just canvessing sites looking for info on the new sportage,this model was released on the australian market just 6 weeks ago, compared with the selection your market has, ours is pretty basic with 1 model which has no esp or side & curtian airbags,but everything else seems the same. mine is going great so far & will check in twice a week to see if any issues that may be posted can be helpful to myself. thanks
The two articles concerning changing heights of people in various countries were very interesting. I'm sure auto makers worldwide are tuned into this trend.
Does anyone know anything about the new sportage recall involving the gas tank and o-ring leakage? I just received a recall notice in the mail today from KIA, but it doesn't really explain much except that the tank and charcoal canister may need to be replaced. They estimate that the replacement will take about 2 hours or more if the service department is busy.
Make : KIA Model : SPORTAGE Year : 2005 Manufacturer : KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 05V212000 Recall Date : APR 27, 2005 Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE Potential Number Of Units Affected : 10360 Summary: ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE O-RING INTO THE INTERNAL VAPOR CHAMBER LOCATED IN THE FUEL TANK AT FULL TANK CONDITIONS. Consequence: THE ENGINE MAY STALL WHEN COMING TO A STOP. IT WILL BE HARD TO FILL THE GAS TANK AND EXTERNAL FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE EVAPORATIVE AIR FILTER INLET. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FUEL TANK AND REPLACE THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON MAY 31, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542. Notes: KIA RECALL NO. SC-048. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236.
Just picked up an Olive green Sportage LX V6 4WD with black interior. Didn't get a smoking deal, as there are zero incentives on the Sportage. Paid 19,999 out the door. $18750 before TTL. Very nice though. Edmunds TMV is $19631.
Thanks iluv. It's definitely a step up from my 03 Santa Fe GL. I had owned Hyundais since 1992, and Kia lured me away. I'll definitely keep the board updated.
I also noticed the inconsistency in the different materials (brochure, manual, website) regarding the mp3 player in the 6-disc changer. I called Kia to inquire and they said it was a mistake in the print material, that the changer is not equipped to play mp3 discs, but they were not prepared to offer me any compensation or alternative. Apparently not everyone is as concerned about it as those of us who are eager to get the most out of our brand new vehicles. Carrigan, you said that you were able to return it for an audio change? Did you get the standard stereo with mp3 capability put in? Was there any charge for this? Did they leave the amplifier in? Thanks for the info.
I called the dealer concerning the gas tank/o-ring recall. I was told that a test is performed to see if the o-ring is defective. If the ring is defective then parts are ordered for the repair. This is a bit lame because the parts should be in the hands of dealers first.
Having two safety recalls in two months is a bit disconcerting but the Sportage is otherwise flawless.
Today I made a call to my dealer and scheduled a inspection for the recall, so they were asking me if I got the letter, so KIA Canada is doing some think after all this time. If you still did not get the letter, just contact your dealer and they will make a test to verify ESP. I'm from Montreal. Good Luck.
That's one way to do it, and it works for making comebacks to a salesperson's puffing. But all cars have recalls, issues, good and bad points, etc.
Another way is to get a customized TMV® pricing report here (link) and figure out if there are any Incentives and Rebates.
That should get you close to a number that you can live with; then instead of haggling over recalls or doc fees or other line items, you can tell the dealer what your out the door price needs to be.
Often focusing on the out the door price will cut through a lot of nonsense and save everyone a lot of time. Check out the Tips & Advice tab at the Edmunds.com side for ideas on getting email quotes and other tricks. And the Confessions of a Car Salesman article is a fun read.
Kia Canada still insists that my vehicle is not included in the recall. Not even the second one that has come out regarding the fuel tank/O-ring.
Transport Canada mailed me this info they received from Kia Canada:
"This recall does affect Canadian vehicles also and is described as follows:
On certain vehicles, fuel may leak from the o-ring seal into the internal vapour chamber located in the fuel tank at full tank conditions. As a result, it may be difficult to fill the gas tank and/or fuel may leak from the evaporative air filter inlet. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Correction: Kia Canada Inc. has corrected all affected vehicles prior to distribution to dealers."
So why are Canadian 2005 Sportages fixed before distribution, and the US ones "apparently" need to be recalled?
I wrote to Transport Canada, thanking them for letting me know that this problem had been fixed prior to the vehicles being delivered to the dealerships.
They replied today:
"Thank you for your kind words.
We monitor recalls around the world and often bring them to the attention of the Canadian distributors before they are aware.
Some companies have a better information distribution system than others and Kia is working on resolving this problem at this time."
So if you're in Canada, don't bother calling Kia Canada or your dealer if you need to know if your Sportage is affected. Just call Transport Canada to get the truth. While they can't check for VIN #s, they can give you the inside information.
Sad, isn't it? That Kia Canada doesn't even know if a vehicle is in trouble.
Regarding the Kia recall involving the fuel tank. My local Kia dealer told me 2 weeks to 2 months to receive a new fuel tank, on back order. I call Kia Corp. and was told the same thing. Mine was leaking so bad Kia put me in a rental car until the repairs are done.
