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:
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 ...
Brake system
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a stalled
engine or some oth ...
Interior Features
Test drivers say the Rio and Rio5 have easy-to-read gauges and generally like
the layout of the dash, but the praise ends there. The Rio’s barebones interior
comes with a four-speaker audio syst ...


