First Drive Impressions
So enough with the pundits reports. I was finally able to get behind the wheel of a Mineral Grey Sportage EX-Luxury today and drive it, albeit for only a measly 15 minutes. So here are my "first drive" impressions as well as a couple of other tidbits I came to find out today.
Access into the Sportage was fairly easy for me. I'm 5'11". I might look into getting running boards (rails) to make it even easier though. The seat felt just right for my slightly larger than average posterior. There is good lateral and lumbar support. You feel lightly "wrapped" in the seat which is the way it should be. Since this was the Luxury model it had the push button ignition which worked like a charm. I so wish this feature were on the EX model. The door makes a good solid sound when closing, similar to the Sorento. The door latch opens smoothly too.
Take off was smooth and I made sure to find a long, steep hill to climb in order to test the power, engine noise and shifting. I'm happy to report that there was enough power (at least for me) in climbing, while I still had the A/C turned on. Shifts were silky smooth and at the right RPM. You can definitely hear the engine working though. It's not a whiny, high pitched noise, but you can tell it's not a V6 either. I'm used to this having driven a 2.0L the past 8 years though.
This model has the 18" wheels. I made sure to drive over some bumps and low curbs. Feels fine to me. And I'll also mention that the rumors about the steering being tight/tough at low speeds is also unfounded IMO. I found the steering to be light and very comfortable at less than 5 mph. Much easier than our Honda Odyssey, that's for sure.
This model had the sunroof and like with all sunroofs I've experienced the headroom felt tighter when the cover was closed. I opened and closed the sunroof several times. I'm sure most are aware already, but the movement of the roof is UP first and then BACK. It's pretty smooth but not as smooth a motion as some others I've experienced. The stitching of the fabric on the sliding cover was puckered in a few spots.
I set the radio bass/treble/fader to their neutral (middle) positions and cranked up the volume. Distortion occurred about 2/3 up the range. About average I suppose, but maybe not so great considering the extra money for the sub woofer and 2 (?) extra speakers you get with the Luxury model.
This model also had the back-up camera as opposed to the back-up sensors. This feature is automatically activated by putting the vehicle in reverse. As soon as I put the shifter in R the camera was activated and I could see a very clear picture in about 1/3 of the rear view mirror. The picture has red/yellow/green lines (zones) to indicate how close you are to an object. Not sure how this would all look in the dark of night, but it was quite good on this sunny afternoon. The downside to this feature (at least for me) is that you don't get the Homelink garage door openers built into the mirror. That comes on the lesser EX model with the back-up sensors.
So in a nutshell, I was very pleased with how the Sportage performed during my brief test drive. I liked the comfort and the handling. The power felt good enough to me, but I'd like to take it out again with my family (4 total) in tow and then climb an even steeper hill, like the one leading up to our house.
Now for the 2 niggles I noticed today.
First off, the gas filler door is made of PLASTIC not metal like the rest of the body. WTF?? The door hinge and hook that closes over the latch are also plastic. The whole assembly looked and felt somewhat fragile to me. I'm sure it will be fine if you are the "careful" type (like I am) but still, why is KIA cheaping out on something like this.
Secondly, the divided storage compartment than resides below the cargo mat is made out of STYROFOAM!! Black painted Styrofoam. Again, WTF is up with that I have to ask. This piece should totally be made from thermoformed plastic or at the very least have some type of a plastic coating over top of the foam. It would be nothing to snap a divider wall straight off this piece of kit. I guess KIA figured people wouldn't use/access this feature very often and looked for a way to save a few more dollars. Quite disappointing IMO as I plan on storing an emergency kit, car wash supplies and bungee cords, etc. in that area. Again, one will just have to be extra careful when accessing it I suppose.
I will add that this dealer had a Black and Silver EX on the lot as well. The Manager said the orange and yellow colors would not be arriving any time soon. The Silver one was being sold as I was there. The Black was quite nice looking, but of course everything is very dark with that one. The look of the 17" wheels was fine IMO. They pretty much fill up the wheel wells. I think the 16's would look a bit tiny though. The fabric in the EX looks and feels durable. The white contrast stitching looks good too. Although I really would like leather, I could see myself "settling" for the fabric and still being happy. I hope it wears well and doesn't fade too much over time.
Well, that's about it for now. I'm looking forward to reading other people's reports as more vehicles become available for test drives. It looks like I'll be on the sidelines for a while yet as I will need to see an orange one in person before I decide anything.
