EARLY ASESSMENT OF NEW KIA SPORTAGE

chief38

chief38

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About a month ago we picked up our new Kia Sportage SX Prestige. I was pretty impressed with the car when we test drove it and that first impression only improved as the last 4 weeks went on.

The only issue we found with the vehicle was a blown drivers side speaker for the Harmon-Kardon Stereo. After a trip to the Dealer to confirm, they ordered a new speaker for us - that should be in this week.

Other than that, the car has far exceeded our expectations. It is their top of the line model in the Sportage line (except for all wheel drive which we do not need here) and probably the least expensive car we have bought in 45 years. It has pretty much every option you could put into a car including autonomous driving while on the highway. It will not take you from your garage to your destination or make turns, but on the highway, the car does the driving. 360º cameras, heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, blah blah blah. The 10 year warranty on the power train and 5 year bumper to bumper is comforting to say the least! So far we are getting 28+ mpg around town (stop & go) and 36.5 on the highway. We have under 1,000 miles on it so far so the gas mileage should also improve as it breaks in. The car is very very quiet, rides great and handles well. So far the S. Koreans have really impressed us and I understand the car is actually built in Georgia, USA. BTW, the seating (front & rear) is notably comfortable!
 
We bought a used 2000 in 2009 and it did just fine. about 24 MPG, It died on the side of the road because the plastic radiator hose connector cracked and wouldn't hold fluid but only when hot, so my life contributed to the demise. It lasted to 150,000 miles and I believe it died young.

It replaced with a GMC 4x4 Astro van. Those things are near indestructible! It was replaced with a 2008 Honda CRV two-wheel drive. 180,000 miles latter just some age-related problems.

Overall thoughts, I would own another Sportage.

Ivan
 
I truly find it admirable when a bottom of the barrel company pulls themselves up the ladder (big time) and shines as a #1 contender. Just about 20 years ago Kia and Hyundai (same Company) were the laughing stock of the automotive industry and now they are a coveted, quality producing company. I NEVER thought I'd own one - HA HA. It's true what they say....... NEVER say never!

The only way I think they could improve their line ups is to offer better color options - both inside and out. That they are lacking in - for sure!! For a relatively modestly priced car, I know of no other car company that offers what they do for the price. While they used to HAVE TO offer the 100,000 mile / 10 year warranty because of poor quality, that warranty is now a comforting plus they offer. Especially when many other company's like Toyota offer far less of a warranty. And...... even Toyota's do break and there are a few lemons that sneak out. Ten years is a large comfort zone!
 
Having come from the auto industry, I stick with American made vehicles from American companies. Granted, it's getting harder to do, but I'll do it for as long as I can.
 
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Tom S. said:
Having come from the auto industry, I stick with American made vehicles from American companies. Granted, it's getting harder to do, but I'll do it for as long as I can.
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I would generally agree however many foreign cars are now built in the USA and classified as American vehicles. On the other hand, some of the so called American vehicles are built in Mexico, Canada, and most parts come from China. So as we are now learning, things are not always as they are represented.

While I have owned Mercedes, VW, Toyota, Volvo, I mostly have had "American vehicles" or so I believed. I think if we disassembled a Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick or Chevy we would find very little if anything still made in the USA. As someone who works on their own cars, I can tell you that I don't remember the last time I have seen "made in USA" on any parts I have replaced. Quite honestly, I'd rather put money into a non Communist country such as S. Korea than into Communist China dressed in our flag. I am as patriotic as anyone here - but we also need to come to grips with the world the way it is now. Sadly, we live in a "global economy". It took me many many years to swallow this distasteful pill!!
 
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2018 Sportage here, 56k miles and zero problems, just regular scheduled maintenance. The Sportage is a zippy vehicle with a quiet smooth ride. Not the sexiest car out there, but I didn’t care at the time.
 
We shopped all the small SUVs for my daughter and ended up with a Hyundai Tuscon which is basically the same car as the Kia Sportage. I would give it highest marks for getting the most car for your money, my only desire would be for it to have a little more horsepower, but my daughter is happy with it. The problem with the most of the small SUVs is if you do want a little bit more power the upgraded engine is a hybrid or a turbo and it is much more expensive. Then you might as well buy the next size up SUV like Sorento, Santa Fe, Highlander, Pilot, etc. that has a standard 6 cylinder engine.
 
Tom S. said:
Having come from the auto industry, I stick with American made vehicles from American companies. Granted, it's getting harder to do, but I'll do it for as long as I can.
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My wife and I both drive Toyotas . They were both built in the USA and have been for years .
I work at a Ford dealership and several models are made in Mexico.
 
I wish you better luck than I had with a 2012 Sorento. While it seemed the roomiest and most comfortable of similar-sized SUVs, it also felt the cheapest. Plastic door handles breaking, oil leak, axle replacement that never stopped vibrating, door latch failed. Seat trim breaking, and the finale was the ABS module failed ($1300 part). That was the cause of the sinking brake pedal that the dealer changed the master cylinder for and clearly did not fix it. Each repair took three trips to the dealer to get it right. When the ABS went out, I traded it for a Nissan Rogue.
 
chief38 said:
I would generally agree however many foreign cars are now built in the USA and classified as American vehicles. On the other hand, some of the so called American vehicles are built in Mexico, Canada, and most parts come from China....
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I thought My 2011 Ford Ranger was made here in Canada but it was the last vehicle made at the Twin Cities plant in MN. The list of Ford factories on Wikipedia shows they're spread all over, including China.

