Faults:

We've owned this car for 13 months, and we've only done standard maintenance on it; no problems whatsoever.

General Comments:

This car feels sturdy when driven, which is very helpful in snow.

Leather seats are cheaply made.

V6 gets about 22 mpg on the highway, which is a disappointment.

Good heating and AC system.

I feel safe in this car.

Faults:

The rear brakes will squeak loudly as the wheels rotate anytime you've had to make a sudden, hard stop unexpectedly. The noise stops as soon as you put your foot on the brakes, but very loud and embarrassing squeaking as the wheels go round. This will typically continue for 1 or 2 days.

General Comments:

Very dependable, and has never been down for repairs.

Handles well. Would much rather have the 6 cyl. model, as the 4 cyl. is very poor on uphill climbs.

Faults:

Had to replace the wiper motor, was replaced for free under warranty. Just replaced the tires because we took a trip.

General Comments:

Very good car avg 25 miles to a gallon.

It has an awful lot of room with rear seat folded.

It could use a few more horsepower.

The driving position fits just right, this is the kind of car that you seem not to tire of driving.

A small complaint is the car metal is a little thin, so it seems easy to dent, say in a parking lot.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I'd heard the engine was underpowered, but decided to test drive one anyway. The V6 has adequate power however and the ride is very nice for a 4WD SUV.

Cornering is great, braking is even better. I have had to use the 4WD in about 1 ft of fresh snow and it was no problem at all. Also plowed though piles of snow to get in driveways that were 2 feet high with no problems.

My dealership offered free scheduled maint for the life of the car (means all fluid changes, filters, adjustments, belts, timing belts, brake pads, tune ups, and various other items are free for as long as I own the car!)

Add to all this I got 5 year 0% financing. Oh yeah!

As a side note, the keys do not contain any security devices so having a replacement set costs about $1.50 and having a remote starter installed didn't require any by-pass.

Faults:

One of the three power outlets did not work at delivery.

General Comments:

Great car. I was surprised that a 2.0 Liter SUV could have power enough to drive 80mph on the Interstate, and still get 29 mpg.

Kia have done their homework to determine what American drivers need, and provide it at a reasonable price. My LX model has power windows, door locks, and remote mirrors. The eight way adjustable drivers seat is comfortable.

My family of 4 have taken two long trips of 500+ miles and were pleased with the performance and comfort.

The manual 5-speed was fun to drive through the curves and mountains of Kentucky.

Faults:

Nothing serious has gone wrong with the Sportage. The only "thing" so far is the rear windshield wiper broke under 3 feet of wet snow. Unless you live somewhere where you are likely to get over 3 feet of wet snow in a day (and not wipe off your vehicle) this wouldn't happen!

No other problems! Great so far!

General Comments:

Tons of features for little money. Very safe, handles well, feels more secure to drive than our old vehicle, though not as sporty feeling. Definitely more sporty looking though!

Lots of space. This vehicle seems well thought out and inspired. The extra V6 power is appreciated, although we pay for it through mediocre fuel efficiency.

The 4WD is a must for us, as is the safety of the 6 airbags and stability control. We live in the north and this vehicle has already trucked through immense snowstorms, mud, water up to the wheel wells, and of lots of highway driving.

We really appraciate the extras: 4-wheel disc brakes (excellent braking), electronic stability control (it works well and saves lives), seats that connect and lay down into beds, well used space, bag hooks, individual reading lights, and so on.

The Kia basically has the features of a 40k vehicle, and we got our Kia for $27k.

Prior to buying I test drove small SUVs from GM (equinox), Ford (escape), Toyota (RAV4), Subaru (Forrester), and Suzuki (Grand Vitara). The Kia is more inspired and cheaper than the Ford and GM, and is simply less expensive than the asian makes. All of the competition cost between $32-37k for a similair vehicle trim! Thats $5-10k more!

The best vehicle in class for the money.