Sportage Returns

Kia Motors of America Inc. launched its all-new Sportage small cross/utility vehicle at its 650 U.S. dealers in March, signaling a return to the marketplace after a 2-year hiatus.

Introduced in 1994, Sportage sales peaked at 62,400 in 2000, but the vehicle was discontinued after the '03 model year.

Kia officials say Sportage was held back because the auto maker was introducing numerous other new models. Sportage shares mechanicals with the Tucson, a model introduced earlier by sister company Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.

Sportage, however, has exclusive sheet metal and interior components and is built in a different plant in South Korea. The new version switches to unibody construction for a more car-like ride compared with the previous body-on-frame configuration.

Sportage re-enters a growing but crowded small CUV market, competing with the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Jeep Liberty and segment sales leader Ford Escape.

Phil Kelley, Kia Motors vice president- sales, says the segment has grown from 17 to 23 entries since 2000, and he forecasts small CUV volume will jump from 1.2 million in 2004 to 1.7 million by 2009, a 38% increase.

Kelley is bullish about Sportage's prospects, predicting 35,000 sales this year and 52,000 in 2006. He expects Kia's total sales to rise 8% this year to 290,000 from 270,000 in 2004, which placed Kia sixth among all import vehicle manufacturers in the U.S. market — above BMW AG, Mazda Motor Corp. Volkswagen AG and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Kia shoots for a pricing advantage by starting the base front-wheel-drive LX, 140-hp 2L DOHC 4-cyl. model with a 5-speed manual gearbox at $15,900. However, that doesn't include a $590 destination charge nor air conditioning, an $800 option.

Sportage is offered in nine iterations, priced up to $21,400 for the top-of-the-line EX all-wheel-drive version powered by a 173-hp 2.7 DOHC V-6 mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Leather seats are an $800 option.

Kelley says the base LX 4-cyl. is expected to account for about 15% of total sales, with the LX V-6 taking 45% and the EX V-6 the remaining 40%.

All Sportages come equipped with advanced dual front airbags, dual front seat-mounted side airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags, 4-wheel antilock disc brakes and electronic stability control.

Beefed-up insulation around the doors and instrument panel provides a surprisingly quiet ride during a 120-mile (193-km) round trip from San Francisco to Bodega Bay. Both FWD and AWD models easily handle the sharp curves with no wallowing and little downshifting, but both engines labor on steep inclines.

Sportage exterior styling lacks the “wow” element, but nonetheless it is clean and contemporary. The driver's seat is comfortable and provides a good forward view, but some of the interior materials are a bit drab. Gauges generally are easy to read, and the controls are driver friendly.

Kia is spending $40 million on the Sportage launch and is targeting buyers 30 to 40 years old. Demographics include a 60/40 female/male split, 60% married but 70% without children, 55% college graduates, and median income of between $50,000 and $60,000 yearly, says Tom Smith, director of marketing communications.

Like Kia's other vehicles, Sportage comes with a 5-year/60,000-mile (96,500-km) bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile (161,000-km) limited powertrain warranty, plus five years of roadside assistance.

'05 Kia Sportage EX

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front/all-wheel drive, 5-passenger 4-door CUV

Engine: 2.7L (2,656 cc) DOHC V-6, aluminum block/aluminum heads

Power (SAE net): 173 hp @ 6,000 rpm

Torque: 178 lb.-ft. (241 Nm) @ 4,000 rpm

Compression ratio: 10:1

Bore × stroke (mm): 86.7 × 75

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 103.5 ins. (263 cm)

Overall length: 171.3 ins. (435 cm)

Overall width: 70.9 ins. (180 cm)

Overall height: 66.7 ins. (169 cm)

Curb weight: 3,521 lbs. (1,598 kg)

EPA fuel economy, city/highway (mpg): 19/23

Market competition: Chevrolet Equinox; Ford Escape; Honda CR-V; Hyundai Tucson; Jeep Liberty; Toyota RAV-4