SUV from Land of Kimchi – Kia Sportage 2011

August 13th, 2010 at 08:27am Under Kia+ Menufacturer+ SUV+ Styles

Within the ever-growing range of compact SUVs, Kia’s little Sportage has represented a bargain-priced, well-warranted alternative to industry darlings such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. But there’s a reason the others have been the standouts and the Sportage has not: The outgoing model wasn’t dynamically or stylistically compelling.

The Sportage will be better prepared to challenge the segment leaders come August, however, when the all-new 2011 model hits U.S. dealerships. Sharing most of its dirty parts with the redesigned 2010 Hyundai Tucson, the Sportage remains less expensive and slightly smaller than the recently redesigned Sorento crossover in Kia’s lineup. The Sportage is now wrapped in edgy, look-at-me styling that Kia hopes will succeed in attracting the male buyers most entries in the segment have not.

Massively Masculinized Styling, Inside and Out

The styling asserts its boy-car intentions loud and clear. The new model’s proportions are as dramatic as the outgoing model’s are dull, and few curves are found on its sheetmetal. The body elements—including its angular headlamps, intricate taillamps, “tabbed” upper grille, flared lower grille, and chopped window shapes—all contribute to a beefy, high-tech appearance. Springing for the top-dog EX model yields a thin, Audi A5–esque strip of LED daytime running lights in the headlamps, a first for nonluxury compact utes and indicative of the Sportage’s modernization. Even the color palette is aimed at men, with the basic white, black, silver, red, and blue shades supplemented by a dressy dark pewter and, our favorite, a shimmering metallic orange.

The interior is a big improvement compared with the dowdy trappings of its predecessor. Although most surfaces are rendered in the hard plastics that are unavoidable in anything at this price point, the low-gloss finishes and beveled, masculine shapes help give the materials an upscale look. The deeply tunneled gauges are easy to read. As you’d expect, feature content ranges from relatively low frills in base form ($18,990) to more comfortable in the mid-grade LX ($20,990). The lineup is topped by the EX model ($23,990), which loads on interior extras while dressing up the exterior with chrome trim and a rear spoiler. Kia’s Uvo voice-controlled media center will be available, and rear-seat occupants benefit from access to direct sunlight through an optional two-row panoramic sunroof. Check all the boxes—including those for navigation and leather—and the Sportage will cost nearly $30,000.

Lighter, More Powerful, More Efficient—and There’s a Turbo Model Planned

For all the attitude served up by its bossy looks, driving the Sportage is a decidedly benign experience. Power comes from Kia/Hyundai’s quiet, smooth 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine producing 176 hp and 168 lb-ft of torque. Compared with last year’s wussy 140-hp four-cylinder, the new engine feels positively muscular, and it’s even three ponies up on the outgoing Sportage’s optional 173-hp V-6. The Kia’s four-cylinder is a few hp brawnier than both the Nissan Rogue’s 170-hp four and the Ford Escape’s base 171-hp four, yet it’s a few horses shy of the four-bangers found in the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, which are rated for 179 and 180 hp, respectively. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the base front-wheel-drive model; all others receive a six-speed auto.

The power increase feels amplified by a welcome weight loss for 2011. A base 2011 Sportage with a six-speed manual transmission weighs 73 fewer pounds than the prior entry-level model with its five-speed manual, according to Kia; a loaded 2011 EX with all-wheel drive and the new six-speed automatic registers 172 fewer pounds than the 2010 V-6 in four-wheel-drive guise. Even so, no 2011 Sportage will challenge a Cayenne Turbo from a stoplight, nor do we see all-wheel-drive models giving chase to Range Rovers in knee-deep mud ruts (although the electronically locking center differential is a pleasant surprise). With low-end grunt at a premium, it’s nearly impossible to break the front wheels loose (even facing uphill on steep San Francisco streets), making the all-wheel-drive system a bit pointless for those who live in all but the rainiest and snowiest climes. Response is respectable once the revs are up, and winding the engine to redline is not the unpleasant experience it used to be. Fuel economy is decent, thanks to lower mass, wider gear spread, and improved aerodynamics. The 2011 Sportage will achieve fuel economy of 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway for the all-wheel-drive/automatic combo and a very respectable 22/31 with the front-wheel-drive/auto setup.

Although the 2.4-liter four is the only engine available at launch, Kia has promised to make its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder—it debuts in the 2011 Optima and Hyundai Sonata wielding a potent 274 hp—an option for the Sportage within about six months. The resulting model will be called the Sportage SX, and we hope Kia will find a way to add some life to the Sportage’s steering by then. Installing a faster steering rack wouldn’t hurt, either. At least body motions are nicely controlled, as we discovered on an extremely unpredictable, high-crowned, variable-camber road we found after breaking from Kia’s prescribed drive route. But the well-sorted front-strut, rear-multilink suspension is let down by the slippery all-season tires, which screamed in protest on every hot corner, prompting the stability control to intervene early and often. On the other hand, harsh impacts are managed impressively on all but the roughest of roads.

