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By Tim Pollard
First Drives
22 July 2010 07:00
The new 2010 Sportage is the first fully modern Kia, we reckon. The first styled wholly under chief designer Peter Schreyer (he of Audi fame), who's only now making his influence felt after four years in charge of styling the Korean cars.
So take note of this new Kia Sportage. It's the most comprehensive look yet at the new face of Kia. Tiger-snout grille? Check. Crisp, almost Germanic surfaces? Yep. Complex headlamp graphics, Audi-esque LED day running light ticks and chrome tinsel to move Kia gently upmarket? Those too.
The new Sportage launches in the UK with the range-topping 2.0 CRDi First Edition, available only as this well equipped £20,777 diesel 4wd. Joining the range in November 2010 will be a 1.6 petrol and a smaller, 1.7-litre diesel - both available with front-wheel drive.
Think Nissan Qashqai. This is Crossover Central, a market that's leapt to a fulsome 8% of the total UK retail market worth 130,000 sales a year. There's much respect at Kia for the Qashqai's market saturation and they aim to repeat its rich mix of engines and transmission options. No +2 version though. In the fullness of time expect a downsized petrol turbo Sportage and even a hybrid option.
For now, we're stuck with the 2.0-litre diesel in 4wd guise. It's loaded with kit. The only option is an auto transmission (we're testing the manual), but this First Edition comes with leather, climate control, reversing camera and Kia's new market-leading seven-year/100,000-mile warranty.
It does. Schreyer's tiger-nostril detail pops up everywhere on this design, from the prominent grille to the windscreen graphic (noticed how the top edge of the glass rises up on either side? A subtle but cool detail). It's repeated inside too, the dashboard running the same motif.
The design works well and I like the look of the Sportage. It's telling these launch cars come in a vibrant burnt copper colour. Reminds me of a certain Qashqai paint scheme, not to mention the zingy orange of the original Range Stormer concept...
Makes you realise just how far Kia has come. The Ceed and its ilk are now firmly in the European mainstream, and the new Sportage only accelerates that shift in emphasis. Guess that's what happens when you employ a German design chief.
>> Click 'Next' to read more of CAR's first drive review of the new Kia Sportage
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Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi First Edition (2010) CAR review
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pgw2811 says
RE: Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi First Edition (2010) CAR review
I totally agree with crustynuggets , I have just had the same not interested attitude here is my review as follows - - July 2012 .. I have just returned a Kia Sportage KX-3 SatNav automatic awd 2 litre diesel after not being able to get more than 30mpg with it , driving it at 70mph and 2000 revs on a more less flat smooth road . Kia advertise 47.9 mpg extra urban with the car I had with the 18 inch wheels , obviously this figure would be at 60 mph , even at that speed I still only got a fraction over 30 mpg . With this I phoned Kia customer service and spoke to someone who said his name was J V or J G , after explaining everything , I have never had such a not interested attitude in my life after buying a £25000 vehicle . After saying , I would like to get an honest opinion please on a very poor fuel consumption that I am getting with the Kia Sportage that I have just paid £24,995 for and certainly not happy with the fuel consumption . All I got at the end was take it back to the Kia dealer ...I did that and got just the same not interested attitude , we are too busy to look at it , it will be 6 weeks before we can look at it , then send a technical report to Kia , then we maybe get the response back from them in a couple of weeks or so . With that , I had , had enough and quoted sale of goods act 1979 , that it does not do what you advertise and I want my car back that I traded in . Whether I got my car back because they had not sold it or because I quoted the sale of goods act or they were going to get more profit out of me , I don’t know which , but I was glad to get rid of that diesel guzzler . I certainly will not be buying anything with a Kia name on it again as there after sales customer interest is zero .
I totally agree with crustynuggets , I have just had the same not interested attitude here is my review as follows - -
July 2012 .. I have just returned a Kia Sportage KX-3 SatNav automatic awd 2 litre diesel after not being able to get more than 30mpg with it , driving it at 70mph and 2000 revs on a more less flat smooth road . Kia advertise 47.9 mpg extra urban with the car I had with the 18 inch wheels , obviously this figure would be at 60 mph , even at that speed I still only got a fraction over 30 mpg . With this I phoned Kia customer service and spoke to someone who said his name was J V or J G , after explaining everything , I have never had such a not interested attitude in my life after buying a £25000 vehicle . After saying , I would like to get an honest opinion please on a very poor fuel consumption that I am getting with the Kia Sportage that I have just paid £24,995 for and certainly not happy with the fuel consumption . All I got at the end was take it back to the Kia dealer ...I did that and got just the same not interested attitude , we are too busy to look at it , it will be 6 weeks before we can look at it , then send a technical report to Kia , then we maybe get the response back from them in a couple of weeks or so . With that , I had , had enough and quoted sale of goods act 1979 , that it does not do what you advertise and I want my car back that I traded in . Whether I got my car back because they had not sold it or because I quoted the sale of goods act or they were going to get more profit out of me , I don’t know which , but I was glad to get rid of that diesel guzzler . I certainly will not be buying anything with a Kia name on it again as there after sales customer interest is zero .
17 August 2012 06:58
crustynuggets says
I will NEVER, EVER buy a Kia again! I purchased a brand new Sportage in March this year (granted it was the previous model) and had nothing but trouble from day one. The dealership were worse than useless. They simply couldn't care less. Even after letters to the chief executive of Kia UK, the issues with my car were still not resolved (although, suddenly the dealership became slightly more helpful. Funny that! ) In the end I'd had enough of the stress that rubbish car was putting the wife and I though and couldn't be bothered with the hassle of trying to reject the car, so wen't out and traded it in for a new Toyota Avensis, which is a lovely motor. My local Toyota dealership couldn't have been more helpful, and even gave me top money for the heap I was trading in. I appreciate this is only my view but it infuriates me Kia spout on about their warranty. What use is a 7 year warranty if it's not worth the paper it's written on and the dealer network are beyond incompetent?.........
I will NEVER, EVER buy a Kia again!
I purchased a brand new Sportage in March this year (granted it was the previous model) and had nothing but trouble from day one.
The dealership were worse than useless. They simply couldn't care less. Even after letters to the chief executive of Kia UK, the issues with my car were still not resolved (although, suddenly the dealership became slightly more helpful. Funny that! )
In the end I'd had enough of the stress that rubbish car was putting the wife and I though and couldn't be bothered with the hassle of trying to reject the car, so wen't out and traded it in for a new Toyota Avensis, which is a lovely motor. My local Toyota dealership couldn't have been more helpful, and even gave me top money for the heap I was trading in.
I appreciate this is only my view but it infuriates me Kia spout on about their warranty. What use is a 7 year warranty if it's not worth the paper it's written on and the dealer network are beyond incompetent?.........
06 November 2010 12:29
cloppy says
This car really puts Kia on the map- it's a great piece of design and it makes Toyota seem increasingly vulnerable as their cars do not have the same quality of styling or the stance to draw in new buyers.
29 July 2010 09:25
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