Hope you have better luck. This is my 2nd Kia and probably the last.
Sorry to hear about your troubles. I'll be praying that it's two weeks instead of two months. They put me in a rental car for the first 3 weeks I had the Sportage (see my earlier posts from Feb. of this year -- it was for a different problem). It was not fun.
I bought a 2001 Optima at an auction in later summer of '03 with 89,000 miles on it. We have put 30,000 more on it and have little trouble. We have had to replace a CV boot, timing belt, serpentine belt, battery posts needed clean, and the fusable link at the battery needed replacing, both power window regulators needed fixing, the power antenna, and the power door lock motor. Just put in spark plugs (i think the ones I removed were original). I suppose that might sound like a lot.... but considering I have owned this cars during is 'worst years' right around 100,000 miles.... the cars drives like it is new. I do my own work (except for the timing belt which the previous owner neglected to replace at 60,000 miles and end replacing rather unexpectly 30 miles after I bought the car).
Point being is that KIA is building reliable, solid cars.
I have always driven hondas that have had at least 100,000 miles on them... you always will need to replace things that are rubber and plastic and get a lot of wear in a car if you are planning on keeping a car past 100,000 miles.... the hondas I have owned are no different. What you DON'T want to be doing are replacing transmissions, major engine components, or having chronic problems where you have to bring a car in repeatedly to a dealer for the same issue.
Anyway, for this reason I will be buying 2005 KIA SPORTAGE EX AWD luxury in silver IF:
1. I can get the MP3 player installed in the dash.... man oh man we have moved entirely to mp3 format in our house and the thought of burning mp3s onto $1 discs and tossing them into the car and then playing them without worrying about scratching them (just burn another one!) is great. But it does seem that the luxury model is advertised as a 6-CD MP3 player in the brochure, but that it will not play MP3s and that only the 'lower' option not available in the luxury plays mp3s.... If I am buying a $20,000 + car... I WANT MY MP3.
2. I can get great financing. I have an experian score 804. I earned it. By driving 20 year old hondas into the ground. I want the financing they offer on other models for the SPORTAGE.
3. I want silver!!!! I have been to two dealers here in Colorado, and only the black cherry. The Optima we own is black. The birds that love our trees poop in white. silver matches that much better.
4. As far as I can tell, the dealer makes money on anything over about $21,500 for the SPORTAGE I want (based on Consumer Reports new car buying kit). I don't mind paying over invoice especially since there aren't many silver models, so I would be comfortable supporting my local dealer to the tune of $1000 ($22,500 total).
5. All the recall issues are already taken care of.... Do they automatically do the recall issues on them with the cars in the lot before they are sold? Seems like they would.
Here in the Keystone state I have also been patiently waiting for a Sportage EX Luxury in Jade Green. The local dealer called the Kia rep and called me back the same day, actually within a few hours, and told me what you already know; black cherry only with the leather. He didn't offer any more of an explanation but said that I would have to wait for the color and leather package. Wait how long? for the 06 models?.That was about 8 weeks ago. Not to switch gears but have ya seen any dealer added graphic packages? Talk about a classy sporty touch.
my, it sure sounds like you have also been hit by the Kia bug. I'm on my 2nd Kia now ('99 Sephia, '01 Sportage 4x4) and I'm thinking Sportage or Spectra5 if I don't buy a Scion xA and stray.
Any issues with either of my Kia's were minor and seen to quickly and effectively by my dealer. The repairs were done right and at no cost. The Long-Haul does work.
You're right-it does pay to keep your credit score nice-now go get and enjoy the Kia Sportsman. Keep us posted, K?
I have now put about 180 miles on it. The interior is solid and nice--seats and doors luxurious while the dash is visually pleasing while making a utilitarian statement to remind you that you did just buy an SUV. From behind, it is extremely visually pleasing with the dual exhausts (like the Murano) and a gate that raises up as well as a window that raises up separately.
Engine/Transmission Performance.
A bit of background first. I read as much as I could about the engine in transmission of the sportage with the question: Will it have the right torque and horsepower and shifting characteristics to empower me-the-driver in my driving conditions? I had read a review by someone (a professional apparently) who complained that transmission downshifted slowly and not optimally. I thought it strange that he never mentioned using the best feature of the transmission: the sportamatic, since this was actually created to address the issue he complained about. Well after driving on a mountain interstate (I-70 from Golden to Genesee in Colorado) my review of his review is that he did not try the sportamatic...:
I live Metro-Denver. 5280 feet high. Possibly the most dangerous freeway system in the country (My apologies to those in L.A., the Bay Area, and Seattle Tacoma: but you all have the benefits of sea level performance. Also, your main issues are that there is so damn much traffic, you never go faster than 50 miles an hour.) Anyway, I wanted a vehicle where I could on-ramp onto I-70 where the Continental Divide grade begins its ascent and not be crushed by an 8 MPG Excursion doing 75 in the slow lane.... Also, I wanted the engine and transmission to give me the speed control such that while I was looking over my shoulder for said Excursion, I would not rear-end the train of cars being impeded by the 1976 Ford Camper Truck.
