SEOUL – “This is a boy car!”. That’s what came to mind when I first laid eyes on the new Sportage in Korea this week. Previous incarnations of the Sportage and Tucson (now called ix35), which were produced by Korean sister companies Kia and Hyundai, were badge-engineered products that looked virtually similar and shared the lion’s share of mechanical components. When the new ix35 was launched on the local market, its sophisticated, curvy styling caught me by surprise… Compared with the last lunchbox-shaped Tucson, the ix was a coiffed city-slicker! Would the Sportage have the same feminine shape, save for a “Tiger Nose” grille?, I pondered.
Well, it clearly doesn’t… and I like that! Although the new Sportage again shares many of its components with its ix35 cousin, it only has a high-beltline, similar dimensions and “short overhangs with a wheel in each corner” proportions in common. This Sportage is a muscular little tonka toy with a bold and broad front end characterized by imposing LED-detailed headlamp clusters, overt swage lines on the sides and upright C-pillars that are complemented by a squat, squared-off rear bumper. Kia design chief Peter Schreyer has managed to sign off a design that is thoroughly that is suitably slick, yet chunky in areas that where it matters most. It’s arguably better balanced than its bigger Sorento brother and more importantly, it’s a refreshingly masculine design in a segment dominated by cutesy soft-roaders.
Granted, the Sportage is also a city-slicker for all intents and purposes, but as opposed to the ix35, which you’d accompany to a flower show just to keep her happy, Kia’s newcomer will gather the firewood and crack open a cold one for you at half-time. When it reaches the South African market by the beginning of September, the Sportage will be offered with 2,0- and 2,4-litre petrol engines and a 130 kW/393 N.m 2,0-litre turbodiesel powerplant, and in both two- and four-wheel drive guises.
I sampled a high-specced two-litre petrol model equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission that rode pretty well – if you consider that the launch unit was shod with 18-inch boots! Its general road-holding and steering quality was safe and predictable and although the combination of the 1 998 cm3 engine (with peak outputs of 122 kW and 197 N.m) with the six-speed self-shifter wouldn’t be my personal pick of the range, the transmission’s shift quality was excellent.
However, the Sportage’s biggest selling point is arguably its standard specification, which is not spectacularly lavish, but certainly better than the norm. The outline of the facia mimics the “Tiger Nose” shape of the front grille and although the vents look similar to the ix35’s, the tiered layout works well – especially the climate control console and the auxiliary audio input console directly below it. Auto versions have foot-operated parking brake pedals (an electronically-operated version such as the one in the Peugeot 3008 would have been better!), but then how many compact SUVs have a reverse-view display in the rear-view mirror, hmm? The keyless entry and start/stop button were also welcome features, it must be said.
Although the rear headroom was merely adequate for my 1,88-metre frame, I could comfortably “sit behind myself”. The luggage capacity is good in standard configuration (especially when one considers that a full-sized spare is fitted) and increases impressively with the 60/40 split rear seatbacks are folded.
The general quality of fit and finish gets the thumbs up from me, although some might feel that the plastics in the cabin are of a harder, shinier variety. I didn’t mind the dimpled trim on the dashboard and upper parts of the door trims all that much, but the inner section of the facia could be a bit more tactile. Given that the Sportage is aimed at entry-level compact SUV buyers however, I won’t labour the point.
What I can humbly suggest is that prospective Sportage buyers think carefully about which interior colour combinations they choose, or in the case of Kia Motor SA, are made available. Some of the test units at the international launch were specified in grey leather with similar-coloured interior trim and only slightly darker door linings, but the metallic orange 2,0-litre that I drove had black trim with orange door linings and matching stitching on the fabric upholstery and steering wheel… The combination was much more eye-catching and livened up the interior dramatically…
Although prices for the new Sportage have not yet been confirmed for the local market, the models should cost between R240 000 and R360 000. Given the depth of talent of the newcomer, I can confidently predict that the Korean offerings will continue their successes in the lower end of the compact SUV market. I thought the ix35 was a great product when it was introduced recently, and I stand by that, but the Sportage just tugs my heart strings a little bit more… it’s one for the boys.
