SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.
Pics by Motorpress
Posted: 2 March 2017
The numbers
Base price: R599 995
Engine: 1591 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder turbopetrol
Power: 130 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 265 Nm between 1500 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 201 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 9.9 l/100 km
Tank: 62 litres
Luggage: 466 – 1455 litres
Maximum towing mass (braked): 1600 kg
Ground clearance: 182 mm
Approach/departure/ramp-over angles: 17.5/24.6/19.5 degrees
Turning circle: 10.6 metres
Warranty: 5 years/unlimited km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km
Highlights: New series, new face, new engine, new gearbox, same awd.
New series: This is the fourth generation Sportage that was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 2015 for the 2016 model year. Built on a wheelbase extended by 30 mm to 2670, its body is 35 mm longer (now 4480 mm) but width and height remain unchanged.
New face: Headlights and grille have been separated and subtly reshaped, said grille is almost all-black having ditched some chrome, fog lamps and bumper have changed and the windshield is bigger thanks to trimming of the ‘A’ pillars. At the rear tail lamps, bumper, spoiler and hatch door have changed. Co-efficient of drag (Cd) is down from 0.35 to 0.33 thanks to the new front bumper and re-profiled under-cover.
The interior changed dramatically with new steering wheel, gearshift, seats and dashboard. This is more “horizontal” in appearance with new vents and instruments and a 7” touch screen in place of the old radio-CD unit. This is not as new or colourful as we have come to expect, but it works.
New engine: This 1600 cc T-GDI motor has been in a couple of other Kia models, including Cerato Koup, but not with these particular output numbers; 130 kW and 265 Nm. This is its first appearance in an SA-market Sportage.
New gearbox: For the first time in one of these, but available also in Soul 160 Smart and a couple of Hyundais, is the chaebol’s new seven-speed DCT. The literature claims smooth and quick gear changes enabling faster acceleration and improved economy. We were less impressed. It works well enough when driven gently although we could detect occasional slippage on up-shifts; especially in Eco and Normal driving modes. “Sport” masked this tendency but …
It’s when the chips are down that you want the old six-speed auto back. Urgent demands on your part for decisive action, like when the truck you’re overtaking suddenly starts shutting you out, catch it flat-footed. Put kindly, the programming hesitates too long before reacting to urgent kick-down requests. Sport mode helps only slightly.
Update: We have been informed that a software upgrade, introduced since the date of our test, has addressed the problem we experienced. As always, test drive it and see.
Same awd: This is by no means a bad thing. Dynamax on-demand all-wheel drive, developed by Magna Powertrain in Austria, has been fitted to various Hyundai and Kia products since 2011. It’s pretty clever and reacts much like the AdSR system on Jaguar’s F-Pace.
Its awd coupling is like some others in that an electric motor operates an oil pump to pressurise a multi-disc clutch. This hydraulic pressure applies the clutch progressively so that torque is transferred increasingly from front to rear; more hydraulic pressure equals more clutch bite and more torque transferred rearward.
The CAN (Controller Area Network) bus monitors signals; principally throttle position, steering angle, vehicle speed and road texture (an algorithm that includes wheel speed sensor signals). These signals go to the awd computer to calculate the ideal anticipated front-rear torque split.
The computer then runs the pump to build up hydraulic pressure for the clutch. This is controlled by a feedback sensor on the clutch housing and stops the motor when the calculated pressure is reached. It usually takes between 50 and 100 milliseconds.
At start-up the system sets front-rear torque distribution for full drive on the front wheels. As the vehicle moves, Dynamax continuously monitors sensor readings to anticipate changes in upcoming driving conditions and, if necessary, make instantaneous adjustments to oil pressure. Because Dynamax is designed to react quickly to changing traction conditions, such as icy road patches, it never starts from an "off" position.
The clutch algorithm is biased toward good front-end traction and, whenever possible, maintains full drive to the front wheels for fuel economy. It’s adaptive, however. During sporty driving it apportions torque however needed - even 100 percent to the rear, if appropriate.
This variable torque split, in conjunction with the awd computer's active control approach, minimises over- and understeer in normal driving situations. For harsher off-road situations a centre difflock distributes torque 50:50 via manual override.
We drove the Sportage gently along our local Tenderfoot trail that provides a mix of minor washaways, loose dirt with occasional mud and a hill covered in slippery shale. We say “gently” because its ground clearance is only 182 mm (but 10 mm more than offered by Tucson) so we had to be on the lookout for deeper gullies and bigger rocks. It didn’t miss a beat. We wouldn’t recommend it for really adventurous outings but the basics are there.
We know you know about the Tucson 4WD Elite with same engine, gearbox and awd system, so an obvious question would be: “Why spend R600 000 on this when I can get the Hyundai for R535 000?” The answer is in the kit. Briefly the Kia adds satnav; wireless charging for compatible phones; HID head lamps with washers, auto-dipping and bending function; powered tailgate; warmed and ventilated front seats; electric parking brake; LED front fog lights; pushbutton starting and two-tone leather upholstery. There is also the extra ground clearance mentioned earlier, although the two vehicles’ approach, departure and ramp-over angles are essentially the same.
Practicalities include generous luggage space, full-size alloy spare, plenty of head-, knee- and foot room for those in the back, repeater vents back there, a low central hump, ISOFix mountings, fair amounts of storage including two little hidden boxes in the boot, grab handles for all passengers, a pair of USB charging points and a conventional 12V socket.
Common to both are dual-channel air conditioning, panoramic sunroof, powered front seats with lumbar adjustment for the driver, auto-folding exterior mirrors, blind spot and cross traffic alerts, lane assist, and reversing camera with parking beepers to make things comfy.
Sportage’s upgrade package added more soft-touch surfaces than previously, everything is laid out for maximum comfort, and fit and finish is up to the expected high standard.
Although 600-kay might sound like a ton of money for a smallish SUV with awd and a turbocharged 1600 motor, you do get lots of car.
Test unit from Kia Motors SA press fleet
We drove the fwd 2.0 petrol version here
We drove an updated 2wd version in 2022
Save
Save
Save
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.
If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the relevant test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.
Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.
This site is operated by Scarlet Pumpkin Communications in Pietermaritzburg.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are courtesy of www.quickpic.co.za
Copyright this business. All rights reserved.
SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8