Sportage also offers a safety first. In addition to dual front airbags, it comes equipped with a smaller airbag intended to protect the driver's left knee and leg.
The well-proportioned greenhouse allows good visibility in all directions. Controls are well placed and easy to operate, and instruments are easy to read. The air conditioning in our test vehicle cooled the cabin is short order on warm Southern California afternoons. The test truck also featured Kia's straightforward, easy-to-tune AM/FM/CD stereo. While both air and the CD are standard on the EX, they added $900 and $475, respectively, to the bottom line on our 4x4 base model.
We used the Sportage the way most buyers will: going shopping, getting around town and taking co-workers to lunch. The fact that its spare tire carrier locks out of the way when fully opened is a blessing when you are loading groceries or baggage through the rear door. The copious interior space ensured that our colleagues were comfortable on the way to and from the local lunch spot. Just be sure to assign the shorter passengers to the rear seat. Next Page