Kia Sportage with power to four wheels takes on rough stuff
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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HILL CITY, S. D. -- Hang on to any handle you can grab because we're bounding over bumps and bushes while running at speed on a rutted trail far from pavement in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
"Push it faster and let the suspension take those lumps," our driving partner, fresh from a week of training for the Mexico Baja 1000 off-road desert race, coaches us from the passenger seat.
So we add some throttle, edging the speedometer's needle over the 40-mph notch, although prudence tells us that's way too fast for this bumpy trail -- and too much juice for an itsy-bitsy sport-utility wagon like the Sportage we're propelling through dust and brush.
We hold a hard grip on the steering wheel as our vehicle hops and dribbles in direct relation to undulations of the trail, although the faster we move the harder the suspension works to absorb bumps and reduce vertical movement of the chassis, thus smoothing out the ride.
"Don't worry -- Sportage can take the abuse," our coach advises, drawing from experience racing a Sportage off-road.
And so it can, to our surprise.
To look at the Sportage with its diminutive form and fluid sheetmetal shapes, one would not expect such a stylish little wagon capable of hard work flying down dirt trails and scaling off-road obstacles, yet it proves itself time and again as one tough package charged with grit and guts.
It also comes with the pedigree of a solid structure engineered to endure the hardships of off-road travel and it carries an impressive aggregation of mechanical components.
The manufacturer -- Kia from South Korea, now owned by another Korean automaker, Hyundai -- teams with noteworthy suppliers from around the world for component systems. Lotus Engineering of England, for example, designed the suspension, while Germany's Getrag made the manual five-speed gearbox and Bosch Motronic did the fuel system.
Sportage's serious handling hardware starts with a stiff chassis, which amounts to a ladder-like boxed rectangle of steel with tubular cross braces and stamped steel cross members.
Chassis ground clearance of 7.9 inches may appear low, yet it's high enough to clear off-road rough stuff. Front and rear overhangs have been minimized, setting up generous angles of approach/departure in excess of 35 degrees.
The four-wheel independent suspension that Lotus devised makes Sportage easy to drive on pavement and entirely competent on dirt. In front, the double wishbone arrangement unites with coil springs, tubular hydraulic shocks and anti-roll bar, while in the rear a multi-link design -- in lieu of the more prevalent multi-leaf spring -- adds a sporty snap.
Shocks, set behind the axle to lessen angularity, dampen harsh bumps for a smoother off-road ride quality.
Steering, from a recirculating ball and nut device, uses engine speed-sensitive power assistance so the driver may turn the wheel easily when parking yet cut quickly at higher speeds for faster responses.
The part-time four-wheel-drive transfer case, coming from Japan's Kanda, has a chain drive with synchronization for shifting on the fly (below 15 mph) from two-wheel to four-wheel traction mode. Vacuum-operated front wheel hubs by Warn unlock automatically when switching out of 4WD, so you don't have to stop and reverse directions to disengage hubs as required by less sophisticated systems.
Despite a small package, Sportage produces ample power.
The four-cylinder engine, displacing 2.0 liters, consists of an iron block topped by aluminum heads. It wears dual cams on top, stacks four valves in every cylinder, and links to the multi-port electronic fuel injection system by Bosch.
Output runs to 130 hp.
It feels downright snappy when tied to the manual five-speed manual shifter, although a four speed electronic automatic is also available across the spectrum of models.
Actually, Kia builds Sportage in two different styles.
The conventional hard-top wagon has four doors for passengers and a back gate for cargo, while the two-door soft-top gets the wheelbase chopped by a foot.
Both designs contain the same mechanical hardware and provide a choice of rear two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive. The convertible appears in a single trim but the hard-top wagon splits into a generously equipped base issue and a luxury edition, Sportage EX.
During our Dakota tests, we drove all of the current issues, including hard-tops and soft-tops with manual and automatic shifters, and two-wheel and four-wheel traction.
The rear-wheel-drive units acted forcefully on pavement and demonstrated a sure-footed agility when steered around so many curves on two-lane roads wound through the Black Hills. Away from pavement, the four-wheeler Sportage hard-top proved itself as entirely competent -- and quite tough at speed on the trails.
Sportage models in the Kia line for 2000 carry refinements inside the cabin.
For instance, there's a new factory-installed stereo audio system in the dash with AM-FM radio and compact disc player. A footrest has been added in the footwell for the driver, and an armrest that slides forward on top of the center console now locks in the forward position.
The interior generally includes comfortable gear in a layout that puts two bucket seats in front of a rear bench rated for three but functioning best for only two.
Sportage EX contains bonus items like a roof rack, cruise control and power exterior mirrors. Still, the base Sportage has amenities usually considered optional, such as power windows, a digital clock and tachometer.
Air conditioning shows up as an option for the base edition, along with the stereo kit, a roof rack, cargo tray and alloy wheels. The EX puts leather upholstery on the option list, and all versions offer the automatic transmission, a remote keyless entry system and four-wheel anti-lock controls for brakes.
Safety systems include two frontal air bags this year, plus a driver's-side air bag aimed at the knees. The lower air bag prevents the driver from slipping below the dash during a frontal crash and thus allows the chest-high air bag in the steering wheel's hub to function property.
Sportage in any format adds up to a better value now because of improvements yet last year's price points still applied. The soft-top starts at $14,500 and the hard-top begins at $15,245, with the 4WD version tagged at $16,745.
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| 2000 KIA SPORTAGE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact sport-utility wagon
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| Model Options: |
Compact sport-utility wagon
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| Wheelbase: |
4-door: 104.3 inches
2-door: 92.9 inches
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| Overall Length: |
4-door: 170.3 inches
2-door: 156.4 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I4
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4
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| Drive: |
Rear 2WD, 4WD
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/opt. ABS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 1 (driver's knee)
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| Gas Mileage: |
2WD M/5: 20/23 mpg
2WD A/4: 18/21 mpg
4WD M/5: 20/22 mpg
4WD A/4: 19/22 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
$ 14,500 to $ 22,000 |
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