History and description of the car Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage (Sportage) - compact crossover (SUV, J-class), produced by the South Korean automaker Kia Motors from 1993 to the present. More than 800,000 cars have been sold in the USA for all time.

The engine can be gasoline or diesel, it is located transversely in front with torque drive to all wheels. Cheaper models have front-wheel drive (the first generation on the rear wheels).

Sportage's main competitors are cars Hyundai Tucson, Ford Escape, Renault Duster, Peugeot 4008, Mitsubishi ASX, Nissan Qashqai, Citroën C4 Aircross, Skoda Yeti, Suzuki Vitara, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

First generation (NB-7, 1993—2005)

The first generation was developed on the basis of the Mazda Bongo van and has many common nodes with it. This was during Kia's collaboration with Ford and Mazda. The chassis of the car is the same as that of the Kia Retona SUV. From 1995 to 1998, the Sportage was produced at the factory «Wilhelm Karmann GmbH» in Germany, after that production remained only in South Korea.

The body of the car was produced as a 3-door convertible and 5-door station wagon (SUV) 4440 mm long, 1855 mm wide, 1635 mm high. The wheelbase was 2650 mm. The body is based on a ladder-type frame, which makes it an SUV. In 1997, the Sportage became the first family car in the world to be equipped with a knee airbag.

The engines were installed from Mazda, two 2.0-liter gasoline (FE SOHC I4, 117 HP) and 2.0 liters (FE DOHC I4, 128 HP) and one diesel also 2.0 liters (RF I4, 82 hp). Transmission was 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual.

The car received a very low safety rating from the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) - just one out of five.

Second generation (JE/KM, 2005—2010)

At the 2004 Paris Motor Show, the second generation was presented to the public. Since that time, the car has moved from an SUV to the class of crossovers with a monocoque body and is based on the same platform as Hyundai Elantra. The body is only a 5-door wagon with a length of 4351 mm, a width of 1800 mm and a height of 1694 mm. The car was assembled in South Korea, China, Slovakia, Russia, Malaysia, Ukraine and Ecuador.

Two models of 2.0-liter gasoline engines were installed on the car (Beta II I4, 141 HP) and 2.7 liters (Delta V6, 175 HP), as well as two diesel engines of 2.0 liters (CRDI I4-T) 112 hp (atmospheric) and 140 hp (turbocharging). Gearboxes 5 and 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.

The Sportage was named one of the most reliable cars of 2009 by an American magazine review «Consumer Reports».

The Sportage earned the highest rating of 5 out of 5 stars in side and frontal crash tests from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, the American Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave only 2 out of 5 stars overall rating, see below for detailed ratings:

• Overall rating - 2 out of 5 stars
• Small Overlap Frontal Tests - Acceptable
• Side Crash Test - Acceptable
• Roof Strength Rating - Poor
• Headrest and seat safety rating - Poor

Third generation (SL, 2010—2015)

In April 2010 Sportage «SL» entered the Asian and European markets, and in August the North American markets as a 2011 model. The shape of the body remained unchanged, the external dimensions changed slightly, which became 4445 mm long, 1855 mm wide and 1645 mm high. There were three trim levels - base «S», average «SE» and top «SX». Assembly facilities were located in South Korea, China, Russia, Slovakia and Malaysia.

The line of gasoline four-cylinder in-line engines consisted of four models with a volume of 1.6 liters (135 HP), 2.0 liters (150 HP), 2.0 liters (turbo, 261 hp) and 2.4 liters (176 HP). Diesel engines were two models of 1.7 liters (115 HP) and 2.0 liters (136 and 184 hp), all four-cylinder turbocharged in-line engines. Transmission 5 or 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.

In 2011 he received an award from «International Car of the Year» (ICOTY) in nomination «Truck of the Year» (Truck of the year). In 2014, the current generation was upgraded - the exterior design, interior and chassis were changed.

The third generation Sportage received a maximum rating of 5 out of 5 stars from the European commission Euro NCAP. See the table for detailed results. This car has also been rated «Top Safety Pick» from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States, see the list for more detailed estimates:

• Overall rating - 5 out of 5 stars
• Small Overlap Frontal Tests - Poor
• Frontal tests with partial overlap - Good
• Side crash test - Good
• Roof Strength Rating - Good
• Headrest and seat safety rating - Good

Fourth generation (QL, 2015—present)

September 2015 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (Germany) was presented to the public by Sportage with the code «QL» as a 2016 model. The body shape remained the same, only the length increased by 35 mm, amounting to 4480 mm, the height and width remained the same. There are three trim levels − «LX», «EX» And «SX». The assembly was carried out in South Korea, Slovakia, Malaysia, Algeria and Russia.

The line of gasoline engines consists of five models of the following characteristics - 1.6 liters (132 HP), 1.6 liters (turbo, 177 hp), 2.0 liters (Nu I4, 150 HP), 2.0 liters (Theta II I4, turbo, 240 hp) and 2.4 liters (Theta II I4, 184 HP). Diesel engines three models - 1.7 liters (115 HP) and two 2-liter 136 and 185 hp. Gearboxes three modifications - 6-speed manual or automatic or 7-speed dual-clutch automatic (DCT).

The 2017 model year car was rated by the European committee Euro NCAP and awarded the maximum 5 out of 5 stars, details can be found in the table below. The same model was rated «Top Safety Pick» from the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), more detailed results:

• Overall rating - 5 out of 5 stars
• Frontal tests with small overlap - Good
• Frontal tests with partial overlap - Good
• Side crash test - Good
• Roof Strength Rating - Good
• Head restraint safety rating - Good
• Evaluation of collision avoidance systems - Excellent
• Headlight rating - Acceptable
• Ease of use of child seat attachment - Acceptable

Sportage in 2016 won the award «Red Dot Design Award» in the nomination for car design.

Kia Sportage IV 2015, side view

Kia Sportage IV 2015, interior

Kia Sportage IV 2015, trunk