The original "Canadian" Ford connection was way back when they tried Robertson™ (square drive) screws but settled on Phillips as they would cam out when the screw was seated by the automated machines.
 
oldbrownhat said:
I thought My 2011 Ford Ranger was made here in Canada but it was the last vehicle made at the Twin Cities plant in MN. The list of Ford factories on Wikipedia shows they're spread all over, including China.

The original "Canadian" Ford connection was way back when they tried Robertson™ (square drive) screws but settled on Phillips as they would cam out when the screw was seated by the automated machines.
Click to expand...

I have a GMC Yukon SLT that has a "Proudly Made in Texas, USA" sticker on the drivers door - felt good about that too! Today 50% of GM is Chinese owned! I wonder just how many of the parts were actually made here! Not saying it wasn't assembled here, but more than likely assembled with Chinese parts - to me that's not an American car - even though I thought at the time that it was.
 
chief38 said:
I have a GMC Yukon SLT that has a "Proudly Made in Texas, USA" sticker on the drivers door - felt good about that too! Today 50% of GM is Chinese owned! I wonder just how many of the parts were actually made here! Not saying it wasn't assembled here, but more than likely assembled with Chinese parts - to me that's not an American car - even though I thought at the time that it was.
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Wife has a Buick regal of 2011 vintage.
Due to having me maintaining it, it's one of the precious few still on the road in my area.
Having been elbow deep in that crime scene, it's a rebranded Opel Insignia chassis populated with Chinese parts.
I see no point in trying to buy American if they don't build American.
Meanwhile, I'll tug the thread drift wheel a bit closer to its original collision course to say I've noticed the recent evolution of Hyundai/ KIA.
I suppose they really had to up their game after the USB steal me feature sullied their names.
I kinda hope to see them join the ranks with Honda, Toyota and Subaru. I'm not sure they're there yet but they are obviously trying.
 
chief38 said:
...Not saying it wasn't assembled here, but more than likely assembled with Chinese parts - to me that's not an American car - even though I thought at the time that it was.
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Kinda like my STI Spartan 1911. Parts made in the Phillippines by RIA but assembled and fine-tuned by STI in Texas. Not that I have any complaints about it being sourced from the Phillippines. China is another matter, though.
venomballistics said:
I kinda hope to see them join the ranks with Honda, Toyota and Subaru. I'm not sure they're there yet but they are obviously trying.
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Agreed.

I'm following this thread not because I'm in the market for a new vehicle - I plan to keep the Ranger until either it breaks down completely (unlikely) or I just don't need a pickup any more - at which point I'll probably be looking at a SUV / Crossover, possibly a hybrid (if we're even allowed to buy one by then.) It's always good to get personal reports on these things.
 
oldbrownhat said:
Kinda like my STI Spartan 1911. Parts made in the Phillippines by RIA but assembled and fine-tuned by STI in Texas. Not that I have any complaints about it being sourced from the Phillippines. China is another matter, though.

Agreed.

I'm following this thread not because I'm in the market for a new vehicle - I plan to keep the Ranger until either it breaks down completely (unlikely) or I just don't need a pickup any more - at which point I'll probably be looking at a SUV / Crossover, possibly a hybrid (if we're even allowed to buy one by then.) It's always good to get personal reports on these things.
Click to expand...

What I'm keeping an eye on is the caffe reports, which won't be in for some time.
After the Regal, I sat in a greasy spoon with a view of the intersection.
There I just watched the traffic looking for junkyard refugees. Noting make model and approximate year of each.
I've seen Civics somehow propelling themselves while dragging it's vital organs behind ... Toyotas with name plates in Egyptian hieroglyphics and Subaru's with fossilized body panels.
That's where I placed my bet. Those cars proven to achieve unnatural life.
Perhaps the current generation of Hyundai/ KIA may achieve the same. I hope so. Time will tell
 
My wife had a Buick LaCrosse (2010) with just under 90K (all stop and go local driving, almost no highway) and the car served us quite well. Basically it cost us 2 sets of tires, a set of brakes, a few air filters, 2 cabin filters and a wheel tire pressure sensor - that's it! At 15 years old I did not want to go any further and besides, my wife wanted an SUV for a change of pace - her first. No complaints all throughout that 15 years.

The Buick got about 30 mpg on a road trip but locally in stop and go she got about 18. This car is much better on gas!! :)
 
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chief38 said:
I have a GMC Yukon SLT that has a "Proudly Made in Texas, USA" sticker on the drivers door - felt good about that too! Today 50% of GM is Chinese owned! I wonder just how many of the parts were actually made here! Not saying it wasn't assembled here, but more than likely assembled with Chinese parts - to me that's not an American car - even though I thought at the time that it was.
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NO! 50% of GM's plants IN CHINA are Chinese owned. Not in the US.
 
We bought my wife's 2009 Kia Borrego in 2012 with 58k miles. It now has just under 176k miles on the clock.
In that time I have replaced the brake pads once (just a couple of months ago), a front drive line (because a non-replaceable u-joint went bad) and an air conditioner compressor.
Other than that I've replaced the spark plugs twice, the tires twice, replaced a few light bulbs and done regular oil & filter changes.
I've put less than $3k total into maintenance and repairs in 12 years/120k miles.
It still runs great, the interior has held up well, and other than a couple of little spots of peeling clearcoat and a scrape or ding here and there it still looks good too.
Best car I've ever owned. If I could buy a newer one just like it I'd do it in a heartbeat. Since I can't we will be replacing it with a Sorrento - probably sometime next year. We may even get one of the hybrids - the reviews for the 2019 & 2020 models I was looking at last year were getting 4.8 out of 5 star ratings from owners.
 
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