How my '05 Sportage (AWD, 2.7liter, sportomatic transmission) performed:
Great! First of all, this car will do 70 MPH in second gear. There is plenty of horse power at the higher range of the engine. So if you need to go from 40 to 70, when you are in 2nd gear you are in the sweet spot of the Sportage's range. Nice job KIA engineers. We quickly accelerated to the speed of traffic (about 68 or so).
Second of all, I like the control of a manual.... I know what the road ahead means better than any transmission, and sometimes it means speeding up-slowing down-speeding up-slowing down especially while trying to manage a climb up a 65 mph grade shared with Semis, some of them fully laden, and some not. A standard automatic transmission will up shift to it tallest gear as soon as you lay off the gas...... 10 seconds later when conditions demand, I am stomping on the pedal again and the tranny has to drop 1 or 2 gears... 5 seconds later I am laying off it again. You get the point.
The sportamatic does its job!!! I move it into sportamatic mode-first gear. I get up some speed for the shift into second such that rpms are high enough for horse power. Then into 2nd from 3000 rpm to 6500 rpm (red line) and I can stomp on it and accel or lay off it and decel--no need having the tranny jump around. It did great.
What about torque?
Low end torque is adequate. We took the sportage about another 1000 or so feet higher up (less power) and then took it off road looking for some challenging inclines. We found them. Some ambitious home owner is in the midst of a build that requires a retaining wall. To get to his house, you have to do about 4 or 5 immediate switch backs on a graded but not paved road. The KIA made it. Once it got the ball rolling, it climbed well. However if I was going to own a home where my drive consisted of 5 unpaved back to back switch backs, I would be looking for a 4WD with a low gear. Nonetheless, the KIA made it without any doubts. ON the way down, the ABS came into play while braking around the switch back and worked really well. It seemed that one of the 4 wheels locked on the loose dirt gravel and then ABS came on for that wheel. I expect that the torque will improve slightly as the engine piston rings brake in and low end low rpm compression increases.
Road noise is quiet, and it handles like a car. It was bigger than I thought it would be--bigger than the CRV, RAV4--however this is a good thing as it does not feel like an unmanageable monster.
I live an hour north of Toronto in the hills, and man, do we get snow. Tons of it. And ice. And my Sportage just plowed through it all. I don't need the 4WD. The front wheel drive, ESP, and a good set of snowtires was all I needed last winter. I had friends in their huge SUVs with their 4WD STUCK IN THEIR DRIVEWAYS when the snowploughs came by and banked them in...and my little Sportage just peeled on out.
I waved, and smiled, as I drove casually by. They had been teasing me about buying a cheap, crap vehicle.
Sorry for my US friends, but I only know the metric stuff here.
Took my Sportage to Wasaga Beach yesterday. (I'm an editor and took my work and sunscreen with me!)
I did 160 km on a quarter tank, and that was in quite hilly country. So I figure I'm now at 8000 km on the engine, and I'm getting 640km on a full 65 litre tank.
Much, much better than my 10-year-old Voyager!
Very pleased with that. Although hubby is now sorry he didn't take my advice and buy the extra kms up front!
I'm looking for actual "Real World" gas mileage figures on the 2005 Sportage, 4 cyl, 5-speed AWD. US or Metric, does not matter. Transport Canada lists it at 34 mpg, but we all know that's fiction.
above for the Edmunds "Full Test". It's informative and very-well written, and it's honest about the Kia Sportage's advantages and disadvantages. Read it and you should agree that the few disadvantages underweigh the plentiful advantages in this new SUV offering from Kia. The pictures included in the Edmunds test article look great of the '05 Sportage. Gotta keep it on the shortlist.
This is an educated guess, but I think it very unlikely the Sportage (and Tucson) will get the 3.3L V6 from the Sonata. This is because the base engine on the new Santa Fe is supposed to be the new-and-improved 2.7L V6. I can't see Kia (and Hyundai) putting a more powerful engine in their small SUV than they put in their (base) large SUV. But we can hope.
I would rate this review a 8 or 9 out of ten with the missing 1 or 2 points being for calling the sportomatic transmission gimmicky.
First the right-on calls: The interior is really great. The heating/ac controls DO seem a little flimsy in that they are light-weight. The engine is powerful enough for zipping around at mid and high range RPM. The slow 0-60 time I believe comes from lack of a lot of torque. With the low end torque being just adequate, you aren't going to want to take it seriously 4WD off road, but it will do fine on graded but not paved dirt roads that aren't seriously washed out and too steep. The exterior is fairly plain from the front and sides, but I think the rear is the best in its class: no external tire and yes to dual exhaust.
