9 months with a Kia Sportage
I meant to post about the new car when the '57' registrations came out in September (marking the car's 6 month anniversary) but obviously, I didn't quite make it. So having now owned the big brute for 9 months, what do I reckon.
Without getting too gushy, I've got to say I love this car. It's roomy, comfortable, 100% reliable so far, has sufficient toys to keep me entertained during rush hour, is hugely relaxing on the motorway with its 6 gears and cruise control and is fairly economical too - a good thing at this time of ludicrously high fuel prices.
There are only really two things that niggle: you really must keep the oily bits above 1800rpm when pulling away and the fact that it has a tendency to cancel your indicators at the most inopportune moments when negotiating roundabouts - a side-effect no doubt of there being no such things in Korea. But I think that's all pretty minor compared to the general niceness of the thing. I like it.
Obviously I'm not popular with the green brigade because the thing is also a 'gas guzzling 4x4'. However, I'm currently averaging 30mpg which I don't think is that bad. For comparison, here are the official figures for my car compared to the latest 2 litre diesel Ford Mondeo and (just for fun) the Range Rover TDV8 and the little Citroën C1:
A final note on the dealer. Since parting with my £17k in March, I have not heard a peep out of them, and I suspect I won't hear anything until the next opportunity to relieve me of cash arises, i.e. the 12 month service. I really can't believe companies still operate like this, it is just so crap. Perhaps it's just because the company I work for tries hard to follow up with customers post-sale that I've become intolerant of others not showing me the same courtesy. A friendly note: if someone has just given you a pile of their hard-earned cash, give them a ring after a few weeks to see how they're getting on. You could even use the call to see if they've found a need to buy extra stuff. The current approach just feels like: 'I've got your money now, so until I've got a legitimate excuse to get more off you, you can bugger off'.
Without getting too gushy, I've got to say I love this car. It's roomy, comfortable, 100% reliable so far, has sufficient toys to keep me entertained during rush hour, is hugely relaxing on the motorway with its 6 gears and cruise control and is fairly economical too - a good thing at this time of ludicrously high fuel prices.
There are only really two things that niggle: you really must keep the oily bits above 1800rpm when pulling away and the fact that it has a tendency to cancel your indicators at the most inopportune moments when negotiating roundabouts - a side-effect no doubt of there being no such things in Korea. But I think that's all pretty minor compared to the general niceness of the thing. I like it.
Obviously I'm not popular with the green brigade because the thing is also a 'gas guzzling 4x4'. However, I'm currently averaging 30mpg which I don't think is that bad. For comparison, here are the official figures for my car compared to the latest 2 litre diesel Ford Mondeo and (just for fun) the Range Rover TDV8 and the little Citroën C1:
| Kia Sportage 2.0CTD | Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi | Range Rover 3.6TD | Citroën C 1.4HDi | |
| Power | 138 | 140 | 271 | 55 |
| Urban mpg (l/100km): | 31.7(8.9) | 37.2(7.6) | 19.6(14.4) | 53.3(5.3) |
| Extra urban: | 45.6(6.2) | 57.6(4.9) | 31.2(9.2) | 83.1(3.4) |
| Combined: | 39.8(7.1) | 47.9(5.9) | 25.1(11.3) | 68.9(4.1) |
| CO2 emissions | 187 | 189 | 299 | 109 |
A final note on the dealer. Since parting with my £17k in March, I have not heard a peep out of them, and I suspect I won't hear anything until the next opportunity to relieve me of cash arises, i.e. the 12 month service. I really can't believe companies still operate like this, it is just so crap. Perhaps it's just because the company I work for tries hard to follow up with customers post-sale that I've become intolerant of others not showing me the same courtesy. A friendly note: if someone has just given you a pile of their hard-earned cash, give them a ring after a few weeks to see how they're getting on. You could even use the call to see if they've found a need to buy extra stuff. The current approach just feels like: 'I've got your money now, so until I've got a legitimate excuse to get more off you, you can bugger off'.
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