Kia gets an SUV assist from Hyundai

January 15, 2005|by MALCOLM GUNN/Wheelbase Communications

Early in the new year you'll be seeing plenty of Hyundai Tucsons scooting around the highways and biways of North America. However, if you look closely, you'll notice that some them aren't Hyundais at all. In fact, they're Kias.

The reason for this is quite simple. Hyundai, which owns the Kia brand, has decided to share its latest toy. Now each has two models: Hyundai has the Santa Fe and Tucson; and Kia has its charming Sorento and the all-new Tucson-derived Sportage. If Detroit can practise the ancient art of badge engineering, hey, then so can these two Korean makes.

The Sportage label has actually been recycled from 2002 when the first Kia to use the name was dropped from the lineup. Although similar in size to that almost forgotten mini-ute, this newest version is a very different animal.

Whereas the first Sportage proudly wore its sand-in-your-snout Paris-Dakar rally experience on its fenders, the encore version is just itching for a bit of mud on its doors or a few snowflakes to test its mettle. That's because the Sportage, Part 2, is based on the unitized (frameless) architecture of Hyundai's Elantra sedan. That's not to say the new Sportage is some kind of pretender, but instead it offers a fresh design, a comfortable cabin and a boatload of value, all rolled into one cutting-edge compact carrier.

Available in front- or permanent four-wheel drive, this Sportage speaks the language of refinement and aims to remind passengers of its car-based background. It now competes in a world that values fuel efficiency and space efficiency in equal measure.

From the tip of its protruding front fascia to its one-piece tailgate, all the superfluous fat has been trimmed from this design. More practical than stunning, the Sportage can still hold its own among a range of genteel competitors that include the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, Saturn Vue and Mitsubishi Outlander.

To differentiate the Sportage from the crowd, Kia's design team has infused the Sportage with an arms-length list of features that puts similar car-based utes to shame. This includes air conditioning (except front-drive versions) traction and stability control, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, the power lock/mirror/window trio, six-speaker CD sound system, 16-inch alloy wheels and a total of six air bags, including side-curtain protectors that run the full length of the cabin.

And the content list only grows longer once you gravitate from the LX to the EX model, where extra outside trim, a sunroof, keyless entry and cruise control are standard. A Luxury Package that, for a relatively modest fee, tags along with the EX and adds leather seats (heated in front), auto-dimming headlamps, premium audio components and color-keyed bumpers.

Under the hood, the LX comes with a 140-horsepower four-cylinder powerplant while a 173-horse V-6 powers the EX.

The I4 can be had with a five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic, while the V-6 goes with the automatic only.

You can mate either engine to an all-wheel-drive system, but the five-speed gearbox is mandatory if you choose the four cylinder.

When you factor in Kia's extensive warranty program along with all the other pluses, the Sportage becomes as appealing as sensible shoes on a long walk. With this class of vehicle rapidly gaining in popularity, it appears as though the Hyundai Tuscon's close cousin has made it to the party just at the right time.

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