As with another previous reviewer, they missed out on the benefit of the sportomatic. I have found this to be hugely valuable several times when negotiating Denver highways. The highways in Denver are the absolute worst: you have on ramps to Interstates that aren't much longer than some driveways. You have constant road construction and no alternative routes: so you get to negotiate traffic with a cement truck, a semi, and A4 Audi all at the same time--all with different intentions of where they want to go. And with T-REX construction happening (a local huge project) every month the highway changes a little bit! The sportamatic will never shift up to a higher gear and will never let you go over red line. However, if you have it in sportamatic mode in 4th gear cruising an expressway at 65 MPH and then come to a complete stop at a traffic light, it will bring you back down through smaller gears all the way to 1st gear. However, if you stomp on it going 40 mph and you are in 4th, it won't shift down.
I never understood why an LA driver would ever want to buy a SUV anyway.
The only thing I am disappointed in is the sound system. I have the 6 cd changer with external amplifier and sub-woofer (ie the best stock) and am not that impressed. The bass is pretty good, but door speakers don't seemed to be to well tuned and the tweeters aren't either. When loading and changing CDs the changer makes a ton of R2D2 noises--I really really doubt that that thing is going to be working 100,000 miles from now, but I am moving to an MP3 format system only by then anyway!
I'm contemplating moving from my mid-sized SUV for something smaller, but with enough space for the car seats in back (one booster, one infant car seat) and a stroller in the back. I like the all the safety features and other goodies in the Sportage, but I'm wondering about people's real MPG experiences with the new sportage. I'm presently getting 15-16mpg in the city and about 21-22 on the highway and would like to do better than that.
My wife's '05 Sportage now has 3,100 miles since 4/11/05. The mileage does leave something to be desired. This is an EX V-6 4WD model. Around town (Dallas area) she is getting 17-18 and about 21 highway. My '03 Silhouette van gets 19 city and 27-29 on the highway.
Overall the Sportage is a really nice vehicle. It rides nice and is very quiet.
My local dealers are not even coming any where near invoice. I would say that is a great deal considering Kia is not offering any incentives on the Sportage right now. I wish I can get that kind of a deal in the NYC metro area...
Just make sure the dealer isn't tacking on unnecesary fees and other dealer add ons.
I never did get a reply from my Hawaii dealer on the 6 CD changer not playing MP3s, so you got more information than I was able to. The dealer wanted me to make an appointment with the service and warranty departments to look into it, but we've already shipped our Sportage from Hawaii to Los Angeles and it's waiting in the port for us at the port.
We ended up buying a 30GB iPod and a mounting device for the Sportage, which should work out better anyway with the luxury sound system. While our manual says it has an external subwoofer, I don't see or hear it. After the MP3 support fiasco I'm not believing it has one until I see or hear it. Even though the stereo wasn't a selling point, it's become our only complaint so far.
"Carrigan, you said that you were able to return it for an audio change? Did you get the standard stereo with mp3 capability put in? Was there any charge for this? Did they leave the amplifier in?"
We were shipping the Sportage from Hawaii to Los Angeles within weeks when we bought it and didn't get an appointment in time at the dealer to look at the stereo. It's in L.A. now waiting for us to fly there and pick it up. The Kia dealer in Hawaii never returned our calls on the stereo and didn't seem to know that the luxury stereo had no MP3 support. Our manual says we have the amplified subwoofer version, but it doesn't sound like it. Even though the stereo was not a selling point, it's still our only complaint. We ended up installing an iPod mount anyway, so it's a moot point for us.
We also don't know the status of the recall maintenance. When I contacted the Kia dealer they didn't know if our vehicle had been done prior to purchase and didn't have the "kits" to inspect the o-ring recall. The main Hyundai dealer couldn't help us with either issue (stereo or recall), so we'll see how the Kia service is when we get back to the continental U.S.
Anyone manage to get a deal on this thing? All my local dealers aren't willing to come down that much- they are pretty much selling the 4WD LX Auto for ~$20k.
Also, does it pay to wait for the '06 model at this point?
Eric, I paid 18,700 before taxes, tags (19995 out the door) for my 4WD LX V6. I don't think you're going to do much better than that right now. If you're willing to wait until Septemberish, they'll want to move the '05's out and I'd be willing to bet they'll offer some kind of rebate at that point too. They probably won't "deal" too much on the '06's until early next year. My guess anyway.
Have you looked under the front passenger seat for the subwoofer? it should be mounted there, I believe its a woofer/amplifier combination unit. If there is nothing under the seat...then I would say you have a problem.
OE units are not that powerful to begin with, but you should be able to adjust the bass output on the sub directly.
No deals on the Sportage at this point. dealers are not coming down that far from MSRP since they are selling them rather quickly, or so the dealers claim. I think in the fall, around Septemberish, is when Kia will start throwing rebates at it. Unless of course June is as slow or slower than May in vehicle sales. I think basically every major brand lost market share and experienced a slow down of sales except for GM in May.
It wouldn't pay to wait for the 06 at this point because you wouldn't be able to get a deal on the 06 until mid year 06. If you can hold off on your purchase I would get a good deal on an 05 when the rebates starts rolling.
