Bucket Seat: KIA Sportage Diesel

As most of you know, I was given the opportunity to get acquainted with the new KIA Sportage over the December break and while I loved that car to bits, I said what would make it even better was the introduction of a diesel motor to the line-up. Now I'm not saying they took my advice as they probably had this pre-planned but they recently introduced their 1.6L turbodiesel engine in three trims to the KIA Sportage line-up, namely, the LX, EX and GT-Line Plus. I had was given the GT-Line Plus model to spin around the east coast for a week, to see if my assumptions were true about adding a diesel option to their line up and while I don't want to seem smug, I will go through this review limiting my smugness over this car and what it has to offer. 

DESIGN

It's just a change in engine so the great KIA futuristic design remains the same, it's quite different from the rest of the KIA line up and to be honest, I quite like how it stems away from the generic SUV look that the current segment has with the competitors. The boomerang LED daytime running lights are a great design feature that give the car more dimension and has many offshoots from it, like housing the main headlamps, linking the slim line grille and contouring the lines from the bonnet and bottom half of the bumper. It also looks from its profile as the starting point of the cars design. KIA's wheel design also is big and bold with large flat surface which does add structural stability to the wheel but also looks great at the same time. The interior is probably one of my favourite from a lot of brands let alone the SUV segment. From the layout to the material choices, it just makes sense and looks the part too. 

PERFORMANCE

Getting to the crux of the matter, that 1.6-litre turbo diesel motor, the 4-cylinder unit that is mated to a 7-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox produces 100kW of power and 320Nm of torque. The GTLine Plus model that I had came with paddle shifts on the steering. That, for a mid-sized family SUV is the perfect power production and will really blossom on the open roads. Urban driving, of which I did a lot of isn't too bad, as with me it was mainly going to work and back as well as the odd trip to go shopping and enjoy some recreational time with it gave me an average fuel consumption of about 7.3 litres per 100km. Looking at the brochure, KIA claim the Sportage diesel can give you 4.9 litres per 100km, this is probably done under ideal conditions but coming back to my first statement about where you'd really see the beauty of this engine on long distance trips. With good driving, one could easily get over 1000km on a single tank of juice with the Sportage. This with a full cabin and luggage in the boot. I was a bit disappointed to see KIA opting to give this model the normal gear selector and not the radial one I had in the petrol one over the December break. Not that it's a major issue but it looked pretty cool. 

COMFORT

I already spoke about the well designed interior but the choice of materials used in the cabin feel super luxurious, from the leather/ suede seats and dash to the high gloss piano black finishes on the dash and center console. The dual screen command center that splits between the instrument cluster and infotainment screen is great and easy to use. Mobile apps are a standard with still a need for cable connectivity which isn't the worst thing as wireless does tend to drain the battery life. There is a wireless  charging pad for the mobile device should that be required. There is two USB ports for the driver and front passenger,both have their own zone climate control with seat heating and cooling. The rear passengers also get seat heating as well as USB B ports which are mounted on the side of the back rests of the driver and front passenger seats. Other standard features for the GT-Line Plus include deluxe scuff plates, alloy pedals, electric tailgate, lane follow assist with lane keep assist, LED interior lighting, panoramic glass sunroof and forward collision avoidance assist. The Sportage has a 54-litre luggage capacity, decent amount for a small family but more importantly for me, can fit a full set of golf clubs with ease. 

VERDICT

Overall, the KIA Sportage diesel option is the ideal SUV option for someone like me, the diesel engine offers optimal performance with great fuel consumption. It's by no means a high performance car but for the segment its in and compared to the the competition, it does stand out the best. The creature comforts of the car make it more appealing if the design wasn't enough to by. Even with the model being almost a year old it still manages to turn heads everywhere you go. It's the perfect vehicle to load up the family or a group of friends and go for a much needed road trip. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.6L 4-cylinder turbodiesel
Gear Box	7-speed automatic
Torque	300Nm
Power	100W
Fuel Economy	4.9L per 100km
Price	R735,995

 

