History and description of the car Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage (Sportage) is a compact crossover (SUV, J-class), produced by the South Korean automaker Kia Motors from 1993 to the present. In the United States, more than 800 thousand cars were sold in total.

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

The main competitors of the Sportage 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 components with it. This was during the time of Kia's cooperation 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 Wilhelm Karmann GmbH plant in Germany, after which production remained only in South Korea.

The car body was produced as a 3-door convertible and 5-door station wagon (SUV) with a length of 4440 mm, a width of 1855 mm, a height of 1635 mm. 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 world's first family car equipped with a knee airbag.

The engines were from Mazda, two petrol engines with a volume of 2.0 liters (FE SOHC I4, 117 hp) and 2.0 liters (FE DOHC I4, 128 hp) and one diesel engine with a volume of 2.0 liters (RF I4, 82 hp). The transmission was a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual.

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

Second generation (JE/KM, 2005—2010)

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

The car was equipped with two models of petrol engines with a capacity of 2.0 liters (Beta II I4, 141 hp) and 2.7 liters (Delta V6, 175 hp), as well as two diesel engines with a capacity of 2.0 liters (CRDI I4-T) with a capacity of 112 hp (naturally aspirated) and 140 hp (turbocharged). Gearboxes are 5- and 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.

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

The Sportage earned a top rating of 5 out of 5 stars in side and frontal crash tests from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave it only a 2 out of 5 star overall rating, with detailed scores below:

• Overall rating: 2 out of 5 stars
• Frontal tests with small overlap - Acceptable
• Side Crash Test - Acceptable
• Roof Strength Rating - Poor
• Headrest and Seat Safety Rating - Poor

Third generation (SL, 2010—2015)

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

The range of petrol four-cylinder in-line engines included 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). There were two models of diesel engines with a volume of 1.7 liters (115 hp) and 2.0 liters (136 and 184 hp), all four-cylinder in-line turbocharged. Transmission 5- or 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.

In 2011, it received the International Car of the Year (ICOTY) award in the Truck of the Year category. In 2014, the current generation was modernized - the exterior design, interior and chassis were changed.

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

• Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars
• Frontal tests with small overlap - Bad
• 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)

In September 2015, at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (Germany), the Sportage with the code "QL" was presented to the public 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". Assembly was carried out in South Korea, Slovakia, Malaysia, Algeria and Russia.

The petrol engine range consists of five models with the following characteristics: 1.6 litres (132 hp), 1.6 litres (turbo, 177 hp), 2.0 litres (Nu I4, 150 hp), 2.0 litres (Theta II I4, turbo, 240 hp) and 2.4 litres (Theta II I4, 184 hp). There are three models of diesel engines: 1.7 litres (115 hp) and two 2-litres with 136 and 185 hp. There are three modifications of gearboxes: 6-speed manual or automatic or 7-speed automatic with dual clutch (DCT).

The 2017 model year car was assessed 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 received a "Top Safety Pick" rating 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
• Headrest Safety Rating - Good
• Collision avoidance systems rating - Excellent
• Headlight Rating - Acceptable
• Ease of use of child seat anchorage - Acceptable

The Sportage won the 2016 Red Dot Design Award for vehicle design.

Kia Sportage IV 2015, side view

Kia Sportage IV 2015, interior

Kia Sportage IV 2015, trunk