Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Hope this helps,
Janet
The Kia will be my first car, that is registered in my name, at the ripe old age of almost 60. I am now retired so the Kia's life should be pampered in comparison to the life of my old 4Runner. We do plan, however, to take a road trip to Inuvik, North West Territories, shortly after we break it in. That's about 4500 miles with the last 400 miles (rough guess) being gravel.
Is any one familiar with purchasing a package to give extra protection to paint, undercarriage, upholstery, and extra rust protection ( hood, doors, tailgates, trunk lids etc)? My dealership offers such a pkg & call it environmental protection. They claim it is most needed in the harsh climates like Manitoba. My record of keeping vehicles for a long time might mean I should take such an offer. My other self says that this should be part of every vehicle & we should not need to pay extra. It costs nearly $900 Canadian (before sales taxes).
I'd appreciate some input & it would really be great if anyone has personal experience with Automotive Protection Packages.
I appreciated reading this forum while debating my buying decision. My vehicle has to be ordered - the Kia Sportages are all gone except the Black & we have 4 miles of gravel before the blacktop & prefer a light color.
Thanks!
It's a ripoff.
Before you buy, phone around to Rust Check (or whatever you have in your area), as well as car detailing companies for prices on what they would charge to protect your fabric (Scotchguarding).
I don't think Kia's package was an all or nothing deal. So you could get Kia to do something about the extra protection to the paint, but handle the rest with independent companies.
Kia is making oodles of money off of this package. So why let them soak you?
We managed to get them to throw in the Scotchguarding when we bought our car, so that might be an option for you as well. It costs them almost nothing to do that. Just spray the stuff on. You could do it yourself. Buy it at Wal-mart.
I would highly recommend getting the rustproofing done by someone other than Kia. We had a 10 year old Plymouth Voyager van that we rust proofed every year at Rust Check, and only had a small amount of rust around the keyhole on the back door! And those things rust like crazy. So check around.
Janet
The Sportage's brakes are discs all around, with 215/65R-16 tires on four-cylinder models and 235/60R-16s on 4x4s. The Sportage also will tow a weight of 1500 lbs. with four-cylinder models, 2000 lb with V-6 versions. That's 500 lbs. more than recommended by Kia Motors on my 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4, Kia says only tow 1000 lbs.
BTW the '01 Sportage 4x4 performed like a champ towing 1000 lbs.over 2000 miles over several mountain passes and such. Great little hauler it is. We've sold our 4'x8' untility trailer but now are living in a place that boating is so common it's recommended by almost everyone. They don't put swimming pools in here in Pierre. Why, when "you can just hop in the Missouri River or swim at the Y?" they tell us! Or buy yourself a boat-the Sportage would tow a small boat wonderfully for us.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I had a ten year old Voyager in Anchorage and didn't have rust problems (and I drove it to Inuvik one time) - Canadians sure seem to love to oil down the undercarriages of your vehicles. I'm not convinced that's necessary either - most new cars offer a 5 year rust perforation warranty.
Steve, Host
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Steve, Host
Now, people near the Great Lakes with snow and slush and salted streets a lot may feel a little differently. Just doesn't apply to me and hasn't ever applied to me. Different situations for different car buyers, I realize.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Yes, there it was. I adjusted the subwoofer volume and now all is well, sounds great. Since moving from Hawaii (sea level) to Colorado Springs (over 6000 ft) I've noticed a significant reduction in engine power and the downshifting is more jerky, but everyone says that happens to all the vehicles up here. Today was very chilly so I drove without the A/C and the old Hawaii horsepower was back, downshifting and all. Didn't notice the A/C causing such a drag at sea level, but I guess that's the way it is.
By the way, we just drove the Sportage from Los Angeles to Colorado Springs over 3 days. We loaded it with four adults, one child, two guinea pigs, a rooftop carrier, and fully loaded cargo section. Much of the drive was uphill at 70+ mph. I only had problems at around 10,000 feet near Aspen and the other ski resorts, the cruise control disengaged a few times and the Sportage had problems holding 50+ mph at full throttle (with A/C running). It was a pretty good stress test, and quite a few other vehicles were barely doing 35 mph so I was still passing on the left.
Your engine breathes like you do. There is less air at higher altitudes, so it is even more important than before that it is replaced right on schedule, more often if you live or drive in areas with unpaved roads, or lots of construction dust, etc.
It is also the diesel engine. Thanks.
Still having the intermittent ignition lock problem but not as frequent. I have vacation coming up in a couple of weeks and plan on taking my car into the dealer where I made the purchase. I need this fixed because it's driving me crazy. If they don't correct it, I will ask for the regional KIA rep phone #. Then I'm gonna put my camcorder in my car and record several instances when my ignition locks up after putting the tranny in park and not allowing me to move the ignition switch to take out the key (I have to take the tranny out and into park...sometimes for several minutes before the ignition switch will release). I'll burn this on a DVD and mail it to the rep and another copy to the KIA company itself.
Another infrequent problem is my ESP OFF light comes on suddenly and stays there. Hitting the ESP button on the dash does nothing. It resets itself if I turn off the engine and start up again. Not as annoying as my first problem, but not something I enjoy on a brand new car.
