The Kia Sportage For several years it has been one of the most coveted models in our country. Its mass acceptance dates back at least three generations, and the one currently on sale seems to have added to the previously requested qualities a modern and technological air that puts the icing on a cake that appeals to many.
Several reasons explain the success of Sportageamong which the variety of engine options available in its range stands out. The car has combustion versions – petrol and diesel -, microhybrids also petrol or diesel, full hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV). They all have their advantages with some disadvantages which cannot really be considered as defects: they are rather variants which adapt – each – to a type of customer and a need.
Of all, the hybrid is surely the most balanced, or at least the most adapted to the current times for a large part of the population. Because? Because it does not require a charging station available to the user, like the PHEV, and because its consumption is significantly lower than that of the model. mild hybridwith whom it shares the DGT Eco label, given that the electrical part has a greater weight in its case.
The question of the charging station undoubtedly deserves a separate comment. Many of those who could opt for the plug-in hybrid version surely do not have a charger at home or at work that would allow them to carry out most of their daily trips in electric mode; that is to say with the combustion engine switched off, which is no easy feat.
If we stick to the question of Spanish housing, the majority – a proportion of 70% is commonly cited – do not and cannot have a charging station simply because they do not live in a house single-family and also does not have a garage where the car can be parked. overnight. For all this, the Sportage The hybrid wins many points over the PHEV for a legion of potential buyers.
Its drive system develops a total of 215 combined horsepower, the result of adding the thrust of a 160 hp gasoline engine and another 44.2 kW electric motor powered by a small 1. 49 kWh. As it is easy to imagine, Sportage The HEV has enough strength to overtake on the road quickly and safely, and reaching 100 km/h from a standstill is accomplished in 8.4 seconds.
At the same time, this version allows you to drive in town in electric mode a significant part of the time, provided that the battery is sufficiently charged. Thus, urban consumption is sometimes minimal, of the order of 3.5 km/100 km, and the average does not normally exceed 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers, a figure which cannot be considered more than reasonable for a SUV 4.5 meters long and around 1,800 kilos. . Only at very high speeds on the highway will we see sizes greater than 8 liters in the computer.
The variant full hybrid It also stands out for the volume of its trunk. With 587 liters, it is the second most efficient in the catalog, almost on a par with the gasoline one without hybridization, which has 591. The mild hybrid of gasoline, it has 562 and the PHEV remains at 540 liters.
Everything in the right proportion
The behavior, both of the hybrid version and of the others, is characterized by sufficient agility not to miss a stiffer suspension which, in certain circumstances, causes discomfort to passengers, especially those in the rear seats.
Likewise, the Sportage is a very balanced model in terms of dimensions. Its 4.5 meters in length are currently those required for a C-segment SUV and make it a compact SUV which, at the same time, offers notable interior space – particularly in the rear seats, in addition to an ideal trunk. to carry all the luggage of today’s typical family of four.
Finally, the Korean vehicle sports a modern exterior appearance and, if you will, to a point of daring, without however frightening a more conventional user or falling into visual stridency. As for the interior, presided over by a huge screen of type Monitoring which takes over the dashboard, is perceived as advanced and technological without, again, being overwhelming. The finish is defined by the presence of good materials and careful finishing.
All this is accompanied by a range articulated in well-defined equipment levels that can be described as generous in each of the finishes, three in the case of the HEV –To drive, Technology And GT Line—.
The first, necessarily associated with a front-wheel drive system, costs 41,590 euros. The Tech costs 44,490 euros in 4×2 version and 47,390 in 4×4, while the GT-Line goes up to 49,590 (4×2) and 53,190 euros in all-wheel drive configuration.