I've had my 2005 KIA sportage for 3 weeks, one of which has been spent in the service dept. The transmission seal is bad & no one at the dealership or at corportate KIA can figure out the correct part number for replacement. They've overnighted 3 of them so far and none of them fit. They're sending 2 more tomorrow. I'm a commissioned road rep and need my car for my biz....I'm fed up and want out of the deal. KIA, so far, seems undependable and the dealership is embarrassed. I only have 800 miles on it but KIA customer service doesn't seem to care or be willing to do anything about it. My mission is to get the dealership where I bought it to cancel my contract, take back the car, or make sure everyone I know & meet NEVER buys a KIA. :mad:
I recently wrote to Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press about the Sonata V-6 going into the '06 Sportage and he replied that it probably won't go there but wil go in the new Santa Fe. Damn!
I picked up my NaturalOlive 4WD EX last Friday for $20,500 before taxes and tags. The only option I got was the cross bars. I played two dealers against each other through email. They started at $100 over invoice and i got them down to $500 under invoice. Pretty good deal I thought.
BTW - in my opinion the rear spoiler is totally not worth the money. Besides the cross bars the spoiler was the other option I was going to order - that is until I saw one on the vehicle. It is very, very small, and not color coded - flat black.
KIA should do better by you and offer you another Sportage. Have you contacted an attorney?
I have had Toyota and Nissan lemons. Does anyone remember the 1997 Nissan Van? Nissan bought all of them back several years later under terms of a safety recall. I probably would not hesitate to buy either a Nissan or Toyota today given improvements in their QC. There are lemons to be had everywhere. Too bad you got a Sportage lemon. My wife's '05 Sportage was recalled twice in 45 days but the dealer's service department promptly and correctly made the adjustments. We feel as though the new Sportage is a wonderful vehicle but would share your opinion had it been us.
I paid 22,500 for EX LUXURY 4WD. Walked out the dealer twice when a subtle $400 fee showed up after the finance guy tried to upsell me on an optional 'electrical warranty' that cost $1700.
Anyway, I am happier with the sound system especially when playing CDs. There is no MP3 support for the luxury version with the 6 CD changer. The subwoofer is under the passenger side and has its own volume control which was set at midway on mine. Kind of a pain to adjust it much, but doable with the right flathead screw driver.
No, this subwoofer does not go to 11 (Spinal Tap joke).
It is getting just over 20 MPG in a combo of city/highway that is my short commute.
We are thinking of removing the stock head unit and replacing it with a satellite radio and the OMNIFI MP3 system that uses a 20 GB hardrive to store more music than I probably will ever listen to. Just can't figure out where to put the harddrive yet....
The car is great! People ask if we are worried 'because it is a KIA' I laugh and tell them my '01 Optima has 120,000 miles on it and still runs like it is fairly new. Then I remind them about the 100,000 mile warranty on the power train. Hard to go wrong with that.
Got my recall notice (finally!) in the mail for the ESP problem. I had e-mailed them as far back as April 6 (see earlier posts). When I called my dealer, they said I was the first one to schedule an appointment to have it fixed. Hope they know what they're doing.
Then I asked about the fuel tank recall. They'd never heard of it. I asked if there was any way to check under my VIN# to see if it was really fixed before it when to the dealership, and they had no information at all.
So I asked why I as a consumer have more information than KIA? I was told the dealerships know nothing until they hear from head office of KIA Canada. So I fired off (yet another) e-mail to Susan at KIA Canada asking why there is such a problem with dissemintating the information, and why I know more than she does?
KIA really needs to work on this. It's driving me mental.
Comments
thanks
Thanks
Make : KIA Model : SPORTAGE Year : 2005
Manufacturer : KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 05V212000 Recall Date : APR 27, 2005
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 10360
Summary:
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE O-RING INTO THE INTERNAL VAPOR CHAMBER LOCATED IN THE FUEL TANK AT FULL TANK CONDITIONS.
Consequence:
THE ENGINE MAY STALL WHEN COMING TO A STOP. IT WILL BE HARD TO FILL THE GAS TANK AND EXTERNAL FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE EVAPORATIVE AIR FILTER INLET. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FUEL TANK AND REPLACE THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON MAY 31, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
Notes:
KIA RECALL NO. SC-048. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Having two safety recalls in two months is a bit disconcerting but the Sportage is otherwise flawless.
Today I made a call to my dealer and scheduled a inspection for the recall, so they were asking me if I got the letter, so KIA Canada is doing some think after all this time.
If you still did not get the letter, just contact your dealer and they will make a test to verify ESP.
I'm from Montreal.
Good Luck.
Another way is to get a customized TMV® pricing report here (link) and figure out if there are any Incentives and Rebates.
That should get you close to a number that you can live with; then instead of haggling over recalls or doc fees or other line items, you can tell the dealer what your out the door price needs to be.
Often focusing on the out the door price will cut through a lot of nonsense and save everyone a lot of time. Check out the Tips & Advice tab at the Edmunds.com side for ideas on getting email quotes and other tricks. And the Confessions of a Car Salesman article is a fun read.
Steve, Host
Kia Canada still insists that my vehicle is not included in the recall. Not even the second one that has come out regarding the fuel tank/O-ring.