I know I have potential for the lemon law if my problems persist w/o the dealer fixing them, but I really like my Sportage and don't want the aggravation of pursuing something that shouldn't be rocket science to repair in the first place. I'm hoping somebody else had the same problem fixed and can tell me what the dealer did to correct the problem. Unfortunately, this is a new model and I don't think there are many drivers out there on the internet expressing a similar concern yet.
Also the Audi requires no application of brakes going down hill when placed in low gear. The CR-V exhibits very little engine braking. How is the KIA?
Yes, I know that the Audi is more expensive (new) and is more refined mechanically than lesser expensive vehicles. But we would like to have a smaller, cheaper vehicle for local errands. Thanks for any input.
That works out to about 19o incline which will give any vehicle -- or pedestrian -- quite a workout!
tidester, host
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm
Of course Kia Canada knows nothing about this one. It'll take them about 2 months to get the info, as per the ESP problem. They still didn't know about the fuel tank problem in the States. I got that info from transport Canada.
As for the ESP recall work, mine took less than half an hour, and my dealer treated me very well. They know me well after the fiasco when I first bought the Sportage (see earlier posts from February).
Canadian fuel tanks were replaced before shipment to the dealers, according to Transport Canada. So no recall here (yet!) for us for that.
Funny...Kia Canada had told Transport Canada that the fuel tanks were replaced and the whole problem cleared up before delivery to dealerships in Canada.
Just goes to show you...Kia can't get the correct info out to its own people, let alone Transport Canada, let alone their customers.
Really beginning to regret this purchase. I have had no problems since my earlier ESP problem in Feb (see earlier posts). Love the car. But am getting really fed up with Kia.
Ranting over!
:mad:
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
So I buy a one week membership to Kiatechinfo.com and the first thing I see on the home page is a news alert stating a problem Spectra owners are having with a stuck key in the ignition, especially in warm weather. The cable that runs from the gear shift to the ignition needs a very MINOR adjustment. You have to remove the center console for access. I thought about fixing it myself but in order to replace the parking brake handle (recall notice), they have to remove the center console as well. I plan on taking my car in to the lame dealer with my printed out fix and have this nightmare over. I'll let you know the outcome in a couple of weeks.
The ESP OFF light problem is a whole different issue. The recall is for earlier Sportage's that have a calibration error. So my intermittent light problem isn't the same. I've learned that if I have a problem, so do many others. The car is simply too new for the problem to be common for the dealer to recognize.
Eventually claimed that this was a result of fitting a tow bar
In addition whilst journeying home today my 2005 Kia Sportage suddenly veered violently to the left as a result of the brakes locking on the left hand side of the vehicle without any application of the brakes by me, the driver. Power became erratic, and I was fortunate not to have a serious accident.
If I had been travelling at 120 kph which had been my average speed until then, my wife and I would almost certainly have been seriously injured if not killed.
Has anyone else had this experience?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
It doesn't have any crash test result.
Anybody knows when it'll be tested?
Safety features of KIA Spectra look great but when it's tested, it got a disproportional result.
:confuse:
I have good confidence in buying a Kia Spectra or especially a Kia Sportage right now new. They would be very safe vehicles to drive, providing you bring your brain along with you for the drive, from the start, that is. Leave your cell phones at home, also.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
BTW, I'm averaging between 19-21 mpg in a 70/30 hwy/city ratio. Have 4,300 miles on mine. I'm still holding out hope that the mileage improves slightly in time.
BTW. My mileage is also about the same. Not great, but could be worse. Otherwise, except for a faster trans, I couldn't be more pleased with the Sportage.
Thanks again.
Could you do me a favor and specify what you did? Did it change the interior sound levels?
What about the fuel mileage, any better? Please keep us informed!
first impressions are great.handles nice,quiet,feels pretty solid.true test will come soon when the snow starts.had the jeep for 6 yrs and never went "off road"so i'm hoping the awd/tcs/esc/ systems perform well in the snowy slushy roads.it's the wife's daily driver,200-300km per wk.
first drive -500km{400km highway} averaged about 14.5l / 100km-16mpg.
week 1 -400km{200km highway} 13l -18mpg
weeks 2 and 3 -300km each week,daily driving 11l -21 mpg.
i think it will do better on the highway when not pushed as hard as the first two trips,had to try try it out.it shifts pretty smooth on its own but its nice to be able to drop it down to 3rd when needed-used it passing uphill a couple of times and it worked fine.
so far we like the sportage.still alot of unknowns.been doing lots of reading on the sportage-read about 3 recalls but never went to dealer yet.date code on door panel 12/04 bought it july29/05.everything seems ok but still gonna find out if the earlier 2 recalls were done[parking brake lever probally not}.
i guess since were gonna keep it,i'd like to accessorize it{hood protector,sunroof visor,door shades}.anyone purchase any af these,installed by dealer?seen them online-67,67,72--us dollars +shipping/handling/duty/taxes/blablabla.
who was the first to swap their wood trim??i can't wait to see my dash panel/door switch panels match my shift plate{brushed aluminum}seen the dash plate 90 us but no door panels.
hope to read more good{hopefully not bad} things from happy owners.
re - xenamena
glad to hear you walked away ok.your post was the first crash results i"ve read.if you wouldn't mind sharing some more info,i'd like to know approx how fast each vehicle was going,was the door hit as well as the front and what airbags activated.