2009 Kia Sportage User Reviews

Pros

Excellent style, great fit and finish, great stereo, very comfortable

Cons

4 cylinder is a bit tepid and the fuel mileage is not outstanding

Purchased As New

After turning in our trusty old Jeep Cherokee through the "cash for clunkers" program, we settled on a Sportage. The price point is what first led us to look at the Sportage, but the styling also caught our eye.

The build quality is excellent, with great fit and finish. There are some nice design cues that I like. The dual exhaust tips give the rear balance. They are not needed, especially for the 4 cylinder, but it sure looks nice. It is also amazing that you get aluminum alloy wheels, tinted windows, and power windows/door locks with a base model vehicle, something that was unheard of not too long ago. Though ours is the base model, the interior does not look cheap as one would expect. In fact, there is not much difference in appearance between the more expensive EX, other than some brushed aluminum touches, leather, and a navigation system. The stock stereo in the Sportage is amazing!! I have installed and listened to many a system in my years, many with amplifiers and subwoofers. This system rocks with great bass and highs. It has a 6 speaker system, with two satellite tweeters mounted high in the front doors, and 4 large round speakers (6 1/2's or larger) mounted at the bottom of each door. These speakers are not the cheap paper ones of old, as they are made of a durable plastic or composite. The radio also features 3 months of Sirius satellite radio, which I am going to keep because it has so many choices (I don't think I can go back to listening to regular radio now!).

As for the powertrain, it is smooth and quiet. The 2.0L is not bad, though it doesn't start to deliver power until the higher RPM range. I have driven a V6 and it is not much quicker off the line. But, for it's target price point, the engine does just fine. It is much better than the 4 cylinders that I have owned in the past. The transmission shifts smoothly and it also has an sportshift feature that allows you to manually choose gears by upshifting or downshifting. Steering seems nice and tight and easy to control.

The interior space is very adequate and has ample head, leg and shoulder room. I am a big guy, 6'1" and 250lbs, and I feel really comfortable, even coming from my daily driver, which is a Chevy Silverado. The rear is also comfortable with 2 adults. As for storage, the back has decent room, with a neat storage tray under the spare tire cover. It will haul most daily things just fine, and for those larger items the rear seats fold flat along with the front passenger seat to give more options to haul items.

Things I would change: Add a bit more power and better fuel mileage. Also, some exterior plastic door cladding for the base models would be nice for those people who can't seem to control their doors in a parking lot! A little more light in the rear storage area would be helpful at night.

Again, the Sportage is a great bang-for-buck vehicle. It has great styling and comfort and can be had for much less than the competitors. For people who are true Honda and Toyota fans, this will probably not sway them, but it is a great vehicle for people who are looking for a good, solid vehicle, while trying to keep the price as low as possible.