Transport Canada mailed me this info they received from Kia Canada:
"This recall does affect Canadian vehicles also and is described as follows:
On certain vehicles, fuel may leak from the o-ring seal into the internal vapour chamber located in the fuel tank at full tank conditions. As a result, it may be difficult to fill the gas tank and/or fuel may leak from the evaporative air filter inlet. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Correction: Kia Canada Inc. has corrected all affected vehicles prior to distribution to dealers."
So why are Canadian 2005 Sportages fixed before distribution, and the US ones "apparently" need to be recalled?
Makes no sense to me. Anybody have a clue?
:confuse:
They replied today:
"Thank you for your kind words.
We monitor recalls around the world and often bring them to the attention of the Canadian distributors before they are aware.
Some companies have a better information distribution system than others and Kia is working on resolving this problem at this time."
So if you're in Canada, don't bother calling Kia Canada or your dealer if you need to know if your Sportage is affected. Just call Transport Canada to get the truth. While they can't check for VIN #s, they can give you the inside information.
Sad, isn't it? That Kia Canada doesn't even know if a vehicle is in trouble.
Hope you have better luck. This is my 2nd Kia and probably the last.
dmoeller
:mad:
I bought a 2001 Optima at an auction in later summer of '03 with 89,000 miles on it. We have put 30,000 more on it and have little trouble. We have had to replace a CV boot, timing belt, serpentine belt, battery posts needed clean, and the fusable link at the battery needed replacing, both power window regulators needed fixing, the power antenna, and the power door lock motor. Just put in spark plugs (i think the ones I removed were original). I suppose that might sound like a lot.... but considering I have owned this cars during is 'worst years' right around 100,000 miles.... the cars drives like it is new. I do my own work (except for the timing belt which the previous owner neglected to replace at 60,000 miles and end replacing rather unexpectly 30 miles after I bought the car).
Point being is that KIA is building reliable, solid cars.
I have always driven hondas that have had at least 100,000 miles on them... you always will need to replace things that are rubber and plastic and get a lot of wear in a car if you are planning on keeping a car past 100,000 miles.... the hondas I have owned are no different. What you DON'T want to be doing are replacing transmissions, major engine components, or having chronic problems where you have to bring a car in repeatedly to a dealer for the same issue.
Anyway, for this reason I will be buying 2005 KIA SPORTAGE EX AWD luxury in silver IF:
1. I can get the MP3 player installed in the dash.... man oh man we have moved entirely to mp3 format in our house and the thought of burning mp3s onto $1 discs and tossing them into the car and then playing them without worrying about scratching them (just burn another one!) is great. But it does seem that the luxury model is advertised as a 6-CD MP3 player in the brochure, but that it will not play MP3s and that only the 'lower' option not available in the luxury plays mp3s.... If I am buying a $20,000 + car... I WANT MY MP3.
2. I can get great financing. I have an experian score 804. I earned it. By driving 20 year old hondas into the ground. I want the financing they offer on other models for the SPORTAGE.
3. I want silver!!!! I have been to two dealers here in Colorado, and only the black cherry. The Optima we own is black. The birds that love our trees poop in white. silver matches that much better.
4. As far as I can tell, the dealer makes money on anything over about $21,500 for the SPORTAGE I want (based on Consumer Reports new car buying kit). I don't mind paying over invoice especially since there aren't many silver models, so I would be comfortable supporting my local dealer to the tune of $1000 ($22,500 total).
5. All the recall issues are already taken care of.... Do they automatically do the recall issues on them with the cars in the lot before they are sold? Seems like they would.
-e
And get the paperwork to prove it!
J.
Any issues with either of my Kia's were minor and seen to quickly and effectively by my dealer. The repairs were done right and at no cost. The Long-Haul does work.
You're right-it does pay to keep your credit score nice-now go get and enjoy the Kia Sportsman. Keep us posted, K?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Visual Impressions:
I have now put about 180 miles on it. The interior is solid and nice--seats and doors luxurious while the dash is visually pleasing while making a utilitarian statement to remind you that you did just buy an SUV. From behind, it is extremely visually pleasing with the dual exhausts (like the Murano) and a gate that raises up as well as a window that raises up separately.
Engine/Transmission Performance.
A bit of background first. I read as much as I could about the engine in transmission of the sportage with the question: Will it have the right torque and horsepower and shifting characteristics to empower me-the-driver in my driving conditions? I had read a review by someone (a professional apparently) who complained that transmission downshifted slowly and not optimally. I thought it strange that he never mentioned using the best feature of the transmission: the sportamatic, since this was actually created to address the issue he complained about. Well after driving on a mountain interstate (I-70 from Golden to Genesee in Colorado) my review of his review is that he did not try the sportamatic...:
I live Metro-Denver. 5280 feet high. Possibly the most dangerous freeway system in the country (My apologies to those in L.A., the Bay Area, and Seattle Tacoma: but you all have the benefits of sea level performance. Also, your main issues are that there is so damn much traffic, you never go faster than 50 miles an hour.) Anyway, I wanted a vehicle where I could on-ramp onto I-70 where the Continental Divide grade begins its ascent and not be crushed by an 8 MPG Excursion doing 75 in the slow lane.... Also, I wanted the engine and transmission to give me the speed control such that while I was looking over my shoulder for said Excursion, I would not rear-end the train of cars being impeded by the 1976 Ford Camper Truck.
