New Kia Sportage

[yourman]

to the owners of the sportage, what accessories have you added so far, if i do get the sportage, i will add the following acc:

tweeters, wood accent on the center console or silver accent (sana meron available), change the steering wheel with leather/wood combi (since no airbags naman), and knn drop down air filter..

meron na ba available accessories for the sportage? ganda bihisan lalo na with bigger set of wheels, maybe 18" 245/55/18..

[Lensio]

bro kung nadito ka lang sa korea, siguro magsasawa ka ng accessories..

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http://www.marapets.com/refer.php?id=lensio

[Geren]

bro kung nadito ka lang sa korea, siguro magsasawa ka ng accessories..

____________________________
http://www.marapets.com/refer.php?id=lensio

Sir, meron ba sa korea emblem para sportage pero hindi yung letters na KIA? Yung parang sa sorento na may blue background with the letter K. Available lang kasi dito round shape, walang oval shape.

[yourman]

bro kung nadito ka lang sa korea, siguro magsasawa ka ng accessories..

____________________________
http://www.marapets.com/refer.php?id=lensio

sir baka may alam kang site selling accessories for the sportage? like the one of korean imports selling hyundai accessories? pa post naman. thanks

[diesel_newbie]

Hello to all. Newbie here and noticing from my username, you will no doubt deduce that I'm a newbie at diesel technology as well. Why do I need to say that? As an intro to say that I am now a proud owner of a Kia Sportage CRDi. I read through the posts here in this thread and some have led me to this buy decision of mine but, like Geren who generously gives us feedback on his ownership experiences, I too will strive to impart experiences of my own so that potential Kia owners (lovers) will be led to the "right" decision. Sounds very subjective, I know, but I'm hoping the romance with my Kia lasts a long time.... I'll post next my decision process...http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/images/smilies/agree.gif

[diesel_newbie]

! (did that smiley come out right?)

I am a proud new owner of a Kia Sportage CRDi. I labored through this decision for quite some time while trying to come up with the moolah to buy the unit.

What were my choices? Units I looked at were the Honda Civic and CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Carens ,Carnival, Sorento and the Sportage. Of course I looked at the AUV offerings out there but the criteria I initially set out when I started looking for a new vehicle narrowed down my choices to the brands/models that I mentioned.

What were my criteria? It had to be an automatic and it should be a Honda or it had to be a diesel. Simple di ba? There's little disputing the fact that Hondas are tops when it comes to quality (disclaimer: I used to work for a Honda dealership and I went through 3 Honda cars already before the Sportage) so Honda was no.1 in my list. My other criteria were value for money, space, pogi points and the security the new vehicle will be able to offer me when I drive through flooded streets. FYI, I commute daily from (the near) Malabon to Makati and rainy seasons brings with it the fear of costly vehcile flood repairs to me. Thank God I have yet to spend a single centavo on flood repairs but oh, there were scary moments driving through flood....

On top of everything else, I did a price comparison and came up with this list (note: this was compiled about a month or two ago so prices may already be different as of posting):

Civic 1.8S AT >>>>> P884T
Tucson 2.0 CRDi 4X2 AT >>>>> P1.078M
Carens 2.0 CRDi AT >>>>> P925T
CR-V 4X2 AT >>>>> P1.26M
Carnival (Short WB) CRDi >>>>> P1.275M
Sorento 4X2 CRDi AT >>>>> P1.28M
Sportage 4X4 CRDi AT >>>>> P1.12M