Bucket Seat: KIA Sportage GT Line

When KIA South Africa said they were handing me the keys to their new Sportage for the Summer break, I honestly couldn't wait till it arrived in my driveway for a month of adventures. The amount of good press and awards the car has received globally in 2022 is testament to the strides the brand has made over the years in not only giving what the consumer wants but going the extra mile in providing the best for their customers. I've always been a keen admirer of the Korean brand, while it shares a lot of similarities with another Korean brand that is sold locally, I always felt KIA had the edge over them in every aspect of the cars. There is a sense of refinement and class that comes along with KIA's, whether you driving the little Picanto or the range topping Sorento, they all give you the same drive and feeling of assurance when you're behind the wheel. So fast forward to December 15th when the car got delivered, soon as the Infra-Red Metallic beauty rolled into my yard, I just knew it was going to be a special December. 

DESIGN

The styling of the new Sportage is unique and something that the brand is bold enough to express their new design language with. The eye catcher is the front end with the new boomerang styled daytime LED lights that start off at the bottom of the grille and extend to follow the bonnet line. The indicator lights and LED headlamps fit neatly into the V of the boomerang and gives the car a winged look from the side. The model variant I had was the range topping GT-Line S, which is their sports version that doesn't have any performance enhancements but a rather sleek sporty finish. Key design features to note at the honeycomb styled grille, the brushed aluminum mud skid plate up front, the large 19-inch bi-colour rims that look magnificent when in motion. The body is very bold in design but has clean lines and great contours that make the car look great. I'm a big fan of how they styled the rear, especially the rear window and roof line with the built-in rear spoiler that has a chrome accent that meets at the rear passenger window that is parallel to the window chrome sill. It's very pleasant on the eye when viewing the side profile. The rear lights a more sharp in design that the front, with the angular edge aiming inwards and a solid black bar linking the two tail lights completing the neat look of the rear. The KIA badge is large and prominent in the center which has a delicate crease that just gives the car a more sharper look, one that personifies the name "Sportage". The rear diffuser on the Sportage GT-Line S is also very sporty, with the vertical fins and blacked out. The design of the interior can only be described as spaceship like, from the time you open the door, you are mesmerized by clean modern design, even the seats are impeccably molded and has a contemporary but functional look to it. The rest of the cabin is neatly designed and is driver-centric with most of the controls easily accessible to the driver with a few tricks that I'll chat about later in the review. 

PERFORMANCE

There definitely was an advantage to having the car over the duration of a month verses just a week which would have been the norm, just so I could get the full experience of cars performance in terms of fuel economy, power output and general driving assessment. The KIA Sportage is for now, only available in the 1.6-litre Turbo GDI engine, which produces 132kW and 265Nm of torque via means of a gasoline direct injection (GDI). This is mated with a 7-speed DCT gearbox which is standard across the model range with no manual transmission available. I usually tend to have issues with Asian automatic gearboxes and I feel most of them aren't as refined as the German's with it tending to hold revs higher for no reason and the timing in changes being erratic more often than most but with this new 7-speed DCT in the KIA Sportage, it was very responsive, and you could make out the differences in timings depending on which driving mode you were in. While the Sportage had Eco, Normal and Sport, I chose to drive in Smart mode most of the time which sort of picks up your style of driving and adapts the cars performance based on how you drive. Having done just over 4,000km in the 4 weeks s I had the car, I can honestly say it is one of the better cars I've driven in the year in-terms of fuel performance, power delivery and road comfort. Driving to and from Johannesburg had me average 6.2-litres per 100km! While I could never really replicate that average in Urban driving with me hovering either just above or below the 10-litres per 100km mark, I still managed to get over 500km every time I went to fill l up, which was pretty good for the 54 liter tank. The car feels extremely agile on the road, it instills driver confidence especially on the major roads. The drive is soft but capable for most surfaces, having driven through various terrains, I was extremely surprised at how nimble it can be around tight corners and bends at various speeds. In terms of engine performance, this one definitely ticks all the right boxes which is possibly why KIA opted to launch it with just this one variant. 

