New 2013 Kia Sportage Review
Published Date: 30th Sep 2013
The Kia Sportage is the Korean company’s well-equipped SUV vehicle to compete with the likes of the Nisan Qashqai, Volswagen Tiguan and Skoda Yeti, the 2013 model is the third-generation Kia Sportage it looks good inside and out, has a solid build and comes with the attractive Kia seven year warranty.
Engine options include 1.6 and a 2.0 litre petrol units plus 1.7 and 2.0 litre diesels. The lesser powered engines come with stop/start technology whilst the 2.0 engines get 4WD and have the option of manual or automatic transmission.
If you’re looking for performance then the 2.0 litre petrol KX-4 model will be the most attractive it outputs 181bhp and can achieve 0-60mph in just over nine seconds. If you’re on a tight budget then you might want to consider the 1.6 petrol entry-level model, it's cheaper than the lowest price diesel model and offers a good trade off between performance of 0-60pmh in 10.7 seconds and fuel economy of 44 mpg (combined), although not quite as generous on fuel economy as the 1.7 diesel at 54 mpg (combined) but the diesel is more sluggish capable of 0-60mph in 11.9 seconds.
The trim level line-up for the two wheel drive models is 1, 2, 3 and 3 Sat Nav models whilst the four wheel drives are indentified with ‘KX’ and called the KX-2, KX-3, KX-3 Sat Nav with the top-end model being the KX-4.
Even the entry-level models are very well equipped, see below for a breakdown of equipment levels across the range:
New Kia Sportage 1 model exterior features:
16" alloy wheels, front fog lights, daytime running LED lights and cornering lights, silver front radiator grille, aero style front wiper blades, automatic rain sensing wipers, electric heated door mirrors, tinted glass, rear spoiler, black side sill and wheel arch mouldings, colour coded exterior trim.
Kia Sportage 1 interior features: Front and rear electric windows, fully adjustable steering column, height adjustable driver’s seat, rear centre arm rest, leather trimmed steering wheel and gear stick, air conditioning, air filter, 6 speaker CD/MP3 player with Aux, USB, IPod connectivity and steering wheel mounted audio controls, bluetooth phone support with voice recognition, cruise control and trip computer.
Kia Sportage 1 safety and security features: ISOFIX rear seats , remote central locking with boot release and foldaway key, anti-lock braking with electronic brake force distribution and cornering brake control, hill start assist, intelligent stop And go, advanced anti theft alarm system, automatic locking doors, twin front airbags, front passenger airbag cut-off switch, twin side airbags (front) and twin curtain airbags with rollover sensor.
The new Kia Sportage 2 and KX-2 models add 17” alloy wheels, chrome front grille and door handles, roof rails, rear privacy glass, part leather upholstery, electric panoramic sun roof and reversing sensors.
The new Kia Sportage 3 and KX-3 models add 18” alloy wheels, xenon headlights with auto levelling, headlight washers, front wipers de-icer, full black leather upholstery, heated from and rear seats, automatic lighting control, auto dimming rear view mirror, premium vision instrument cluster.
The new Kia Sportage KX-4 model add stainless steel door scuff plates, engine start/sop button and smart entry system,
New Kia Sportage Sat nav models get the additional of a 7” touchscreen full map navigation system and reversing camera display.
If you’re in the market for a new brand new SUV then the Sportage is definitely worth adding to your list of vehicles to look at.