These were the prices quoted to me by dealerships and does not include any promos or discounts, so be aware of that fact when you go vehicle shopping. Why is that important? Because the Hyundai Tucson 4X2, although cheaper, does not come with free insurance and LTO while the Kia Sportage 4X4 does, at least it does at the time I bought my unit. Which means that I actually got a better price for a 4X4. I was actually eyeing the Civic as a top choice but at P884T plus plus, the roughly P200T difference between the Kia Sportage and the Honda Civic I can easily recover over lower fuel expenses in a period of approximately 5 years. Which brings me to my reasoning that I was actually getting an SUV at the price of a sedan. Choosing between the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage was hard and the Kia Sportage was actually a buzzer beating decision actually. See, the Kia Sportage CRDi was just recently made available so I was actually eyeing the Hyundai Tucson 4X2 CRDi as my vehicle of choice. But, when the Kia Sportage CRDi came out, it was a whole different ball game. I was actually torn between what was a better deal, more oomph for my money (for the Kia Sportage's 4X4, 4 wheel discs and ABS) versus the longer Hyundai warranty but less offerings (4X2, rear drum brakes, no ABS, plus insurance and LTO charges). The CR-V was way out of my league, specially if you factor in the gasoline engine (fuel prices) and the expectedly higher Honda casa maintenance expenses. The Carens was actualy a good deal but it lacked the pogi points I wanted (pogi before family? di naman. pogi na kahit pamilyado, hehehe). The Sorento was quite attractively priced and there were even executive-driven second hand low mileage Sorentos available in a recent Kia Executive Sale I was able to attend. But just looking at the tires reminded me of the inflated expenses I had to bear as compared to a comparatively smaller vehicle.

So, when D-Day came, me and my Kia's union were sealed at Kia Libis. I'll be following up this post in another one as medyo mahaba na ata kwento ko. 'Til next time (which maybe actually just minutes from now, who knows? )

*pic taken from http://kia.quirkcars.com

[yourman]

Congrats sir on your new Ride.. I have seen two Sportages on the road already and the more I see it, the more I find it beautiful.

Is your SA Vilma and your unit Silver? I am talking with her also about my plan to get the Sportage and she said she already sold two units color Silver..

Anyway, pls complete story and continue to post your experience with your sportage: fc, performance, likes and dislikes, accessories, and all relevant information about your new ride.

thanks

[Geren]

Congrats too on your new ride. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as i do. My reasons for finally deciding on the sportage are very much similar to yours. My last choice was between the 4x2 tucson and the sportage. I considered all the pros and cons, the value for money factor, and the look of the car. My wife and I were all set to go for the Tucson but a friend suggested that we take a look at the sportage. I showed it to my wife and the rest is history.

One good thing about the car is wala pang nagsabi na pangit ang hitusra ng Sportage. Front view, Side view and especially the Back view. By the looks alone, proud kang magparada at tabihan, or overtake on the road ang ibang SUV's in its class. One time nga,as i was driving in our province, I saw a Fortuner whose driver, drew down his window as he was passing me on the right side, to take a quick look at my car. He gave me a thumbs up sign while pointing at my car. (Nice of him) I smiled at him as he drove passed me.

Soon you'll also begin to appreciate the sturdiness and quality of the car as you gain more mileage.

It may not be best car in town but it's the perfect one for me.

Looking forward to your next post.

Good Luck!!! Enjoy and take care of your ride.

[diesel_newbie]

Thanks for the replies pareng Geren and yourman!

Tuloy ko kuwento ko. We wouldn’t want to disappoint yourman here who I think is seriously thinking or almost about ready to join the most fashionable yet practical automotive club in the Philippines, hahaha!

I’ll limit my discussion to the Hyundai Tucson 4X2 CRDi AT and the Kia Sportage 4X4 CRDi because basically, my choices boiled down between the two. Like I’ve said, I was almost about to buy the Tucson but the last minute release of the Sporatge CRDi variant changed everything. I guess it would be better if I show the comparison via a table showing the points I compared the two but not sure if the table would show properly in this text format. If this comes out screwy on your screens, I’d like to apologize in advance. Here goes:

Kia Sportage:

Engine 2.0 L CRDi (diesel)

Brake system 4 wheel disc w/ ABS

Drivetrain AT/4X4 on demand

Exterior highlights Monotone, Euro-treatment
Roof rack, fog lights
Dual exhaust (ganda! woot! woot)

Selling price P1,120,000

Promo Free insurance, tint, LTO registration,
floormats, seatcover,
IPod (Oct promo)

Warranty 3 yrs/120,000 KM

Others notes Full size spare tire with same magwheel
Less dealer outlets


Hyundai Tucson:

Engine 2.0 L CRDi (diesel)

Brake system FR disc/RR Drum, no ABS

Drivetrain 4X2

Exterior highlights Black bumpers/underside (not so sure),
roof rack, fog light,
dual exhaust (ganda din!)

