|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Once, the only reason for a vehicle buyer to purchase a Kia vehicle is the vehicle's price. Everything changed, however, when Kia introduced the Kia Sportage. With the small and compact SUV, the Kia brand was considered a performance brand for the first time. More importantly, the Kia Sportage made Kia's presence as a competitive auto manufacturer felt in the U.S. vehicle market.
There were two generations of the Kia Sportage. The first generation Sportage was a conventional compact SUV manufactured and sold by Kia from 1995 until 2002. For different year models, the Kia Sportage was offered in a variety of configurations, including a 4-door and a 2-door soft-top model. The first generation Kia Sportage was also sold in two trim levels: the base LX trim and the better equipped EX trim.
Based on the Mazda Bongo passenger van body platform, the Kia Sportage generally performed better on the off-road track compared to the car-based SUVs being offered by Kia's competitors. The high performance power train Kia Sportage parts that the SUV was equipped with also helped the vehicle model edge out its competitors belonging on the same price level. Compared to the Geo Tracker, in particular, the Kia Sportage develops more power (130 hp compared to 108 hp of the Geo Tracker). And with the 4-wheel drive option, the performance of the Kia Sportage got even better.
In 2005, after two years of absence in the U.S. SUV scene, the Kia Sportage was re-introduced. The second generation of the Kia Sportage, however, was somewhat different from the first generation Sportage that many Americans have come to love. The new Kia Sportage now stands on a Hyundai Elantra-based platform, similar to the 2005 Hyundai Tucson. In this new car-based body, the Kia Sportage became larger and lost its superior off-road performance.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
Featured
Kia Sportage Parts
Inventory |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
