The new generation Kia Sportage, unlike its predecessor, looks a bit like a Porsche Cayenne, especially the shape of the headlights is very similar. It is better to be like a Porsche than a Nissan or a Mazda. But this is only externally, but in the cabin everything is far from being like in a Porsche, but it’s convenient and not very expensive.

Inside, everything is quite simple, each button is in place and does not cause questions for what it is responsible. There is a place to charge the phone, no wires will be needed, just put the phone in a niche, and it charges itself with the help of wireless technologies, but such a chip is in versions that are more expensive than the base.

Also in the cabin in a prominent place is a large display multimedia system, around which there are deflectors. The front panel is raised quite high, but the view does not interfere. Chairs with a ventilation system (as an option) with a good shape, comfortable, because there is lateral support. But there is no memory of adjustment settings, and lumbar support cannot be adjusted in height. The steering wheel is very comfortable to hold. The interior design of the Sporteydzh is very similar to the design of the KIA Optima salon, the instrument panels are very similar to each other - equally bright and spectacular.

The black and gray trim, the steering wheel is slightly hemmed down, if you order a GT Line package for 50,000 rubles, there will be lining on the pedals and petals for manual gear shifting under the steering wheel. But even without this package, the car looks pretty good from the inside out; there is even a hint of a drivers car, thanks to the console slightly turned towards the driver.

On the most expensive Premium package there is an 8-inch screen and a high-quality JBL speaker system, but in order for the navigation system to show where there are traffic jams in the city, you will need internet from your smartphone. In the Luxe and Prestige trim levels, which are cheaper - there is a 7-inch display, and on the Comfort and Classic versions, instead of the display, a regular CD receiver.

The build quality is pretty good, the panels have soft plastic, a pleasant smell, the same as in Volvo. If you want electronic assistants in the car, electric tailgate, wireless charging for the phone, seat ventilation, you will have to buy a premium Premium package that will cost approximately 1,950,000 rubles.

The rear seats are not all so loosely, the plastic is hard, and it feels like they saved on the trim. The upper part of the doors is very solid, small niches in the doors, and in the trunk there is a phenolic smell, like in Chinese cars. But for rear passengers, there are deflectors that will blow them. It is also good that the seat backs can be tilted 37 degrees from the vertical. Since the wheelbase has become 30 mm larger than its predecessor, the space near the knees of the rear passengers increased by 7 mm. - a trifle, but still a plus. But the amount of luggage increased by 26 liters.

Even it became more convenient to put things in the trunk, because the bumper went down by 5 cm. In the Premium version, the tailgate will be electrically driven, which will lift this door if a person with a key to this car stands next to it.

In technical terms, the new Sportage is all the same as in the last generation Tucson. The platform, the same as on its predecessors, is only seriously modified. Front - McPherson strut, also in the front suspension damper rods became thicker. Behind - multi-lever, which have longer levers, which is well influenced by the softness of the course. The suspension travel has increased, the subframes and their attachments have also been modified.

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The body structure of the Sporteydzh is also identical with the Tucson, but different from the outside of the body. In the new body of high-strength steels began to be used significantly more, if in the predecessor, their share was 18%, now - 51%. This resulted in an overall weight loss of 12 kg. and to an increase in torsional stiffness up to 39%. At the same time, aluminum in the body is not used, especially since it is quite expensive. In the back of the car was 6 times more adhesive joints.

On crash tests, Euro NCAP Sportage received high marks, airbags fly out on time. Even in the basic configuration there are 6 airbags and a stabilization system. Back in 2015, the car received 5 stars for safety, and now the car’s retention system in the lane and a system recognizing traffic signs have appeared as an option, so Sporteyd earned an additional 3.3 points on the tests.

The best aerodynamics were not achieved very strongly, despite the efforts of the developers, the coefficient of aerodynamics Cx decreased by only 0.02 compared with the previous model and was 0.33. Specifications turned out exactly the same as that of the Hyundai Tucson, even the maximum speed is identical in similar trim levels.

Motors

Not so many engines will be available for the Russian market:

• turbocharged 2-liter engine with a capacity of 240 liters. s., which is installed in Optima GT; economical diesel engine 1.7 with a capacity of 115 liters. with.;
• 1.6 turbocharged T-GDI with a capacity of 177 liters. s., which will be installed in the top configuration in a pair, a seven-step preselective will work with this motor;
• the most popular and proven atmospheric engine 2.0 with distributed injection and 150 liters capacity. with. This engine will fit any variants of the transmission;
• diesel 2-liter engine R-series with a capacity of 185 liters. with. will be only with all-wheel drive and automatic transmission. This engine was modernized, its cast-iron cylinder block became lighter by 5 kg. Valve springs became more rigid, the recycling system was improved, the inertia of the turbine rotor became less.

Noise from the engine is also reduced due to the coating, which enveloped the motor. If you take, for example, the top-end gasoline equipment with all-wheel drive and automatic transmission, then this car is quite frisky, but not faster than its competitors. It weighs this equipment Sporteydzha - 1677 kg., Which is already 73 kg more than the weight of the top predecessor.

The automatic gearbox here is 6-speed, switches gently, it has been modernized, so it has become faster to switch, so the sport mode is now not even needed, although it can be turned on by pressing the Drive Mode button.

Acceleration to 100 km / h in 12.2 seconds, for example, the Mazda CX-5 accelerates to the same speed 1 second faster. In addition, the fuel consumption of the KIA is greater than that of the Mazda - 13 liters versus 10 liters per 100 km. in the combined cycle.