Selling price P1,078,000

Promo Free tint, floormats, seatcover

Warranty 5 yrs/120,000 KM

Others notes Space saver tire on a steel rim,
extra space converted to rear tray
More dealer outlets


Did I forget anything? This is not exactly an exhaustive list but these were the things that I thought about very intently before coming to a buy decision. The 5 year warranty was the one that was drawing me towards the Hyundai brand but in the end, I guess I went for more value for my money, as the P40T price difference is easily offset by the 4X4 feature, ABS, 4 wheel discs, free insurance, free LTO, full size spare and mags and the IPod. Whew. Brings a smile to me every time I go through that list.

I also figured that since the Tucson and Sportage are “siblings”, I wouldn’t have to worry with the servicing and parts for my unit (at least for the engine and other mechanical parts) as I’m pretty sure that any Hyundai technician can competently work on my Kia as well. =) Body parts? The Kia Sportage has a good ownership base in Singapore so if if push comes to shove, a quick call to a relative or friend will get you the parts you need. That took care of the disparity in the dealer outlets to my mind.

Now, aside from the price factor, what points did I like about the Sportage over the Tucson? As a personal opinion, I think the color finish of the Sportage is better than the Tucson’s. Also, if you get to compare the finish of both, I believe the Sportage has a better finish, tighter fitting body panels, looks rock-solid and the interior finish and materials was much better, as I remember it, compared to the Tucson. My unit came with a combination leatherette/fabric seat cover finish that gave a very professional look to it.

Bottom line is, and in fairness to Tucson owners out there, I guess for the prices quoted above, these two are the best buys out there in terms of getting a practical SUV. As I’ve said, it’s like buying an SUV for the price of a (high-end) sedan. Between the two, it’s all a matter of one’s styling preference, I guess, more than anything else.

I’ll try to posts more in the days to come, about the nice things I discover about the unit, and to answer a frequently asked question on fuel consumption, so far, I get between 9- 10 Km/liter city driving and that’s good enough for me. I’m already counting the savings I’m getting just using diesel fuel at this rate……

Until next time.

P.S. And for those practical types out there still agonizing whether to go jeporms (CR-V) or smart (Sportage), here’s a link that might interest you:


http://www.newcars.com/honda/crv/rev...-sportage.html

P.S. 2, la na talaga ako magawa sa format, ayaw ko naman attach excel spreadsheet, masyado matrabaho. me tip ba kayo kung paano pwede mag-insert ng table sa mga posts?

[diesel_newbie]

sir baka may alam kang site selling accessories for the sportage? like the one of korean imports selling hyundai accessories? pa post naman. thanks

yourman, try this link:

http://www.maxdax.com/index.php?s=auto&p=kia_sportage

the selection's not that much but I would think that this would be a good starting point. Besides, with Singapore being just a three-hour plane ride away, it shouldn't be too much of a trouble if even you yourself get the merchandise from there.

[orly_andico]

Just a quick question... why the Sportage over the Sorento?

Hindi nagkakalayo yung presyo, and the Sorento is a full ladder frame SUV that you can take off-road..

[diesel_newbie]

the sportage's crdi has the old intercooler turbo while the carens has the new variable geometric turbo. the intercooler turbo is engaged on a certain level of the rpm, say at 2500, the turbo kicks in while the vgt kicks in as soon as you step on the pedal, hence, the higher the torque at all levels of the rpm, making it more powerful and more efficient..

hyundai sta fe uses the vgt also..

Just to add to yourman's explanation, I think VGT stands for variable gate turbo while WGT stands for waste gate turbo. In a very simple sense, the VGT handles airpressure for the turbo more efficiently than the WGT (which, very simplistically, only acts as a wastegate, as it's acronym or name implies, when a certain air pressure is exceeded.