A Decent Value, As Ever

We will perform our normal battery of instrumented tests on the 2011 Sportage soon, but for nonenthusiasts, it seems the new Sportage is as respectable a vehicle on which to spend 19 grand as any in its class, combining brash new looks with a contemporary cabin and a thoroughly modern powertrain. It’s arguably the boldest effort we’ve seen yet from Kia’s so-called design-led transformation, and it should bolster the brand’s longstanding reputation for offering strong value. Whether or not it siphons shoppers from Honda and Toyota showrooms remains to be seen.

From : http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/10q3/2011_kia_sportage-first_drive_review

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Asia Sport Car with Kia Forte Koup 2010

June 2nd, 2010 at 02:53am Under Coupe+ Kia+ Menufacturer+ Styles

To separate itself from the pack—not to mention sister company Hyundai—Kia says it wants to become a design-led automaker.

Kia gave itself a good start by hiring an Audi designer. No, really, that’s exactly what it did in 2006 when it lured Peter Schreyer away from the German company. We think it’s working, too, as we’re now starting to see the effects.

First to catch our eye was the new, boxy Soul that has a distinct and compelling look that’s youthful without crossing the weirdness boundary, as do some of its competitors, such as the Nissan Cube. Now there’s the Forte, which looks handsome in sedan form but positively stylish as a two-door coupe. Sitting 0.4-inch closer to the ground with a 2.4-inch lower roofline that’s not unlike that of an Audi A5, the only piece of the sedan’s sheetmetal carried over to the Koup is the hood. We particularly appreciated its sleekness from behind, where the squashed rear taillights make it stand out from the sedan. A five-door hatchback model will join the Forte lineup in 2010.

The Koup’s mechanicals, however, are nearly unchanged except that it drops the base LX trim, as well as the available EX fuel-economy model. EX Koups get a 156-hp, 2.0-liter four paired with either a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual. We drove only SXs, which come with a 173-hp, 2.4-liter inline-four and a five-speed auto or six-speed manual, along with slightly larger front brakes, a stiffer suspension tune, 17-inch wheels, and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. The SX also gets some interior upgrades, including a classy red halo that rings the speedo and the gimmicky red lights seen first on the Soul that can be set to flash to the beat of whatever’s playing on the stereo. Kia says it’s still mulling a higher-performance version. How about adapting the 210-hp, 2.0-liter turbo from the Hyundai Genesis Coupe to the front-drive Forte?

Attractive Cabin to Match the Stylish Exterior

The interior itself is well executed in hard plastics, which are par for this class, and the control layout and ergonomics are spot on. We have just one minor complaint: since the iPod connector is right below the HVAC controls in front of the shifter, there’s no place to stash an iPod out of sight when it’s connected. Plan on unplugging your device before parking to discourage thievery.

Kia is quick to brag about the Forte’s above-average horsepower in its class, but as we discovered in a recent test of a SX sedan, the Forte won’t be known as a sprinter. Expect 0-to-60-mph runs in the low eights for an SX manual; the same sprints may stretch into the nines with lesser-engine EXs. On the bright side, at least the Koup’s fuel-economy ratings are above average: EX models are rated at 25/34 mpg city/highway while SXs achieve 22/32 for the manual and 23/31 for the automatic.

It would be difficult to deliver a driving experience as impressive as the exterior styling, and the Koup struggles. We’d say it’s solidly average. Clutch take-up is smooth in the six-speed, but the shifter feels imprecise and has a fair amount of play in it. And someone needs to tell Kia that aggressive throttle tip-in does not make a car sporty. It only makes a driver annoyed at the difficulty in being smooth. Despite the jumpy throttle, however, the engine is somewhat sluggish to respond to a quick, downshift-enabling throttle blip. The automatic works well and will likely be the more popular choice.

Say “Bye-Bye” to Soft-Riding Kias

Gone are the days of roly-poly, softly sprung Kias. During our brief drive in South Korea, the Koup sometimes felt too stiff over the pothole-ridden roads surrounding Seoul. It occasionally felt a bit befuddled, too, reminding us of its twist-beam rear axle and not the more sophisticated independent suspension found on some of the competition, such as the Honda Civic and Scion tC. We’ll reserve final judgment on ride until we get one back at headquarters for more extended evaluation. The steering feels slightly artificial, like perhaps a bit too much feedback has been filtered out, but it has a nice on-center heft and responds predictably and linearly.

Buyers may want to consider skipping the leather option and sticking with the grippy and comfortable cloth seats, as the Forte’s skidpad and braking numbers should be among the tops in the category. (The SX sedan we recently tested pulled a lofty 0.85 g on the skidpad and stopped from 70 mph in 173 feet). Anyone much over six-feet tall will also want to pass on the sunroof in the name of headroom, which has decreased by 1.3 inches compared to the sedan. In back, a significant 2.5 inches of headroom has been extracted from a space that would otherwise be reasonably roomy.

Pricing for the Koup will likely be very similar to that of the sedan when it arrives in late August. Figure $16,500 for an EX and about $18,000 for an SX. All models get a hefty load of standard equipment including six airbags, stability control, a surprisingly potent six-speaker stereo with USB and auxiliary inputs and an iPod connector, Bluetooth connectivity, power windows and locks, and air conditioning. We’re not sure Kia needs the cutesy Koup misspelling to attract attention. In this inexpensive segment, the high level of style delivered by the company’s first-ever coupe is all it needs to stand out.

From : http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q3/2010_kia_forte_koup-first_drive_review

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