It’s rugged enough to wear a 4×4 badge and civil enough to be parked in your garage. It has simple, clean styling that, although eight years old, still looks appropriate. Not a lot of flash, but a lot of go anywhere, do anything fun, that’s the Kia Sportage. Essentially there are two models under the Sportage name, the 4 door and 2 door convertible. The 2 door earns the convertible label because the roof aft of the B pillars is replaced with a canvas soft-top; in the events of the sun shine emergency the top can be retracted in minutes. Another major difference between the two is wheel base – the 4 door is nearly a foot longer. The 4 door comes standard with a 5 speed Getrag manual transmission. A 4 speed automatic is also available as a $1000 option. With the 4 door model you get a choice of 4 wheel drive, or 2 wheel rear drive. The 2 door comes standard with a manual transmission if you choose 4wd and an automatic if you choose 2wd.
Both models come with a 130bhp 2.0 liter dual overhead cam 16 valve inline – 4 that produces 27lb.-ft. of torque. Four wheel drive Sportages have a 2 speed transfer case for those truly off road experiences. Lotus helped tune the suspension that consists of unequal length A-arms in front and a live axle rear. As such, the Sportage feels more at home on tight back roads than on the highway.
