?D4 THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010 THE EXAMINER THE PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER * THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010

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COVER STORY:

2011 Kia Sportage

Sportage draws attention

Wade Ozeroff

FIRST DRIVE

WHITEHORSE - I remember seeing the 2011 Sportage for the first time at the 2010 Geneva auto show - amid a sea of one-of supercars and high-end European debuts, the Korean manufacturer's eyecatching crossover drew attention to itself. It's too late to play the old, "Wow, that's a Kia?" gag, as the company has been making leaps forward with its design, but the third-generation Sportage pulled me, and a number of other media types, in for a closer look. It's quite a departure from the generic-ute appearance the vehicle wore for its first two incarnations, bolder looking and aggressively sculpted; with an upgraded interior and allwheel drive system that may propel the likeable little ute to new heights of conquest sales. The 2.4-litre "Theta" engine brings 176 hp and 168 lb.-ft. of torque to the platform that feels more than adequate for its size, delivering decent accelera-tion and meting out the power smoothly from the DOHC pow-erplant (there's a 2.0L turbo coming later in 2010). Both transmissions work well with the inline-four; its six-speed manual gearbox is slick and easy and, sadly, only available on base 2WD Sportages; all upper trims get a six-speed automatic. Kia has revamped the power steering, improved the braking (the company claims stopping distance reduced by two metres) and brought an all-new all wheel drive system to the Sportage for the new model year. The AWD, developed in partnership with Magna International's powertrain divi-sion, is a story unto itself. In a nutshell, it's designed to intel-ligently control the output to the wheels and anticipate power and torque-balance for situa-tions detected by the onboard monitors. Branded Dynamax, for those of you like to give your powertrain a name, the system

Fact file: 2011 Kia Sportage

Trim levels available: LX; EX. MSRP range: $21,995-$35,195. Freight: n/a. Notable options: AWD; navigation system; 17- or 18-inch wheels; panoramic moonroof. Available engines: 2.4L 4-cyl (176 hp/ 168 lb.-ft.); 2.0L turbo 4-cyl (274/269). Available transmissions: 6-spd manual; 6-spd auto with sequential shift. Fuel economy ratings: 9.5 L/ 100km city; 6.3 L/100km hwy (2.4 auto). Warranties: 5 years/ 100,000 km (comprehensive). Competitors: Ford Escape; Honda CR-V; Nissan Rogue; Toyota RAV4.

Report card (out of 5)

Value for $: 3.5 - Great base model buy-in, escalates into mid- 30s. Styling: 4 - Great new look, outside and in. Comfort: 3.5 - Supportive seats and acceptable roominess. Performance: 3.5 - Decent power delivery; good braking and steering feel. Overall: 4 - Well-positioned for conquest sales. Strengths: Base price; goodlooking; cargo capacity and access; lengthy warranty. Weaknesses: Manual transmission availability; road/ wind noise; no telescoping steering on base model. improves stability and helps to correct the vehicle when it feels an over-steer or understeer situ-ation developing. All of that makes the new Sportage feel good when it's moving, as does the motor-driven (i.e., not hydraulic) power steering; and the whole package is capped with electronic stabil-ity control, standard across the lineup. Both trim levels (and basically there are only two - EX and LX) boast a new-look interior; with an ergonomically improved dash and seats that are both supportive and suitable for long drives. Regardless of upholstery (leather or a rugged fabric) and cosmetic options (navigation The 2011 Kia Sportage is bolder looking and more aggressively sculpted than its previous incarnations. system, panoramic moonroof, for example), the vehicle also brings substantial cargo volume (as any good crossover would). With the second row seats folded down, it will hold 1,547 litres, and access has been made easy and convenient with a squared-off rear hatch that allows better loading of larger cargo. Drawbacks to the new Sportage seem to be pretty few: Base models don't get telescop-ing steering (the wheel still tilts, though), which makes the driving position less comfort-able, and rearward visibility is compromised by a smallish rear window and fat C-pillars. That doesn't seem too much of a tradeoff, though, for a pack-age as complete as this; particu-larly when it's backed

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up by Kia's major selling points: price and warranty. The Sportage can be had start-ing at a pretty reasonable $21,995 and pushed to $35,195 for a decked out EX model with all-wheel drive, which still doesn't sound too bad; all models are backed by Kia's five-year, 100,000 km warranty. o, yeah, wow - that's a Kia. I recommend taking a spin in the Sportage if you're checking WADE OZEROFF QMI Agency out light-duty-CUVs, as that might be all the shopping you need to do. wade.ozeroff@sunmedia

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autonet.ca/11kiasportage 64346570

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