Powertrains and Performance
Two engines are offered on the Sportage LX: a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder (140 hp and 136 pound-feet of torque) and a 2.7-liter V6 (173 hp and 178 lb-ft). The Sportage EX comes standard with the V6. The inline-4 can be had with either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic, while the V6 is automatic only. One may also choose front- or all-wheel drive in either trim.
We timed a Sportage V6 at 10.7 seconds from zero to 60 mph, about a second or so off the quicker four-cylinders in the segment and more than three ticks off the class hot rod, the RAV4 V6. Fuel mileage estimates for a 2008 Sportage V6 with AWD are 17 mpg city and 21 mpg highway, a few mpg under the class average. The four-cylinder gets only a few city mpg better.
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Leftlane’s bottom line
Like their Hyundai partners, Kia has the competition looking over their
shoulders with good products at great prices. Add in the hefty Kia warranty and
you have a great combination…just stick wi ...
Power steering fluid
Checking the power steering fluid
level
With the vehicle on level ground, check
the fluid level in the power steering reservoir
periodically. The fluid should be
between MAX and MIN marks on th ...
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher causes
the rear tail lights and front turn signal
lights to flash on and off, which
serves as a warning to other drivers
to exercise caution when approaching
or passi ...