COMFORT

As mentioned before, the KIA Sportage has a very stylish interior with its being modern but also practical. The GT Line seats came with contrasting white stitching and white piping with the added GT-Line logo embossed just below the head rest. The seats were a combination of suede and artificial leather with a firm but comfortable feel, with great lumbar support hat doesn't make you feel the long drives. The seats came standard with heating and ventilation, the latter of which I used quite a bit in the Durban summer. Funny enough the Sportage also came with steering wheel heating which came handy on my trip to the midlands, yes it gets cold there in December! The entire cabin is made from a host of stylish and durable materials that are not hard to the touch and the ones that are, feel of good quality and robust for their needs. Most of the dash and the inlays are finished in a high gloss black plastic, which is sort of the norm now for most manufacturers, even though it's a nightmare to keep them clean with dust being its best friend. The dash on the GT model features a dual screen, with the instrument cluster being a 12.3-inch widescreen display that has incredibly precise animations of the rev and speedo, the colour graphics are dependent on the driving mode selected with each having a cool animation that comes with them. This is matched with a 12.3-inch widescreen infotainment touch screen display for the general entertainment needs, vehicle info and air-conditioning. The car comes loaded with mobile phone apps, but the downside is that the phone has to be plugged in via USB to work. 

There is also a multimode control display panel that's neatly located below the center screen that displays the climate control functions but can be switched for entertainment functions as well. This helps to declutter all the need for more buttons, making the cabin look neat and clean. The car host of storage with a wireless charging mat, with a center storage compact that doubles as a cup holder which folds away neatly when not needed. The rear seats are similar design to the front with the faux leather and suede combo, and they get seat heating! first time I've seen this for the rear passengers on a car. They also have rear vents but the temperature is controlled by the passenger climate settings up front. What is cool, is that KIA have opted to put the USB charging ports on the side of the back rest of the front chairs, this allows a better cable reach for the passengers at the back. Another feature which I found odd and clever at the same time was having a buttons on the side of the front passenger seat that allowed the driver to move the chair! The car came with a large panoramic sunroof which was amazing and I loved the amount of natural light that was let into the Moving to the trunk, the Sportage GT Line has an automatic tailgate with a space of 591 liters, this can be increased to 1780 liters when the rear seats are dropped. The rear seats also have a 40:20:40 split which I found great when you just needed to drop the center portion to get long loads in. There is also a power outlet in the boot for you to plug in fridges, pumps or whatever else needs power. 

SAFETY

If safety is your concern, fear not as the Sportage is packed with safety features starting with the general ABS, ESC, 6 airbags, Downhill brake assist for those steep hills, Hill start assist with auto hold that prevents the car from rolling on a steep incline and trailer stability assist should you be towing anything. Extra safety features which were standard on the GT Line included the smart cruise control that has lane keep assist, that makes sure the car stays in the lane with help of active steering and warning if you take your hands off the wheel for too long of a period, follow assist with active braking that allows you to set a following distance to the car in front of you, and it will automatically slow down when they do, it will also come to a complete stop if need be. There is also front collision avoidance assist which works with the follow distance to warn you of objects or cars that may come into your path. Another feature I quite like is the adaptive LED headlamps with high beam assist to help you on those very dark roads, with the high beam automatically switching on then either switching off or adjusting when it sensors another vehicle approaching to not affect their view.  

VERDICT

Overall, it has been a pleasant December break for me that as made a lot better by the KIA Sportage, I cannot fault it one bit as it served its purpose with flying colours. From being stylish and comfortable, to providing great fuel economy and versatile to suit any excursion. Everyone that drove with me only had pleasant comments about the car and how surprised they were at the offering from KIA and how much was included in the standard price for the car.  This new Sportage model is sure to take over from its predecessor as being a popular model for the medium SUV market, I foresee this GT Line model to be the one that would garner the most interest, just purely from the offerings and looks. It certainly obvious why the car has gotten so much attention worldwide and also the number of awards it has won so far. Hopefully we see KIA bring the hybrid model sometime this year as that would surely be a winner in my books.  

