Kia Sportage

The 1999 Kia Sportage is an incremental development of the previous model. Externally we have new grille, bumpers, lights and paints. The ergonomics of the rear-mounted spare wheel carrier are much improved. The engine has a new head and other tweaks; new free wheel hubs enable the selection of 4WD at upto 80 km/h, and gas shock-absorbers are now fitted. Importantly, safety has been improved with a driver's air-bag and webbing-clamps on the front seats belts.

The 2 litre engine is a little bottler, based on a Mazda design. The cylinder head and engine control module (ECM) are said to be new although the manufacturer's power and torque figures are identical to those of last year. The new ECM can cooperate "intelligently" with the automatic gearbox (if fitted). The engine's characteristics match the manual gear-ratios well except that the gap between first and second is rather large.

Sportage GSE

The Sportage is a "proper" four wheel drive with a chassis and a two-speed transfer case. The chassis gives it, and fellow-traveller the Suzuki Vitara, a weight penalty against the monocoque Toyota RAV4 and the like. Low-ratio is virtually 2:1, which is good, although if it were lower still, Kia could perhaps have raised first gear. Vacuum operated free wheel hubs now allow four wheel drive to be engaged at speeds of up to 80 km/h (was 45 km/h) and they remain engaged or disengaged, as commanded. Front suspension is still by double wishbones with coil springs and rear suspension by live-axle with four links and coil springs. Gas shock absorbers are now fitted. The Sportage is a good goer offroad, ultimately limited by the modest tyre diameter which can leave it high and dry(?) in Landcruisers' wheel ruts.

The new spare-wheel carrier is far more convenient to operate than the old one and can be opened at the rear of the vehicle without having to enter the cabin first - now just what you want when doing the shopping. A transponder in the ignition key interacts with the engine immobiliser.

4wd.sofcom.com/Kia/Sportage.html Sportage SE

Inside, seating etc. is similar to the 1998 car, but air-conditioning is now standard. The GS has a 4-speaker radio / cassette and the GSE (+$1.5K) gets a radio / CD-player, also different trim and alloy wheels. The old Sportage had been criticised for its relatively poor showing in crash tests . . . you see Australia got nary an air-bag, but this has been (partially) rectified with a driver's air-bag which seems to "rate" much better in US tests. Webbing clamps also grip the seat-belt fabric itself on an impact to reduce the amount of stretch and slippage off the take-up reel. (The fuel tank is in the safe position, ahead of the rear axle.)

Kia Sportage 1999

• station wagon, 5 seats, 4 doors, driver's air-bag, front seat-belt clamps
• loa: 4395mm, width: 1765mm, height: 1655mm
• wheelbase: 2650mm, track: 1440mm/1440mm, grnd clearance: 216mm
• approach: 36°, departure: 33°, ramp break over: 159°
• turning radius: 5.6m
• weight: 1455kg (1490 auto) (unladen), towing: 465kg (unbraked)
• 1998cc, petrol, 4-cyls, mpfi, 4-valves/cyl, dohc
• bore: 86.0mm, stroke: 86.0mm
• power: 94kW at 5300rpm, torque: 175Nm at 4700rpm
• transmission: 5m (3.717:1, 1.995:1, 1.363:1, 1.0:1, 0.804:1; rev 3.445:1) or 4a (2.826:1, 1.493:1, 1.0:1, 0.73:1; rev 2.703:1), diff' ratio 4.625:1 (manual and auto')
  part-time 4x4, 2-speed transfer case (high 1.0:1, low 1.981:1)
• suspension: wishbones-coils / live-axle-coils, brakes: disc/drum
• tyres: 205/75R16 on 6x15 steel wheels (6x15 alloy optional), fuel-tank: 60L
• features (SE) include: air-con, power steering, power widows and mirrors, central locking, 4-speaker radio/cassette, engine immobiliser, vacuum operated free wheel hubs, rear fog lights
• features (GSE) as per SE plus: wide garnish finish, 4-speaker CD/radio, alloy wheels
• prices: SE manual $23,990, auto' $25,990; GSE manual $25,490, auto' $27,490; metallic paint +$200, ($au 7/1999)
• competition: Mitsubishi iO, Suzuki Vitara, Toyota RAV4

Go to the Sportage (current), 1998 & 1997 and Kia pages