2013 Kia Sportage EX AWD

The Sportage is fighting a tough battle in a hotly contested small CUV segment, featuring heavy hitters such as the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. And so far, the Sportage hasn’t taken off like some other Kia vehicles.  Sales languish far behind the class leaders and even trail those of its corporate cousin the Hyundai Tucson, due mostly to the fact that behind the glitzy looks is a mediocre vehicle.  That was true when it debuted for the 2011 model year and has only become more evident as the competition has stepped up its game.

This week I’m driving the Sportage EX AWD, the top trim non-turbocharged model, equipped with the Premium Package adding leather, heated front seats, air-cooled driver’s seat, push button start with smart key and a panoramic sunroof among other conveniences.  My tester also replaces the heavily advertised UVO voice activated music system with a full-blown navi with Sirius Traffic.  Base price of this model is $26,500 and totals $30,800 as tested.

The Sportage impresses with its aggressive styling, accented by these great-looking 18” wheels and LED daytime running lights.  The design has been and still is a winner.  But a smallish cargo area, lazy powertrain, overly firm ride and disconnected steering compile to create less than favorable intellections.  The Sportage SX, with its 2.0-liter turbo and 260 horsepower likely addresses one of these issues, but this 2.4-liter, 176-horsepower engine mated to a 6-speed auto with Eco mode seems tired.  Gas mileage is rated at 20mpg city/27mpg highway.  The standard high-performance dampers do little to comfort passengers creating too much interaction with the road.  The Sportage does perform well off-road and in the snow where its Dynamax all-wheel drive system attempts to get out in front of slippery conditions by transferring torque to the rear axle.  And as an added benefit there’s a driver activated locking center differential to keep the torque split even up to 25mph.

Where Kia continues to espouse their value-drive virtues is in the Sportage’s comprehensive safety and convenience offerings, which include the full array of air bags and electronic driver aides such as downhill brake and hill start assist control.  And features like a cooled glove box and power folding outside mirrors just add those little touches that go beyond expectations.  Rear seat passengers are also greeted with ample room and their own sunroof.  But cargo volume of 26 cubic feet with the seats up and 54 with them down expose the Sportage’s lack of overall space.

A freshened Sportage should arrive later in 2013 with a complete redesign 2 to 3 years away.