Kia Sportage 1.6 GDi Ignite A/T

Engine sinks a good package

Almost a year ago to the day, I had tenure of a Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDi Ignite and concluded my report with the following words: “As I hinted earlier, this Sportage weaseled its way into my good books because it’s a vehicle that’s fit for its purpose which is to convey a good load of passengers and their wares in safety and comfort with a decent measure of panache. There’s nothing over the top in terms of embellishments but there’s enough titivation to make owners feel their money has bought a worthwhile amount of kit. At its price level, its shortcomings are few, its virtues are many. All this tells you that the Sportage, especially with 1.7 CRDi power, is most worthy of consideration in the mid-SUV class.”

I‘ve raised this piece of history as I’ve just handed back an updated 1.6 GDi Kia Sportage that was missing one very important ingredient mentioned above: panache. In the face of continued and often misguided interference by politicians, motor manufacturers have been downsizing engines in order to meet legislated emission and fuel consumption figures that mostly bear little relationship to real-world conditions.

This can be the only reason Kia sought to fit a relatively commodious and heavy SUV with an engine that simply cannot cope comfortably with the job at hand which is to covey up to five people and a lot of baggage with a measure of panache.

This engine is no spring chicken but it’s not so much its age as its weedy torque output that marks it out as being especially unsuitable in a 1 480kg application such as this. Maximum power of 97kW arrives at a busy 6 300rpm but more significantly, the insipid torque peak of 161Nm only comes to bear at a calamitous 4 850rpm.

By comparison, the aforementioned 1.7 CRDi delivers 280Nm from just 1 250 rpm. (Note: this model has been replaced by a 2.0 CRDi) For the uninitiated, torque relates to “twisting force” or the ability to get a mass moving or rotating. So, when you pull away from a standstill or drive up a slope from low speed, it’s the torque that’s responsible for the momentum and once that’s been attained, power takes over.

The reality of everyday driving is that no-one motors around with the rev counter sitting above say 4 000rpm all the time so in the case of the 1.6 GDi, neither the torque nor the power peak is attained without wringing the socks off the engine.

You wouldn’t want to do this anyway as the motor gets quite vocal when abused so the end result is a sluggish feeling, even in an unladen state. Add in a bit of gradient and a couple of adult passengers and the only way to achieve an acceptable level of performance is to flick the auto box lever into its manual mode and force it to hold the gears for longer.

If you don’t do that, whenever a change of momentum is encountered, or in my case, whenever a hill is to be ascended, the auto box hunts between ratios with annoying frequency. Understand if you will that the gearbox is programmed to react to throttle position so as the accelerator is depressed further in the quest for greater speed, it reacts by downshifting. Then, the slightest lift-off tells it to up-shift, so progress is akin to that of a kangaroo.

It’s not that the 6-speed auto is a bad example of the breed. The shifts are decently smooth and rapid, and slip is acceptably contained, step-off is prompt and low-speed manoeuvres are easy to carry out smoothly – it’s just the box is over-worked by the lethargy of the engine it’s attached to.

As often happens with over-worked, small-displacement engines, fuel consumption suffers in give-and-take driving such that over a week’s varied use, the GDi returned a disappointing 9.9l/100km.

Sadly, this engine’s lack of muscle will be further exposed at altitude and of course by load, so bear this in mind if you are in the market for a Sportage. Past experience suggests that the 2.0 diesel will prove to be a much more amenable (but more expensive) companion, regardless of what altitude you live at.

Having pretty well suggested that you should avoid this specific model because of its inadequate propulsion, all is not lost for the Sportage as it can hold its head high in other areas. Bear in mind too that this value-orientated Ignite model sits at the foot of a range that’s been the recipient of a relatively recent facelift, most visible externally at least, in a more prominent Kia grille and in revised alloy wheel designs – in this instance shod with 215/70R16 rubber.

That tyre size is responsible in part at least for the nicely compliant ride of this Sportage but happily, comfort is not achieved at the expense of control. Dips and crests do not upset the SUV’s equilibrium to any notable extent and while enthusiastic cornering does generate some body roll, the chassis hangs on to the chosen line with determination.

Road roar is also well contained as is wind noise – double door seals are fitted all round – such that on motorways when that engine is not being asked to work for its living, refinement levels are pleasant. The power steering is nicely-weighted and sensibly-geared such that excessive twirling is not needed in tight parking manoeuvres but the performance of the brakes is open to debate.

This particular unit seemed to be endowed with an unusually soft pedal feel which meant that more pressure than expected was needed to arrest momentum. Having said that, the overall stopping power of the all-disc set-up is not open to debate – it’s just that the longer-than-expected pedal travel generated doubts. Bear in mind too that many cars today have over-boosted brakes which means the merest whiff of pressure arrests speed but requires careful pedal modulation. Take your pick.

Externally, this Kia showed off a very good gloss but not without some orange peel showing up. