A QUESTION OF SPORTAGE (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY GLENN BROOKS

Introductionword count: 115

After a few short years selling its Pride supermini and Mentor family car, Kia expanded its range in 1995 with the introduction of the Sportage, a compact 4x4. It undercut not only the Vauxhall Frontera and Toyota RAV4, but Suzuki's big-selling Vitara. Though the Sportage has sold steadily since, the lack of a three-door version prevented it eating into the sales of these important rivals. The other important ingredient missing from Kia's recipe has been the lack of a big promotional push and the small, if growing, number of dealers. The company's range offers superb value for money and the Sportage, in particular, is possibly one of the new and used car market's best-kept secrets.

Modelsword count: 21

Models Covered: Sportage - July 1995-to 2003 (2.0 five-door estate [S, SX, SLX, GLX, GSX, GLX SE, XSE, Executive, Executive SE])

Historyword count: 237

The Sportage arrived here in July 1995, in a choice of three versions - SLX, GLX or GLX SE. All were 2.0-litre, four-cylinder four-wheel drive estates and the range has stayed with the one engine ever since. A new Executive SE flagship model was launched in October 1996, as well as a premium-priced special edition version. This latter version was called the Karmann Sport and took its name from the German coach-building company that builds the Sportage for Europe and also assembles Volkswagen's Golf cabriolet. There were only 250 Karmann Sports built but a follow-up, the Karmann Sport SE, appeared in mid 1997 equipped with air conditioning and a price tag close to £20,000. The range was slightly revised in mid-1999 to incorporate just three models - S, SX and GSX, but there were no mechanical changes. For 2000, front and rear styling was slightly altered, there were new side mouldings and all but the entry-level S model came with two-tone paint. A two-stage spare wheel carrier mechanism improved rear door access to the load area. In 2002 an XSE special edition model was launched and Kia revised the range line up early in 2003 by making the XSE part of the mainstream Sportage range and deleting all other trim levels. The XSE's star burned briefly, and the Sportage range was retired from active duty in Spring 2003 but it wasn't until 2005 that its replacement arrived.

What You Getword count: 131

Inside, there's plenty of space for four adults to be comfortable - five would be a bit of a squeeze. Just as comfortable, in fact, as they would be in any ordinary family saloon. The Sportage has always had a reputation for luxury equipment - a Thatcham Category II vehicle immobiliser, front and rear electric windows, electric mirrors, a stereo radio cassette player, a rear wash/wipe and central locking, all come as standard. The GLX models get alloy wheels, anti-lock brakes and an RDS stereo, while the GLX SE also has air conditioning. However, airbags have always been absent from the list and, though the 2000 model year left-hand drive cars have them (along with a redesigned dashboard), they have yet to be introduced in RHD cars sold in the UK.

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