How my '05 Sportage (AWD, 2.7liter, sportomatic transmission) performed:
Great! First of all, this car will do 70 MPH in second gear. There is plenty of horse power at the higher range of the engine. So if you need to go from 40 to 70, when you are in 2nd gear you are in the sweet spot of the Sportage's range. Nice job KIA engineers. We quickly accelerated to the speed of traffic (about 68 or so).
Second of all, I like the control of a manual.... I know what the road ahead means better than any transmission, and sometimes it means speeding up-slowing down-speeding up-slowing down especially while trying to manage a climb up a 65 mph grade shared with Semis, some of them fully laden, and some not. A standard automatic transmission will up shift to it tallest gear as soon as you lay off the gas...... 10 seconds later when conditions demand, I am stomping on the pedal again and the tranny has to drop 1 or 2 gears... 5 seconds later I am laying off it again. You get the point.
The sportamatic does its job!!! I move it into sportamatic mode-first gear. I get up some speed for the shift into second such that rpms are high enough for horse power. Then into 2nd from 3000 rpm to 6500 rpm (red line) and I can stomp on it and accel or lay off it and decel--no need having the tranny jump around. It did great.
What about torque?
Low end torque is adequate. We took the sportage about another 1000 or so feet higher up (less power) and then took it off road looking for some challenging inclines. We found them. Some ambitious home owner is in the midst of a build that requires a retaining wall. To get to his house, you have to do about 4 or 5 immediate switch backs on a graded but not paved road. The KIA made it. Once it got the ball rolling, it climbed well. However if I was going to own a home where my drive consisted of 5 unpaved back to back switch backs, I would be looking for a 4WD with a low gear. Nonetheless, the KIA made it without any doubts. ON the way down, the ABS came into play while braking around the switch back and worked really well. It seemed that one of the 4 wheels locked on the loose dirt gravel and then ABS came on for that wheel. I expect that the torque will improve slightly as the engine piston rings brake in and low end low rpm compression increases.
Road noise is quiet, and it handles like a car. It was bigger than I thought it would be--bigger than the CRV, RAV4--however this is a good thing as it does not feel like an unmanageable monster.
more to follow!!!
-e
BTW-the 4WD in my Sportage was handy for me a few times in the Missouri winters. Let's see how it does with South Dakota winters now!
Keep the input coming, daddye-your Sportage sounds awesome!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I waved, and smiled, as I drove casually by. They had been teasing me about buying a cheap, crap vehicle.
Guess the laugh was on them!
Took my Sportage to Wasaga Beach yesterday. (I'm an editor and took my work and sunscreen with me!)
I did 160 km on a quarter tank, and that was in quite hilly country. So I figure I'm now at 8000 km on the engine, and I'm getting 640km on a full 65 litre tank.
Much, much better than my 10-year-old Voyager!
Very pleased with that. Although hubby is now sorry he didn't take my advice and buy the extra kms up front!
Full Test: 2005 Kia Sportage (Inside Line)
Steve, Host
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
First the right-on calls: The interior is really great. The heating/ac controls DO seem a little flimsy in that they are light-weight. The engine is powerful enough for zipping around at mid and high range RPM. The slow 0-60 time I believe comes from lack of a lot of torque. With the low end torque being just adequate, you aren't going to want to take it seriously 4WD off road, but it will do fine on graded but not paved dirt roads that aren't seriously washed out and too steep. The exterior is fairly plain from the front and sides, but I think the rear is the best in its class: no external tire and yes to dual exhaust.
As with another previous reviewer, they missed out on the benefit of the sportomatic. I have found this to be hugely valuable several times when negotiating Denver highways. The highways in Denver are the absolute worst: you have on ramps to Interstates that aren't much longer than some driveways. You have constant road construction and no alternative routes: so you get to negotiate traffic with a cement truck, a semi, and A4 Audi all at the same time--all with different intentions of where they want to go. And with T-REX construction happening (a local huge project) every month the highway changes a little bit! The sportamatic will never shift up to a higher gear and will never let you go over red line. However, if you have it in sportamatic mode in 4th gear cruising an expressway at 65 MPH and then come to a complete stop at a traffic light, it will bring you back down through smaller gears all the way to 1st gear. However, if you stomp on it going 40 mph and you are in 4th, it won't shift down.
I never understood why an LA driver would ever want to buy a SUV anyway.
The only thing I am disappointed in is the sound system. I have the 6 cd changer with external amplifier and sub-woofer (ie the best stock) and am not that impressed. The bass is pretty good, but door speakers don't seemed to be to well tuned and the tweeters aren't either.
When loading and changing CDs the changer makes a ton of R2D2 noises--I really really doubt that that thing is going to be working 100,000 miles from now, but I am moving to an MP3 format system only by then anyway!