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.6L Turbo
Gear Box	7-Speed DCT
Torque	265Nm
Power	132kW
Fuel economy	6.5L/ 100km/h
Price	R749,995

 

Bucket Seat: KIA Sportage

The KIA Sportage will also be a special car for me, I helped in it achieving the worlds longest test drive which begun in Durban, went around the country and eventually ended at Cape Point in the Western Cape. At launch there were only a few models that were available in SA and since then KIA have broadened the choice in terms of engines and offerings in the Sportage range. A couple of weeks ago I had one of them and decided to take a drive up to Joburg, hence this post will be a bit different as its more about the journey with the car rather than a test. I called a few mates, to see if they would join, I mean whats the point of having an SUV and going on a road trip alone? So once we were all packed up, it was time to hit the road on, 600 kilometers of open road (okay I lie, truck laden) lied ahead of us, and it was time to see what this this KIA was like on a long distance trip. 

From our first post with the Sportage GT Line, we've established that its a great looking car. It may be a bit different from the rest of the KIA line up but as an SUV, it's got great lines, bulk in all the right places and a rear that will have you go for a second glance. Moving onto the inside, everything is well laid out and easy to reach. Spending +/- 6 hours in a cabin of a car can be frustrating for some, with many stops needed to "break the journey" but with the Sportage, I hardly felt the need to pull over, other than the odd bathroom break and stop for food. It could quite possibly go straight to my destination with it. It has all the creature comforts that we've become used to in the ever evolving motor industry. 

Things like bluetooth connectivity was a luxury option but I'm glad to see that in most cars that it is now a standard, and brands like KIA have to be commended for pushing this change, where they offered it as standard from the get go but with most of the bigger European luxury manufacturers still had it as optional extras. The next phase shift is definitely mobile phone integration. Not only for in car mobile applications like Android Auto or Apple Car Play but for general safety of the driver. It's becoming a common site seeing people driving and holding their phones, this not only puts them at risk of an accident but the people around them too. On the subject of mobile phones, when it comes to long trips, passengers no longer grab a book or magazine to read on the journey, they're on their phones, which decreases battery life, and hence the need to charge the phone. In the Sportage, there was ample sockets, both in the front and the back to plug in your mobile chargers , that meant no fighting for turns and kept everyone happy. 

The car itself, on the road felt pretty solid, the 2.0L engine under the hood did a great job both on the up and the down leg of the journey by giving me great fuel economy of just around 10L per 100km going up and just 8,7L per 100km coming down. Being a big SUV, it was quite a cruiser but I did feel the car lacked a bit of punch when you tried to accelerate to over-take. Cruise control isn't something I would use often but on the Sportage and especially the long tedious Villiers stretch of the N3, it was needed. Simple and easy to set, the car did all the work, the gear changes were on point and when needed, not like many other cars cruise control where the car just changes gear for any damn reason. This also contributed to the good fuel economy. 

Moving back to the creature comforts, while we did get quite a bit of cabin noise, this was soon eliminated once we turned up the sound system. The Sportage comes with a sub in the back, so while you're getting clear audio up front, that nice bass boost coming from the back never hurts. The dual climate control was a live saver, as with most people, everyone's preferred temperature varies, as I soon found out shortly after departing as one of my passengers like weather indicative of the ice age... so while it was practically snowing on his side, my side was just right. 

Overall, the Sportage ticket all the right boxes for a long journey, it had ample amount of space, great fuel economy, well powered naturally aspirated engine and of course, all the tech to make any nerd happy. The nice big touch screen came in handy for their GPS, where I got lost a few times in Joburg. In short, the KIA Sportage was simply brilliant for what I needed it for, it's the perfect family car for any small family, loads of space, plenty of power for city roaming and open road driving, the tech that the car comes with great for everything you require of it

Bucket Seat: 2016 KIA Sportage

Not to long ago I partook in the World's Longest Test Drive record which was set by KIA Motors SA in the all new KIA Sportage. It was a great idea by KIA for not only launching the all new model of their popular SUV but also to announce it in such style with a world record! I take great pride in knowing that I was one of the test to kick off the mammoth drive around the country and last week I was given one of these great looking vehicles to test for a week. As fate would have it, the Sportage I got on test was the same car I drove during the test drive, I figured it must like me a lot to make it's way back into my life and by the time this post if over, you'd get the feeling that it was mutual.

