Driving Impressions
The 2006 Kia Sportage provides a carlike ride while returning relatively sporty handling on par with that of most peers. Should you push too hard through a corner, the standard stability and traction control system will intervene to keep you headed in the right direction. Additionally, the Sportage's four-wheel independent suspension system helps smooth bumps without the jittery feel typical of many SUVs. Power from the standard four-cylinder is barely adequate, so we recommend you stick with the larger 2.7-liter V6. The four-speed automatic isn't quite as smooth as the five-speed unit in the CR-V or RAV-4, but it always manages to keep the V6 right in its power band.
See also:
New electric steering and new multi-link rear suspension
All around the world, more than 860,000 Kia Sportage owners have enjoyed this
model's special blend of on-road talents and off-road abilities since the
second-generation model was introduced in 20 ...
LUXURIOUS CLASS-EXCLUSIVE FEATURES
Upgrading to the Premium Package (as with our test car) adds items like wood
interior trim, heated rear seats, a driver’s memory seat with 4-way
adjustability, and class-exclusive features like ...
Automatic transaxle
Automatic transaxle operation
The highly efficient automatic transaxle
has 5 forward speeds and one reverse
speed. The individual speeds are selected
automatically, depending on the position
of ...


