We're getting used to saying Kia is going places. The Sorento SUV and Picanto hatchback we've reviewed in the past year demonstrated the big strides made by the Korean marque; now it was the turn of the Sportage.
The new generation Kia Sportage was launched here in January as a soft-roader in the Toyota RAV4 and Land Rover Freelander league. It replaced the original Sportage which was a decade old and past its sell-by date.
It's closely related to the recently-launched Hyundai Tucson - Kia is now a subsidiary of Hyundai - and builds on the foundation set by the larger Sorento - good space, refinement and all-terrain versatility at a cheaper price than the "name" brands.
The Sportage is available in a seven-model range with a choice of three engines, manual and automatic transmissions, and two or four-wheel drive; it's slightly larger than most small SUVs but for a lot less money.
For instance the least expensive Land Rover Freelander retails for R272 500 while the two-litre Toyota RAV4 costs R294 000. The top-of-the-range, 2.7-litre V6 Sportage on test here not only wields more power but also blows them out of the water with its R249 995 price tag.
If you're looking for a catch to this keen pricing there really isn't one. As we said, the Korean brand has come a long way; there's no corner-cutting on the flagship Sportage in terms of quality or specification.
The features box is well ticked and includes climate control, leather seats, auto-on headlights and cruise control, amongst many other gadgets.
Two front crash bags, seat belt pre-tensioners and front seat belt load limiters comprise the safety stuff and the doors will unlock automatically if you crash.
Kia recognises that most 4x4 buyers seldom do any serious bundu bashing so the new Sportage places on-road agility ahead of off-road skills.
The ladder-frame chassis has been ditched in favour of unibody construction and more comfortable independent suspension replaces the solid axles that provided better suspension travel off-road.
The new Sportage has no low range gear or differential lock and won't be tackling any steep sand dunes or death-defying dongas but that's not to say it's restricted to the tar.
Ride height is a generous 195mm ride height and decent entry/departure angles ensure there's less chance of scraping the undersides when climbing kerbs.
The 2.7 model we tested also has a part-time all-wheel drive system that automatically routes engine power to the rear wheels should the front ones start spinning. The driver can also press a 4WD lock button on the dash to divide power equally between front and rear wheels.
No supercar
The Sportage shares its smooth-running 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine with the Hyundai Tucson; it musters 128kW and 246Nm - similar outputs to more expensive rivals such as the Nissan X-Trail 2.5 and Land Rover Freelander 2.5.
At Gauteng altitude the Sportage is no supercar; it trundles from rest to 100km/h in a pedestrian 13.2 seconds but cruises with little effort and attains a reasonable top speed of 180km/h.
The automatic gearbox isn't the smoothest and hunts quite a lot so we tended to use the manual/sequential mode that lets the driver choose gears manually. There's no manual version of the Sportage 2.7.
The drawback of most SUVs is their less-than-sporty handling but the Sportage is reasonably nimble for a vehicle with such a high centre of gravity. Its suspension is firm enough to quell excessive body roll in the corners and the rack-and-pinion steering doesn't feel too anaesthetised.
The all-wheel drive system, coupled with an electronic stability system, improves traction not only on dirt but also gives it safer handling on wet tar.
Sound build quality
Ride quality is good, limiting passenger fatigue over long distances, and general build quality seems sound; there's little wind noise at high spoed. Our test vehicle developed no rattles when driven on a bumpy trail
The cabin styling is neat and plain, with little ostentation. The focus is on ease of use and there's a minimum of button clutter.
Four adults are comfortably accommodated in the Sportage; Kia claims it has best-in-class headroom, legroom and cargo space. The full-size spare wheel limits the boot size somewhat but the rear seat can be folded completely flat to create a spacious cargo area.
The front passenger seat backrest also folds down to accommodate surfboards or other long items. The rear window opens independently of the tailgate, allowing you to load and unload luggage without having to swing open the whole door - a handy feature in tight parking spaces.
It's styling is modern and inoffensive; you wouldn't be embarrassed to park the Sportage on the pavement of a posh neighbourhood.
SUMMARY
Space, refinement, versatility and above all good value make the new generation Kia Sportage a winner. The badge might not have the same street cred as some rivals but the price makes up for it.
The only problem is that because of a worldwide stock shortage the waiting list in South Africa is four months long.