Performance

There are five engines offered in the new KIA Sportage line up, the one I had on test was the range topping 1.6 T-GDi GT Line. Bit odd to have a smaller capacity engine as the range topper but compared to the 2.0l and 2.4, this is the only engine in the line up which is turbocharged. KIA say it is a further refined version of their original 1.6 tubrocharged GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine. It develops 130kW of power and 265Nm of torque. While the engine might be impressive it has to have an equally impressive gear box to suite and KIA stepped up to the plate with their new seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission, which ensures smooth, quick gear changes which intern offers the drive quicker acceleration and improves fuel consumption. There are three driving modes, Normal, Eco and Sport. With Eco mode, there was an evident lag in response, especially when taking off, but in Normal and Sport that lag fell away very quickly, knock the gear selector into manual mode and make use of the paddle shifts, then you will forget very very quickly that you are in a SUV! Fuel consumption on it is pretty impressive for a vehicle of it size and weight.

Style

I normally start with this aspect of the car first but that engine deserved to be up first, getting back to the looks department though, KIA got it spot on. During my time with the car, I got a lot of remarks about how it looks like other SUV's but while I do see their points here and there, the new Sportage has it's own unique charm. The prominent big front grille immediately draws your attention to the car, the high elevated, elongated headlamps with clear cover exposing the rawness and individual lamps adds great character to the front end and unique to the 1.6 GT model is the quad LED 'ice cube' front fog lights which complete and compliment the front of the car. The large 19" machined finished alloy wheels are also another unique aspect to the GT and adds to that sportiness of the car. The back end is sleek with the thin long tail lights that wrap around the back and side to enhance the side profile of the car all finished with silver trimmings and twin exhaust.

Comfort

KIA for me always has this sophisticated and luxury interior that lacked in other Korean manufacturers and that is continued in the Sportage. One would be easily fooled  to believe that the it belonged to a German counterpart but that is the quality that KIA gives it's custoemrs. The GT Line comes packed with extras, from the two tone leather electronically adjustable seats, which has both heating and cooling functions. Dual zone climate control for tempreature to suit the drive and his passengers, a large touch screen display with built in navigation, bluetooth telephone and audio streaming and the panoramic glass sun roof to allow you and your passengers to see the world around you as you travel. The ride quality is smooth and comfortable, the handling is superb and while it does feel a bit back heavy around bends it holds well. 

Tech

With all cars now, having new technology is a must and with the Sportage is does not disappoint. Starting off with the smart key, besides it looking great it really is a smart key. The car detects when you are close by and automatically unlocks the car for you. Quite a party trick when you taking your mates out for a ride around town. Also the key does have a button for the boot, which like many other SUV's opens the boot lid but with the Sportage, when the boot is open you can close it by pressing the button on the remote! I know its hardly revolutoinary but I found it damn cool! And don't worry about chopping anyone in half with it as it gives a significant warning before opening and closing. Other note worthy tech is the bluetooth telephone and audio stream which I did mention earlier but the interface is quite interactive, especially when using internet streaming music services like Apple Music or Deezer where you can skip and change playlists from the screen. While on the subject of phones, the Sportage also offers wireless charging for phones with this capabilities, perfect for when you're on the move!

Storage

The new Sportage is bigger than it's predecessor with it being 4480mm in length and 1 855mm in width, it offers both the driver and passengers ample space to sit comfortably. The boot space is plentiful, with 466L for your disposal and when the rear seats are folded down, increases this figure to 1 455L. 

Verdict

The medium size SUV is becoming a popular segment in the car industry at the moment as it offers the best of both worlds to the consumer with a decent enough price. The KIA Sportage does tick most of the boxes in what people would want in this type of vehicle, while it may not be a fully fledged 4x4, the All Wheel drive does give you the opportunity to have fun off rock in certain terrains. The ride quality is great, the features are fantastic and it is a great looking vehicle and while I did enjoy the 1.6 GT very much, I do feel it is a bit pricey one has to consider what it comes with compared to its competitors. Like I said at the beginning of this post, my time with the Sportage has only been a week but it's certainly become a favourite of mine. 

Specifications

Engine	1.6 T-GDi GTLine
Gear Box	7 Speed DCT gearbox
Power	130kW
Torque	265Nm of torque
Top Speed	201 Kph
0-100kph	9.1 seconds
Price	R599 995