SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday February 9, 2011
Say 'SUV' and most people's thoughts turn immediately to huge devices with four-wheel drive and enough bad attitude to pull the paint off little suburban cars as they go whooshing by. But what about those with smaller engines, unassuming drivetrains and normal civilian gearboxes? Do they not ride high, ferry people and look tough? Do they not accomplish all that 90 percent of the fancy ones actually do in real life, but without the bragging rights?
This brings us neatly to the subject of this report, a Kia Sportage with the lowliest engine, two-wheel drive and automatic transmission. It's hardly a formula for enticing barbeque boys away from their beloved Hardbodies and Hiluxes, is it? And what about the mothers of their children and males whose priorities run more to daily transport, holiday travel and ferrying dogs to the vet? Suddenly space, safety, ease of driving and perfectly adequate performance become more important.
SUVs and minivans appeal to those who just plain feel safer in a bigger vehicle with a commanding view of the road. Plenty of room for passengers to stretch out in, loads of luggage space, all the safety kit one could need and a sane level of performance with reasonable fuel economy, are bonusses. The fact that this one costs no more than a hot little sedan or hatchback, doesn't hurt either.
The motor is a naturally aspirated 2.0 litre four cylinder unit developing 122 kW of power and 197 Nm of torque; on the upper side of average for this size and type of engine. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via Kia/Hyundai's in-house six-speed torque converter automatic with optional manual override. In this application, the gearbox responds best to gentle treatment, changing smoothly and kicking down as needed when requested politely. Brutality or harshness simply results in noisy responses and snappish reactions, sort of like the other women in your life.
This Sportage may be reasonably priced, but don't get the idea that it's under-equipped. Apart from the usual kit, there's leather upholstery, dual channel airconditioning, a driver's seat electrically adjustable for height and lumbar support, and a six-speaker radio and CD unit with iPod, USB and auxiliary inputs. The iPod cable is thrown in free of charge. Roof rails, amplitude selective (self-adjusting) dampers, audio and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel and electrically adjustable and folding door mirrors, complete the list of toys.
Safety items include all the usual braking equipment plus traction control, electronic stability control with roll-over sensors that automatically activate the six airbags in an emergency, cornering brake control, downhill brake control, hill start assist, central locking with keyless entry and alarm, rear park assist and ISOFIX child seat anchors. Before you ask, the announcement that Sportage and another (Europe-only) Kia product had gained EuroNCAP five-star rating, came through just as we started writing this report.
The only notable cost cutting appears to have been in respect of the ignition key, an old fashioned device with grooves and notches. It can be copied by your local locksmith. Be thankful; we all know of someone whose exotic electronic key took six weeks and R5 000 to replace, don't we?
The boot measures 740 litres with the rear seatbacks up and 1547 litres with both sections folded flat. Loading height is at upper thigh level to this journalist and there is no sill. Storage around and inside the full-sized alloy spare under the boot floor should be useful for keeping smaller and more sensitive items out of sight.
Not having four-wheel drive probably disqualifies this and a few other Sportages from claiming full SUV status, but it does the family transporter thing stylishly, competently and without a huge fuel consumption penalty. If getting the job done is more important than bragging rights, put it on your viewing list.
The numbers
Price: R274 995
Engine: 1 998 cc DOHC four cylinder inline with dual CVVT
Power: 122 kW at 6 200 rpm
Torque: 197 Nm at 4 600 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.6 seconds
Maximum speed: 182 km/h
Real life fuel consumption over 300 km: about 10.7 l/100 km
Tank: 55 litres
Ground clearance: 172 mm
Approach/departure/rampover angles: 28.1/28.2/17.7 degrees
Towing capacity (braked/unbraked): 1600/750 kg
Warranty: 5 years/100 000 km
Service plan: 5 years/100 000 km
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8