Wrap star CUV
Graeme Fletcher endures Death Valley to test out 2017 Kia Sportage
CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif.
Officially, the 2017 Kia Sportage will make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Sept. 15.
However, I was allowed to put a number of camouflaged test mules through their paces, which entailed doing some hotweather testing in Death Valley and then some driving exercises at the company’s California City proving grounds. It made for an interesting exercise, one that served to showcase the fourthgeneration crossover in a favourable light.
It was difficult to tell what the new Sportage looks like, given the camouflaging. However, the early photos show a sportier take on the two-box design, especially the GT Line, with its more aggressive look and twin tailpipes. There are also some interesting light treatments. The fogs are LED and it would appear the top-line car gets LED high beams.
One thing was very obvious: it is larger. The new Sportage gets a 30-millimetre stretch in the wheelbase (now 2,670 mm), which equates to more space in all areas, including the cargo area. It rises from 465 to 503 litres and features 60-40-split folding rear seats. At long last, the privacy cover now stows in the trunk when not in use. There is also more headroom in all positions, which was one of the needed improvements.
Inside, the Sportage testers marked a radical departure. The interior now mirrors the quality of the top-line Sorento. This means the new-look dash panel is far more advanced than the outgoing model. The test cars featured a 20-centimetre touch- sensitive screen with a rear-view camera and navigation. The move to an upscale cabin was evident in the rest of the equipment as well: power 10-way heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, panoramic moonroof, adaptive cruise control, lanedeparture and blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic detection and front and rear sonic parking sensors. It’s an extensive list for a mid-level crossover.
The rear environment has been reworked to great effect. The floor is now lower without affecting ground clearance, while the seat has been raised, which brings a more natural seating position. It was comfortable on the drive routes through Death Valley. Finally, the cabin is now noticeably quieter, in spite of the padded camouflaging wrapping the body, which fluttered at speed. The thicker side glass, extra sound insulation and better isolation between the mechanical bits and the cabin add up to a two-decibel reduction in road noise.
Mechanically, the test vehicles were polar opposites. The first was the base 2.4-litre engine with 182 horsepower and 177 poundfeet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters drove the front wheels. As a powertrain, it was up to snuff. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the new 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It develops 177 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 r.p.m. Married to the same automatic transmission and a reworked version of Kia’s Dynamax all-wheel-drive system, it proved to be a much speedier ride. It also remained unfazed by the altitude changes along the drive route.
When the Sportage lands in Canada, it will arrive with the same entry-level 2.4L engine, but with a more powerful 2.0L turbocharged four in lieu of the 1.6 L. It makes 265 hp and 269 lb-ft at 1,850 r.p.m, which adds considerably more scoot to the drive.
The all-wheel-drive system comes with a lock mode and downhill descent control. On an off-road jaunt at Kia’s proving grounds, the system worked flawlessly. The descent-control system inched the Sportage downhill slowly, while the allwheel-drive system saw it pull through a cambered corner with the right rear wheel in the air. There was also remarkably little traction-control intervention, given the sandy environment, which speaks to how quickly the power is shuttled around.
By far the biggest step forward is in the ride and handling characteristics. The outgoing model handled nicely, but it was somewhat taut in the ride department. The new Sportage is much more refined. Regardless of road condition, there was very little kickback to the riders.
The extensively reworked suspension and much stiffer body bring a decidedly decent ride on- or off-road. The reason for this is the amount of ultra-highstrength steel in the body jumps to 51 per cent from 18 per cent, which improves the body’s torsional rigidity by a huge 39 per cent.
The latest Sportage takes some significant steps in the right direction. It has a much crisper feel to its drive, yet it’s more comfortable. There was also a healthy dose of refinement and lots of equipment. How things finally shake out trim by trim (expect the range to run from LX to SX as before) will not be known until closer to the Canadian launch in the spring of 2016.
However, based on this very early drive, it’s safe to say the fourth-generation Sportage represents a much bigger threat to its rivals.