-e
I'm contemplating moving from my mid-sized SUV for something smaller, but with enough space for the car seats in back (one booster, one infant car seat) and a stroller in the back. I like the all the safety features and other goodies in the Sportage, but I'm wondering about people's real MPG experiences with the new sportage. I'm presently getting 15-16mpg in the city and about 21-22 on the highway and would like to do better than that.
Any thoughts would be great.
Overall the Sportage is a really nice vehicle. It rides nice and is very quiet.
My local dealers are not even coming any where near invoice. I would say that is a great deal considering Kia is not offering any incentives on the Sportage right now. I wish I can get that kind of a deal in the NYC metro area...
Just make sure the dealer isn't tacking on unnecesary fees and other dealer add ons.
Mike
We ended up buying a 30GB iPod and a mounting device for the Sportage, which should work out better anyway with the luxury sound system. While our manual says it has an external subwoofer, I don't see or hear it. After the MP3 support fiasco I'm not believing it has one until I see or hear it. Even though the stereo wasn't a selling point, it's become our only complaint so far.
We were shipping the Sportage from Hawaii to Los Angeles within weeks when we bought it and didn't get an appointment in time at the dealer to look at the stereo. It's in L.A. now waiting for us to fly there and pick it up. The Kia dealer in Hawaii never returned our calls on the stereo and didn't seem to know that the luxury stereo had no MP3 support. Our manual says we have the amplified subwoofer version, but it doesn't sound like it. Even though the stereo was not a selling point, it's still our only complaint. We ended up installing an iPod mount anyway, so it's a moot point for us.
We also don't know the status of the recall maintenance. When I contacted the Kia dealer they didn't know if our vehicle had been done prior to purchase and didn't have the "kits" to inspect the o-ring recall. The main Hyundai dealer couldn't help us with either issue (stereo or recall), so we'll see how the Kia service is when we get back to the continental U.S.
Also, does it pay to wait for the '06 model at this point?
I paid 18,700 before taxes, tags (19995 out the door) for my 4WD LX V6. I don't think you're going to do much better than that right now. If you're willing to wait until Septemberish, they'll want to move the '05's out and I'd be willing to bet they'll offer some kind of rebate at that point too. They probably won't "deal" too much on the '06's until early next year. My guess anyway.
Have you looked under the front passenger seat for the subwoofer? it should be mounted there, I believe its a woofer/amplifier combination unit. If there is nothing under the seat...then I would say you have a problem.
OE units are not that powerful to begin with, but you should be able to adjust the bass output on the sub directly.
Mike
It wouldn't pay to wait for the 06 at this point because you wouldn't be able to get a deal on the 06 until mid year 06. If you can hold off on your purchase I would get a good deal on an 05 when the rebates starts rolling.
Mike
BTW - in my opinion the rear spoiler is totally not worth the money. Besides the cross bars the spoiler was the other option I was going to order - that is until I saw one on the vehicle. It is very, very small, and not color coded - flat black.
I have had Toyota and Nissan lemons. Does anyone remember the 1997 Nissan Van? Nissan bought all of them back several years later under terms of a safety recall. I probably would not hesitate to buy either a Nissan or Toyota today given improvements in their QC. There are lemons to be had everywhere. Too bad you got a Sportage lemon. My wife's '05 Sportage was recalled twice in 45 days but the dealer's service department promptly and correctly made the adjustments. We feel as though the new Sportage is a wonderful vehicle but would share your opinion had it been us.
Anyway, I am happier with the sound system especially when playing CDs. There is no MP3 support for the luxury version with the 6 CD changer. The subwoofer is under the passenger side and has its own volume control which was set at midway on mine. Kind of a pain to adjust it much, but doable with the right flathead screw driver.
No, this subwoofer does not go to 11 (Spinal Tap joke).
It is getting just over 20 MPG in a combo of city/highway that is my short commute.
We are thinking of removing the stock head unit and replacing it with a satellite radio and the OMNIFI MP3 system that uses a 20 GB hardrive to store more music than I probably will ever listen to. Just can't figure out where to put the harddrive yet....
The car is great! People ask if we are worried 'because it is a KIA' I laugh and tell them my '01 Optima has 120,000 miles on it and still runs like it is fairly new. Then I remind them about the 100,000 mile warranty on the power train. Hard to go wrong with that.
Got my recall notice (finally!) in the mail for the ESP problem. I had e-mailed them as far back as April 6 (see earlier posts). When I called my dealer, they said I was the first one to schedule an appointment to have it fixed. Hope they know what they're doing.
Then I asked about the fuel tank recall. They'd never heard of it. I asked if there was any way to check under my VIN# to see if it was really fixed before it when to the dealership, and they had no information at all.
So I asked why I as a consumer have more information than KIA? I was told the dealerships know nothing until they hear from head office of KIA Canada. So I fired off (yet another) e-mail to Susan at KIA Canada asking why there is such a problem with dissemintating the information, and why I know more than she does?
KIA really needs to work on this. It's driving me mental.
:mad: