mmarshall

My brother had an older Sportage LX that he felt was lacking in some of the new safety features that he wants (and feels safer with)......automatic emergency-braking, rear-cross-traffic-alert, back-up-camera, lane-departure warning, blind-spot-alert, mirror-mounted turn signals, etc..... So, he decided on an upgrade to a new SX turbo that had all of these features and a lot more (the SX really gives you a lot for the money, though it is substantially more expensive than the LX or EX). Unfortunately, it also comes with big 19" wheels and semi-rubber-band tires (expensive to replace), though the ride quality is surprisingly good for those big 19s....Kia supposedly worked on the suspension with the last re-design.

Before, he had only a 5-minute drive to work each way (roughly 2 miles), but now he has to commute substantially further each day, now that his company moved to a new building further out in the local D.C. area, in some dense and pretty harrowing traffic conditions.....thus the desire for more electronic Safety-Nannies (and AWD) that I myself can probably do without.

He liked the red and copper body-colors (especially the copper) with the two-tone black and "beige" leather.....which is really a tan color, not beige. Note the unusual yellow/gold striping on the edge of the seats...there is also matching yellow/gold stitching on the upper dash. I thought it was a really sharp color-combination. Only one was (currently) available like that in the D.C. area....that particular interior was difficult to find, and they had to bring it down from another dealership. Considering its hard-to-get status, and the fact that it wasn't a vehicle in stock on the lot, I'd say we got a pretty good deal...KBB Blue-Book for his trade and almost 5 grand off the 35K list price, including factory rebates, dealer-discount, and Kia's repeat/loyal-customer discount. He sprang for an wheel/tire protection package and a long-term protection package for the seat leather (I thought the wheel/tire repair/replacement protection was money well-spent, as you can pick up a nail anywhere, and we get a lot of potholes in this area in the winter). The leather-protection package, though, was a harder sell...my brother wanted to go for it, but I didn't see a need for it (if one is careful and doesn't eat or drink in the car) until the buisness-manager cut the price for that package some...then I reluctantly agreed. (It was my brother's car, of course, but he wanted my opinion right there). We turned down the other after-sale packages.....didn't see a need for them; just a waste of money.

Every recent Kia product I see, sit in, or test-drive, I continue to be impressed by how well the vehicles are screwed together at the factory, the solidness of their hardware and sheet metal, the thud-solid door closings (especially on their smaller vehicles), the excellent paint jobs for the price, and the general level of fit/finish. But, like many Korean and lower-priced Japanese-designed vehicles, they also continue, in most cases, to have overly-firm, relatively unsupportive seats and the sensation of more-or-less sitting on a park bench...I'm not sure I'd want to ride all day in one.

At my recommendation, he's spending his first night at home with it from the dealership going through the Owners' Manual getting familiar with the many different controls and screen-functions. This vehicle has a LOT of features on it....especially for the price. And the 2.0L turbo engine really helps it get out of its own way, even with the weight and drag of AWD.

There are basically images of what it looks like, but I hope to get some better actual camera-shots (the weather was a little crappy this afternoon, though, dried off under a carport at the dealership, I was still able to closely inspect the paint (as I always do) for scratches and other problems)....clean bill of health.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Well that was quick. Congrats to your brother! The burnished copper exterior is indeed nice. I'm sure you gave him a bottle of scratch out, as is customary with you !

Fizzboy7

A very wise choice for an SUV. It's hard to find fault with all new Kia's and Hyundais. There's no doubt these types of vehicles will serve their owners for a very long time without hassle. A few gripes would include the inside door panels look plain and cheap. The upright door-pulls are dated and there's an overall lack of detail in that region. Also, the headlight lenses wrap around too high on the hood, which is a guaranteed future headlight lense fade problem. Headlight lenses should face forward only, not upward to the sky where they are exposed and will become damaged. I'm surprised manufacturers still design lenses this way with 100% of them faded prematurely due to the odd angle. All minor gripes of course, as the rest of the package is very well styled and finished. Thanks for sharing.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

The interior is actually nicer in person than from the pictures.

I was at the dealership changing the oil for our Sedona, and that's when they start having Sportage in stock so they put couple of them right there by the service bay. I was able to closely examine the car, and was impressed with the interior materials.

mmarshall

Thanks. He works hard, and IMO deserves a nice new vehicle.

He liked the red until I got him to look at the copper. Didn't take him long to change his mind.

It was difficult, though, to find a copper SX with the tan interior....only one in the area was available for sale, and they had to bring it down from another Kia shop.

Yep...it's good stuff. Inexpensive, easy to use, and quite effective.

mmarshall

Yes....they are not necessarily the vehicles for me, but the way they are built, for the money, is hard to beat.

Actually, I like them (got them in my own car)....they work quite well. In the Sportage, though, the reason you only have one for the passenger and not the driver is the way they designed the power-window and mirror controls...they would be blocked.


Some (not all) of that is obviously not only a concession to styling but also aerodynamics, to improve drag-coefficient.

Anytime. A new vehicle, of course, is always a big event in someone's life. Nice to share with others. He doesn't have the time, though, like I do, to be a regular forum member.

mmarshall

True.....all, IMO, except the seats. Excellent materials, but I'm not impressed with the way the seats feel on one's butt and torso (padding too firm) despite the extensive power controls and lumbar-support in the SX. My brother, though, doesn't have any problems with them.

That's because the designers apparantly don't cost-cut as much (relatively speaking) as some other automakers do on the quality of the materials. Honda and Acura, in general, also tend to use good materials inside and out...though not quite so much now as in the past. Of course, it is also well-known that Hyundai and Kia have relatively low labor costs in Korea, so they, in general, are able to put a little higher percentage of their development budgets into the actual materials of the vehicle.

pbm317

Great car all around, very smooth and refined, feels substantive. The Turbo has good power, but the fuel economy can be pretty puzzling/troubling. In our evaluation car I got decidedly worse mileage in our SX Turbo AWD than in our much larger Honda Pilot Elite AWD with a 3.5L V6. That was really my only nitpick, and for the price it doesn't have features such as adaptive cruise control and active lane keeping assist (vs the audible chirping warning system) etc, which is becoming more common.

mmarshall

Yeah....though I don't care for the rather hard seat cushions in a number of Kia products, it's hard to fault the materials and hardware they use, especially for the money. Solid feel, good refinement.

Some people, however, still have a mental-block against the brand, and won't even go look at them. I ran into this recently when one of our Condo-Board members asked me for some new-car advice. When she told me what her specific needs were in a vehicle, I mentioned a couple of smaller Kia products (along with some vehicles from other brands). She stiffened up like she was personally insulted, and said, "No.....I won't even look at a Kia". Wouldn't give me a reason why (maybe previous bad experience with one?), and wouldn't discuss the matter further. Some people are still living with their minds back in the 1990s, when Kia DID produce junk. But, hey, times change, and the world moves on.


My brother told me on the phone tonight, that, according to the trip-computer, even on a brand-new engine that is not yet fully broken-in, he is, so far, averaging 27 MPG in commuting....not bad, considering that it is only EPA-rated for 23 highway and 21 combined (he is a rather non-aggressive driver like me, and doesn't use the turbo very much). I suspect, though, that that figure will drop as it gets closer to its first full-tank of usage, in more varied traffic conditions.