But don't worry, this Kia Sportage with the WGT turbo doesn't dissapoint, di ba pareng Geren? It's very responsive and it won't let you down when you need that power in overtaking other vehicles (or making singit for that matter, hehehehe, tsk, tsk, wag tularan...)

[diesel_newbie]

Just a quick question... why the Sportage over the Sorento?

Hindi nagkakalayo yung presyo, and the Sorento is a full ladder frame SUV that you can take off-road..

I guess it's a matter of preference, really. I got to road test excellent second-hand Sorento's during Kia's recent Executive Car Sale and I must say that it's too big for my taste. Besides, not that many go off-roading and I wouldn't think a Kia owner (who I assume are very practical people) would take his Sorento aggressively for off-roading. There's also the prospect of recurring expenses that blows up considerably as you progress to bigger cars; fuel, insurance, registration, maintenance, gulong (whew, just looking at the size of the sorento's tires sends shockwaves to my wallet area , thinking about the replacement costs).

Bottomline, even if the sticker price is just a difference of about ~P300,000
between the two (for new units), an informed buyer will always consider other expenses that buying a vehicle carries with it.

Just my two cents.

[torpydoo]

toot! toot! testing...

good day everyone..

we've been planning to acquire a family vehicle two to three months from now.. and been reading all the posts regarding the "tucson" and "sportage" and its comparisons, pros and cons, and etc... somehow it has answered a lot of questions and concerns lingering in my mind. i guess the sportage is the winner. but i would still check this forum regularly for updates to better help me decide which of the two is the best buy.

to all the sportage owners out there, please post us updates. thanks.

[albert_b]

Hi everyone,

I have finally decided to go ahead with buying a kia sportage. I got the gasoline variant with black as the color. So far I have all my expectations met

I initially found it bouncy pero after inspecting the tire pressure... 40psi pala siya tapos ko i-bring down to the prescribed 30psi, ok na siya.

It is really roomy (front and rear) at maayos ang ride height. Yung responsiveness and perkiness ng engine is really note worthy.

[Geren]

Congrats!!! Ganda talaga ang black. First choice ko yang black kaso gusto ni esmi white. Siyempre sunod ako sa kanya. Kanya choice of color, akin choice of car para walang away. Ganda sigurong tignan lalo na kung naka bling.

Enjoy and take care.

[yourman]

Congrats Sir on your Black Sportage.. Came from Kia Libis earlier for another test drive of the CRDi Sportage of the actual test drive unit.. The unit logged 851 kms on its Odometer, so fairly new..

I found it a bit bouncy along C5 at 50 km/hr.. Was told its maybe the higher than normal pressure of the tires.. I tried to floor it along c5 and engine was really responsive.. tried hard braking too and its appropriate too.

I liked the beige interiors..

Anymore inputs from Sportage owners out there? your actual experiences is still better than short test drives around the corner..

[diesel_newbie]

Looks like Yourman still has a bit of convincing to do for himself before he takes the plunge into Kia-waters. I understand. It's quite difficult to get past the brand-barrier but when you do get over it, at least from my current personal standpoint, you won't regret it.

The bouncy ride that you've experienced may be attributed to the tire pressure. Or, it may be inherent to the unit's suspension design. Depends really. But my experience is that when I got my Sportage brand new, the tire pressure in all four were something like 45 PSI. Bringing it down to the standard 30 PSI did wonders to the ride. Also, I noticed that when I have a full load of passengers, the ride gets smoother and so I guess the suspension is really calibrated a little to the stiff side. If you're used to driving around in a car, I'd say be ready for the change. But it's not really that different.

Just had my second full tank and so far, the fuel consumption that I'm registering for my 2.0 CRDi AT is at the 8.5 km/li range. Not really that disappointing since I do understand that there's a lot of variables involved. And comparing that figure to my 1.5 Civic LXi AT's fuel consumption, it's just the same. But this time, I'm actually saving on fuel expenses 'cause I drive a diesel! Oh happy times....it's the little things that bring a smile to you when you drive a very practical ride.