But as for the improved 2-liter diesel engine R-series, it is much better. It is more economical - it eats only 10 liters per 100 km. Acceleration to 100 km / h in a diesel engine is 2 seconds faster, which is also good news.

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But behind the wheel of the Sportage, I want to drive more aggressively than at the wheel of a Mazda CX-5. Even the chassis is set up perfectly, the car dives into the arc with a bang, despite the fact that the banks are minimal, and if you enter at high speed, you can even enter a little skidding, but after a few seconds the stabilization system will level the car. During the entrance to the arc, the system turns on, which is on the Kia Sorento - ATCC, the essence of its work is that it brakes the inner rear wheel, this is similar to the work of the active differential, the thrust vector is directed inside the arc.

The steering wheel responds well to the actions of the driver, straight reactive, even there is no need to turn on the Sport mode. Electric power steering is mounted on the rail, but on the Mazda CX-5 - on the steering column. Therefore, it turned out such a reactivity steering. The same design and the new KIA Optima GT.

Suspension

You can not call the suspension soft, it has an average hardness. If you put 17-inch wheels, it will be a little softer, on 19-wheels it will be a little tougher, but all the same, if compared with its predecessor, the car became much softer.

The top equipment of the new Sportage, just stuffed with various assistants for the driver, it has almost everything in the new Toyota RAV4. The car can recognize signs on the road, park itself, monitor blind zones. If the car goes backwards, then she will slow down if she sees an obstacle.

But there is no active cruise control, although Kia says it will appear soon, as the camera and the automatic braking system are already in the car. There is a system that drives for the driver, but it is still damp, firstly, it is necessary that the hands were on the steering wheel. Secondly, if the road markings are not clear, the car starts to oscillate. Therefore, it is better to turn off this system so that it does not do unnecessary things.

The car has the same off-road options as on the predecessor: the control system during descent, forced clutch lock operating at a speed not exceeding 40 km / h. For those who have more expensive equipment such as Premium or Prestige, you can use electric handles. But the patency of the car deteriorated a bit thanks to the exterior design, which resembles a Porsche.

It increased by 2 cm. Front overhang, and the type of sports bumper significantly reduced the angle of entry. Even the ground clearance was reduced to 166 mm. due to the fact that there was a plastic motor protection. But despite this, the car drives through the mud puddles easily, even the mud does not get on the windshield. And under the foglights there are special holes that improve aerodynamics, water can flow through these holes.

In the new Sporteydzhe Magna multidisk clutch is used, in the Sorento, too, it is, it is not afraid of overheating, the system imitating cross-wheel lock also works well. Therefore, you can safely ride in those places where the wheels will rise.

But Sporteydzh more created for city driving, off-road - this is not his habitat. If you drive around the city, then everything will be fine with the car, the insulation is good, the tire hum is almost inaudible, and the diesel engine is perfectly muffled with the help of special material.

Price and configuration

6 configurations are available, and if these configurations are combined with 3 engines, you will get 13 configuration options. For example, Toyota RAV4 has more options - 7 fixed complete sets and 20 possible.

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You can change the full-size spare tire to the dock, which is much narrower, but you can get to the service on it. With this replacement free space in the trunk will be more.

Although the trunk itself has already added 26 liters, it has a double floor, and the trunk trim has become more accurate compared to its predecessor. In the main headlights there are no turn signals, because they are installed on the bumper, though they are less visible there, and this area gets dirty more. But you can as an option to put the LED lights, as in the photo below.

For those who love xenon headlights, you must immediately take the Prestige version, and in the Premium are bi-xenon headlights, with automatic high beams. Also, as an option, you can put the LED fog lights that go into the package GT Line, which will pull on 50 000 rubles.

In addition, the GT Line package also includes a silencer with 2 pipes, such a silencer sounds more pleasant, in a sporty way. The suspension has now increased the course, but still the Sportage cannot be called a true SUV. In addition, the sills of the car are not covered with doors, so if you actively ride on the road, then leaving the car, you can stain the pants.

KIA Sportage creates high competition in the market due to its low-priced configurations, which will be much faster to understand, making the company the largest cashier. The simplest basic version of the Classic with a 2-liter engine, manual transmission and front-wheel drive will cost just 1,190,000 rubles. For example, the same basic Toyota RAV4 costs 91,000 rubles more.

In the Moscow office of KIA, they consider that the most popular bundle is the Luxe, under the hood of which there is a gasoline engine, there is an all-wheel drive, an automatic transmission. This version will cost only 1,540,000 rubles. A similar version of Toyota is called Standard, it costs 43,000 rubles more. Moreover, the Kia Sporteydzh in this configuration is even heated steering wheel and rear seats.

As for the very top version, with a huge list of modern electronics, it costs 1,930,000 rubles, the price for the Sportage is not particularly attractive. Moreover, in this version there is no active cruise control, heated windshield, all-round vision camera, and in the top-end version of the Toyota RAV4 all this is there, but the price for it is more by 64,000 rubles.

Among diesel pickings, the Prestige version, which costs 1,820,000 rubles, may seem the most attractive, while Toyota has a similar version almost 200,000 more expensive. True, the Sporteydzh in the configuration "Prestige" no bi-xenon headlights, also there is no automatic on / off high beam.

But in order to determine with certainty that it is better to buy a Toyota RAV4 or KIA Sportage, you need to put these two cars on the track and see which of them will quickly reach the finish line.

And then a test drive Premium configuration KIA Sportage: