 6rd gear	58dB

Overall rating (340/420)

• Kia has taken a good step forward, albeit not in the direction of sportiness. So don't be fooled by a more aggressive look: a newbie can be very family friendly.

• Exterior (13/15)

  Completely different from its predecessor, but the sportier movements are not to everyone's liking.

• Interior (106/140)

  A very pleasant atmosphere: both due to the good driving position and due to the choice of materials, rich equipment and a comfortable trunk.

• Engine, transmission (50
  
  
  / 40)

  The transmission is the best part of the car, followed by the resilient engine. The chassis is too rigid, the steering gear is indirect.

• Driving performance (55
  
  
  / 95)

  In terms of driving performance, despite the possibility of all-wheel drive, there is still a reserve here, some tax is taken on winter tires.

• Performance (30/35)

  Acceleration, agility and top speed are all more than satisfactory, but there's nothing special about them - even among the competition!

• Security (41/45)

  This is where the Sportage shines: thanks to passive safety and a range of assistance systems, it also earned five stars in the Euro NCAP test.

• Economy (45/50)

  Slightly higher fuel consumption, a good guarantee, unfortunately, and a higher price.

We praise and reproach

utility

smooth operation of automatic transmission

four-wheel drive vehicle

workmanship

ISOFIX mounts

test vehicle equipment

fuel consumption

delayed switching between day and night headlights

gusts of wind with greater speed

Driving program Sport