First impression here, nothing has gone wrong yet.
We love this car so far. It's sporty, very nicely finished, and very comfortable.
This vehicle has the best cruise control I've ever experienced.
We're getting 16.5 MPG, quite disappointing, but not unexpected.
The speedo is rather smallish, and is in 10 mph increments; this is annoying, but I knew that before I bought it. Another annoying, but minor flaw - the roof racks have stickers on them warning that they are limited to 100 lbs. You have got to be kidding, seriously, why bother putting them on?
I've had to drive it off-road for work a few times now - performed quite well on steep fire service roads to mountain tops, through snow and mud.
I think most cars have 10mph increments on their speedometers!
I don't know why you'd complain about the roof rack weight limits. If you are not using the roof racks to carry a cargo of tools for work or something else that would more suitably belong in the back of a pickup rather than on the roof of your car, 100lbs. should be adequate for most recreational purposes. A canoe, or a couple of bikes, or some skis in a carrier, all would be under the weight limit. You could strap down a mattress and box-spring, and be at or less than the 100 lbs. All in all, 100lbs. is probably plenty for people who use their vehicles in common ways.
If you want to carry more than a hundred pounds around on the roof of your car, you should be looking for a different kind of vehicle!
The preceding comment is correct in that even those big beefy tubes on a Nissan X-Terra originally rated at only 75lbs.
It's not the strength of the bars, it's the total roof design load, and the fact that putting a lot of weight up there will change the car's handling characteristics and increase the chance of a rollover. The center of gravity becomes much higher with a full roof load.
Having said that, one of the reasons why I opted for the KIA was the beefy rails that are strongly attached to the roof. I carry a couple of windsurfers. While well within the weight limit (around 60 lbs tops) the wind acting on the boards can generate a lot of upward force. Rails can be pulled right out of the studs by such forces.
On the Sportage test drive, I stood on the rear bumper and yanked up as hard as I could on the rails. They did not deflect, but a few MM. By comparison, the roof rails on the Chevy HHR twisted and flexed alarmingly.
The Hyundai Tucson's roof rails (sister vehicle) are even stronger, having an additional reinforcer installed under the rails. Unfortunately, the min distance between the Hyundai load bars is compromised by this reinforcer, making the load bar spread a tad too narrow for longer sailboards. (The sailboards will "see-saw" in the wind). The Sportage also stands inch lower than the Tucson. Every inch matters when you're struggling to load a roof.
This car we just got and I'm in love with it. The car has plenty of room for our family. It is perfect for a family of four or three or two or even five, if you're one of those numbers this car is perfect for you!!!
I just purchased one of these yesterday. The estimated miles per gallon states that this model should get 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Are you certain you are getting under 17 mpg? I have been so impressed by everything else on this thing, that I have not really paid attention to the fuel consumption. This would be a bit of sad news, as it was a huge selling point for me.
I have an 06 Sportage and I get better than 20 MPG on the highway... I think you are paying too much attention to the estimated MPG it gives you on the dash. In my opinion it doesn't work very well. I love this vehicle. My only complaint is the plastic in the interior scratches too easily.
When working with Kia, I observed that the gas mileage of most of our cars were much worse than the sticker suggested. Our Amanti averaged 14 MPG, our Spectra obtained 23, and our Sorento's would get around 12. I haven't tested the Sportage, but I assume it's like the Tucson's mileage which is around 19. No surprise.
All cars for the most part do not get the same mileage as the sticker. All the cars I have ever bought always seemed to be 2-3 less in city driving then the sticker. They use some bogus method to obtain these figures that are not real world driving. Like say a steady 35 mph, and that is what they call city driving.
Yet Kia has come a long way from it's first Sportage (it was a very courageous gesture to buy one of them) to this very model. For that money it's OK.
Purchased a 2006 EX w/Lux pkg in June for wife/family vehicle replacing a larger SUV. Initially attracted to vehicle by warranty and all the many "safety" & "std" features. Test drove a Sportage over a wk-end and since we keep our vehicles for 6-10 yrs, then took a look at almost everything out there that matched our few minimum requirements.
After every other test drive, the Sportage move back up to 1st place based upon price/features/safety/warranty/rear seating comfort (note: most rear seats in other SUV's/cross-overs do not furnish decent support/comfort!)
Took a 4.0 hr mostly hwy round trip next day, varying speed up & down for a good break-in and got 22.9 MPG. WOW! Haven't ck-ed since, but will again soon.
But there are a couple of more or less nagging issues that I believe could be fixable, but dlr says "all is normal":
(1) 4-speed auto trany REALLY drags down the speed when letting off the gas (IE: doesn't "free wheel" too good). This takes quite a bit to get used too (still haven't) and we are guessing may also impact MPG in long haul!
(2) Front wheels tend to want to "self-center" themselves way too much. IE: Steering wheel spins back VERY HARD and VERY FAST as you make a corner or take a curve. This could be dangerous. We never ever experienced this un-controlled feeling with any other vehicle. The test drive vehicle did it just a bit, but not so much pronounced.
Has anyone else experienced these short comings?? Have they been corrected?
Otherwise, quite a nice all around vehicle! Thanks, JF.
After initial break-in periods (5000 or so miles) and switching to synthetic oil and K&N high-flow air filters, all our vehicles have gotten the EPA estimated fuel mileage or better. We drive about 5 mph over posted speed limits and avoid using the A/C when possible (it pulls our mileage down by 10 to 25% depending on which vehicle we are driving). The Kia Sportage should get way over 20 mpg, and the Sorento should get near 20. We are very particular about our mileage and check it at each fill up. Good driving will save a lot on gas. Most people don't drive to get good mileage.
Nice car. I average 19 to 25 mpg, it all depends on how you drive it. Cannot find K&N or Frame performance air filters for this car in my area.
I am in the process of car shopping and the Sportage is one of my top choices. I did notice a burning smell after I turn off the vehicle. Is this something anyone else has experienced? For the price – it seems to be a good value. What type of gas mileage do other comparable SUV’s get?
From the Great state of Texas, United States, We have recently purchased a 2007 KIA Sportage. It was a used vehicle so I should have been nervous. In January the temperature was cool so I did not notice it, but the A/C was blowing cool air not cold air. After one month we noticed the air was blowing warmer and warmer. We soon found out we had a hole in the EV-AC condenser that was allowing the Freon to leak out. My opinion on the car it is very comfortable to drive. My personal opinion was this was a problem with the vehicle before we bought it, but I can't prove that. However the vehicle has been fuel efficient and I was pleasantly surprised with the PEP in the 4 cylinder motor. The interior is rather spacious as I am a big man 6’1” 275 lbs. Overall it is a very good car for myself and my wife. For a family of 5-it may be a tad small. Overall I would give it a 4.0, But hey I have only had it for 3 months.
L CRAIG Houston Texas.
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