[johnathan1]

Right, to everyone who owns or is about to own the new kia sportage 1st edition. I would like to ask you all how you feel(no bias now-be honest) about how this vehicle compares with the competition such as the nissan qashkai, ford kuga, hyundai IX35, volkswagen tiguan, audi q5 &q7 and any other SUVs you can think of. I personally think that Kia have now upped the stakes here and are beginning to show that they have what it takes to compete with the best. I test drove one last week and ordered it immediately and collect it tomorrow. So what do you all think-remember try not to be too bias if you are an owner. Cheers Johnathan

 

[jules]

Well, I don't think I'd be here reading this post if the Sportage wasn't the right car for me... It's the perfect compromise between price/quality/equipment/size/features etc etc etc. The Audi's will be better put together, but much more expensive. Likewise with the tiguan (although the plastics in the one I went in were pretty shoddy for such a pricey car). The Kuga is a nice looking car but the boot is TINY. IX35 is the same car I guess, but I prefer the shape of the sportage.

For nigh on £21k, the sportage is the best car I could hope to buy.

Can't wait for mine to arrive...

 

[Blow-in]

I think KIA is positioning itself to be the upmarket Hyundai which is the reverse of how it used to be. The Sportage is more expensive than the equivalent IX35 as is theSorento when compared to the Santa Fe. Think of Hyundai as 'VW' and KIA as 'Audi'. I've driven both the new Sportage and Sorento and the dynamics are a big improvement on the models they replace (I own a 2G Sportage). However, for me the new models are less practical than their predecessors. I prefer the seat folding mechanism on the 2G and would miss the opening rear window. Right now if I was parting with my cash for a newSUV/Crossover it would be the Skoda Yeti despite my liking for my local KIA dealer and the best warranty going.