2011 Kia Sportage Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Kia Sportage overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Sportage, and includes Kia Sportage safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

If you want to witness the transformation occurring at Kia, compare the all-new, completely redesigned 2011 Sportage to the compact crossover SUV that wore this same name just one year ago. The improvement in design, packaging, equipment, and engineering cannot is nothing short of sensational. What remains the same, however, is Value with a capital “V,” defined by an affordable price tag and an outstanding warranty.

The redesigned 2011 Kia Sportage is available in four different trim levels ranging in price from under $20,000 to more than $30,000 when equipped with every option.

Starting things off is the new Base model, but it’s hardly basic. This version includes air conditioning, power door locks, power windows, power side mirrors, a tilt steering wheel, cruise control, Bluetooth hands-free calling, a trip computer, and 16-inch alloy wheels. It’s got a pretty good stereo system, too, with a CD player, an auxiliary audio input jack, a USB port, and Bluetooth streaming media capability. Three free months of Sirius satellite radio is also thrown into the deal. T here are no options for this model, not even an automatic transmission, but your Kia dealer will be happy to add a few extra features if you so desire.

If you can’t operate a manual gearbox, you will need to investigate the Sportage LX, which comes standard with an automatic transmission, remote keyless entry, and fancy LED turn signal indicators embedded into the side mirror housings. The Sportage LX is also available with several options, the most popular being the Convenience Package for its bigger 17-inch alloy wheels, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, cooling glove box, heated side mirrors, back-up warning system, floor mats, cargo cover, dark tinted rear glass, wiper de-icer, and other items. The LX is also available with a Navigation Package that includes a reversing camera and a premium sound system.

Next on the menu is the Sportage EX, decked out with 18-inch alloys, fog lights, automatic headlights with LED running lights, chrome door handles, roof rails, and a rear spoiler. Inside, the Sportage EX is equipped with many elements of the LX model’s Convenience Package plus dual-zone automatic climate control, upgraded cloth seats, a power driver’s seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, and an auto-folding function for the rear seats. Like the LX model, the EX can be equipped with a Navigation Package that includes a reversing camera and a premium sound system. A Premium Package for the EX adds leather, heated front seats, an air-cooled driver’s seat, keyless entry with push-button start, a panoramic sunroof, back-up warning sensors, a wiper de-icer, HomeLink, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated side mirrors, and a cargo cover.

If you’re interested in speedy acceleration, the Sportage SX is the right choice. Thanks to a turbocharged engine making a whole bunch more horsepower and torque than other Sportage models, the SX emphasizes performance. As such, it also gets a dark chrome grille, dual exhaust outlets, and upgraded Supervision gauges. The SX is available with Navigation and Premium Packages that mirror the EX model. Alternatively, if you’d like Orange or Blue accent colors, the SX is available with a Premium Package that includes the Navigation Package plus one of these hues.

For 2011, the Kia Sportage comes only with four-cylinder engine choices, both of which offer more horsepower than the V6 engine that was available last year. The Sportage Base, LX and EX have a 2.4-liter engine good for 176 horsepower, plenty to motivate a compact crossover SUV that’s lost more than 300 pounds during its redesign.

The Sportage SX is equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that whips up an impressive 260 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque that peaks between 1,850 and 3,000 rpm. Residents of high-altitude regions will definitely appreciate the turbo engine, which won’t succumb to the thin atmosphere in the same way a non-turbocharged engine will.

The Sportage Base model has a six-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels. All other models come standard with Kia’s six-speed Sportmatic automatic transmission with a manual shift feature. Kia’s Dynamax all-wheel drive system is available only on LX, EX, and SX models. Under normal driving conditions, all of the engine’s power is sent to the Sportage’s front wheels. When they slip, power is sent to the rear wheels. At speeds under 25 mph, the driver can lock the power split evenly between the front and rear for optimum grip.

Thanks to the new engine lineup and the Sportage’s weight-loss program, fuel economy is improved over the old model. The Sportage Base is rated to deliver 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway with its six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. The Sportage LX and EX are expected to get 22-mpg city/31-mpg highway with the standard six-speed automatic and front-wheel drive. Select the AWD model, and the LX/EX get 21-city/28-highway. According to Kia, the Sportage SX is likely to deliver 22-city/27-highway with front-wheel drive and 21-city/25-highway with AWD.

Kia enhances the Sportage’s safety package for 2011 by adding Brake Assist technology to the antilock braking system and including both Hill Assist Control and Downhill Brake Control on every Sportage, even those with front-wheel drive. Additionally, every models gets six airbags, traction control, and stability control.

As this review is published, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not performed crash tests on the redesigned 2011 Sportage. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has, and the Sportage is named a Top Safety Pick for its top-rated performance in offset frontal impact, side impact, rear impact, and roof crush strength evaluations.

As an all-new model, Consumer Reports is not making any dependability predictions for the redesigned 2011 Sportage as we publish this report. J.D. Power and Associates is predicting that dependability will be slightly better than average over the long run. Also, it bears mentioning that the Sportage comes standard with one of the most comprehensive and longest warranties available, so if problems do crop up, you should be covered.

We’d like to be more excited about the 2011 Kia Sportage. We really would. It’s such a good-looking vehicle and, on paper, it outshines the competition in terms of bang for the buck. Dynamically, however, the Sportage’s individual components are promising but as a whole simply don’t play nice with one another.

The steering wheel provides little in the way of connection between the driver and the pavement and while the 176-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is spry off the line, we were dismayed by our 19.9 mpg fuel economy average, which is pretty low given its EPA-stated 22 city/31 highway rating. And while its taut suspension does provide for some fun on curvy pavement, it makes for tooth-jarring reverberations when driven around on less-than-perfect pavement.

Comfort is challenging, too. None of our various-sized drivers found the seat to be particularly comfortable, and the cabin, while handsome, isn’t conducive to long-distance driving comfort. It’s loud from wind noise and from rattles emanating from various points in the cabin, and lacking in thoughtful little touches that endear us to a car, such as comfortable spots to rest our arms.

The Kia’s charms, then, lie in its multitude of features that can be had at an attractive price point. We liked our EX test vehicle’s dual-panel sunroof, its generously sized cargo area, and its full serving of goodies like a navigation system with a back up camera, Bluetooth with music streaming capability, and both USB and auxiliary audio inputs. Other cool features include a refrigerated glove box, a ventilated driver’s seat and push-button start.

If you’re not a driving connoisseur, we think that the 2011 Kia Sportage’s appealing design and technological doodads may suit you just fine. Us? Meh.

Wow. That’s one way to describe the redesigned 2011 Kia Sportage. It is an incredibly stylish machine inside and out, offers a terrific warranty, is a Top Safety Pick, and offers a wide variety of price points and packaging to satisfy almost any budget. Based on our time behind the wheel, there are a few dynamic issues to sort out with regard to the steering and suspension, and we think a few interior upgrades would go a long way toward improving comfort, but despite our quibbles we’re ready to recommend a test drive.

By Christian Wardlaw