And just to impart to all of you out there some odds and ends about the vehicle that I discovered after reading the manual and using the vehicle over the past month or so:

1. Intermittent wipers' speed vary with the car's speed
2. Front doors comes standard with courtesy lights
3. Lots of bag hangers at the rear cargo area
4. The cabin lights are located fore and aft and in the "door" setting dims down instead of turning off entirely once you close the doors.
5. Was used to having an L/2 tranny setting in the ATs that I drive and was disappointed that the Sportage didn't have one until I realized that the Tiptronic transmission is exactly for that purpose and gives you better control of the gears.
6. Beverage holders are nicely designed with side spacers to snugly fit your beverage and hold it in place regardless of the size (to a certain extent)
7. Front passenger seat fully folds flat and can be used as a table
8. Locks unlock automatically when you take out the key from the ignition
9. Driver's side door always unlocks for the driver when s/he wants to alight from the vehicle. Just pull on the lever and it unlocks automatically.
10. Door automatically lock once you reach 45 KPH
11. Instrument panel backlight has a dimmer switch to let you set the brightness according to your preference.
12. There are aircon vents even at the bottom of the passenger cars seats. Weird place to put vents if you ask me but, hey, it's there.

I also think, call me bias, that the paint finish is excellent compared to the other more popular car brands. And the body panel gaps are consistent and nicely flushed to each other. Doors close very solidly and very easily, which says a lot about the fit and finish of the vehicle. I'd say build-finish quality is superb.

One of the things that I wish for this purchase is for Kia's dealership network to get their act together and ensure that they sustain the improving image that Kia is becoming known for already. Much has to be said about their vehicle delivery and after-sales survey process and I do hope that it doesn't weigh down on the inroads that the brand has achieved so far in the market.

As a new Sportage owner, some of the things that you have to be aware of are:

1. Since the Sportage is a CBU, it's shipped from Korea with over-inflated tires. To get the best ride, make sure to adjust tire pressures to standard.
2. Since you're a Filipino, expect delayed vehicle registration papers. Be aware that you can only drive for 7 days using your CS number windshield sticker and this rule applies even within the expressways, well for NLEX I'm pretty sure 'cause I got flagged down by the good officers there at the San Fernando exit. AND remember that in Makati, different traffic rules apply, that is, the number coding scheme is also in effect for the last number of your CS number. I should know. I got flagged down on this offense as well.
3. Your brand new Sportage comes with a good-sounding car stereo system. The trick is to adjust it according to the owner's manual. I should know this as well as I was clearly disappointed with the stereo unit at first, realizing later on that all it needed was a few adjustments to vastly improve the acoustics.
4. The front bumper "does not" come with holes "big enough" for the license plate bolts that you will be supplied with. You'll be in a surprise to see that there are actually six holes upfront, for God knows what purpose. Luckily, I was able to get bolts just big/small enough to use as replacements.

Sobrang obvious na ba na I'm so happy with my Sportage? Tutoo talaga tag line nila these days.."The power to surprise".

P.S. One of the weird things that I have to ask the dealership to "correct" is that the Sportage has a working heater. I'm thinking it affects the aircon cooling performance of the vehicle. Kia should consider this as a goodwill campaign and have this heater feature deactivated.

[diesel_newbie]

Hi everyone,

I have finally decided to go ahead with buying a kia sportage. I got the gasoline variant with black as the color. So far I have all my expectations met

I initially found it bouncy pero after inspecting the tire pressure... 40psi pala siya tapos ko i-bring down to the prescribed 30psi, ok na siya.

It is really roomy (front and rear) at maayos ang ride height. Yung responsiveness and perkiness ng engine is really note worthy.

How rude of me...forgot to say Congrats! to albert_b on his new ride!

[warp]

[*]Your brand new Sportage comes with a good-sounding car stereo system. The trick is to adjust it according to the owner's manual. I should know this as well as I was clearly disappointed with the stereo unit at first, realizing later on that all it needed was a few adjustments to vastly improve the acoustics.

Sir,

Can you share your settings? Thanks.