I've been driving my Kia Sportage 2011 for about two weeks now. I thought o recording my first impressions of the vehicle before it grows on me and I take the new features for granted.
Amazingly I put my money down without test driving. So you can say it was a love at first sight over it's looks. Peter Schreyer's new design had won a customer who didn't bother to see how the vehicle drives before ordering it. But I did do my research and while I was not expecting a sports car, I expected it to drive well.
And I am happy to say that the Sportage didn't dissapoint me. It packs a nifty 2.0l engine (yes this part of the world gets a 2l instead of the 2.4l that America gets) under the hood which gives enough punch for driving and overtaking in the city. Most of my travels are within the city and they tend to be pretty short ones averaging around 4-5 kms per trip. The in-city performance of the sportage is satisfying and stress free. It didn't appear underpowered to face any condition that I faced so far. Even with a load of 5 adults it performed effortlessly on the city roads.
One of the things that attracted me to the Sportage were the amount of features that it offered as standard. Even though I went for the lower spec edition with FWD it packs all the creature comforts that are required. And I am in love with the Blake interior and am happy that I held my ground when the agent tried his best to push a gray interior. Black with the red interior lighting is a nice combination.
The other thing that I am really happy about is the roominess of the interior. Even with the front seats pushed fully back, there is plenty I leg room fo the rear passengers. In fact at times there appears to be too much of room at the back as therenks room or the kids to stand at the back even when someone is sitting.
The only thing that was a surprise in a negative manner was the fuel consumption on my first tank full. My calculation tell me it has done abou 4.2 km's per litre which works upto about 19 MPG. But I was expecting it to doaround 7km's per litre. But I guess all the traffic during the wesak on the road was probably the culprit. In my second tankfull, it seems to be doing better having done over a 100km's with the meter still above the FULL mark. (I think this time the pump attendant pumped atleast 15 litres after the indicator reached the FULL mark and the pump lock automatically disengaged. If it does anywhere around 7kms or above for a litre would make me a happy driver.
Oh and I live the fact that it is a triptronic and a 6 speed one at that. One of the reasons that I was forced to sell my previous car was the fact that it was a manual and my wife cannot drive a stick shift. But I personally live the stick shift. With this we both get our own preferences. Of course a triptronic is not a pure stick shift. It still doesnt shift up when I want to. But at least it gives some control over the shifting.
It suffices to say that I am happy with my choice. I am glad I went for the Sportage instead of a car. Only thing I would like to have in it are the rear spoiler and a reverse camera. Other than that and a tint I would keep the rest stock.
Next is to see how it ages and how reliable it is over time. In Sri Lanka we dont get the legendary 7 year Kia warranty. Instead we get a 3 year/60000km warranty. But I am planning to stuck with the vehicle for a minimum of 5 years as my lease runs that long. So the reliability is to be seen.
PS: if anyone wants to get a sportage in Sri Lanka and doesn't want to wait for 4 months as the agents suggest drop me a line. I will let you in on a secret to get your hands on one within 4-5 weeks. I only waited 5 weeks from ordering to delivery.
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