Driving
The Kia is available with 2.0-litre or 2.7-litre V6 petrol engines, but we prefer the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. There's a fair amount of diesel clatter at idle, but once on the move it delivers power progressively, and at cruising speeds is impressive refined. It serves up its power in a progressive manner too. So it's a shame the Kia's clutch action is snappy which, combined with a less-than-slick gearbox, makes smooth progress difficult. What's more, dynamically the Magentis feels flimsy. It rolls through corners, and this increased body movement means it works its front tyres much harder. There's also a lot of dive when braking, and the middle pedal is soft under-foot too. The steering is light and vague, and never inspires confidence. Unfortunately, the soft dynamic set-up doesn't translate into a decent ride quality either, because while the Kia is cushioned over smooth surfaces, the dampers don't control suspension movement. As a result, it can become crashy over imperfections, while kickback through the wheel is a problem. Still, stability control is standard.
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Your vehicle at a glance
Interior overview
Instrument panel overview
Engine compartment ...
Theft-alarm system
Theft alarm system will not operate when
the ignition key is in the ignition switch.
If the lock button on the transmitter is
pressed when the key is not in the ignition
and any vehicle door or ...
Introduction
Let's be clear right up front: The 2010 Kia Sportage is a good little
crossover SUV. The only problem is that the hyper-competitive compact crossover
segment is one of those places where being goo ...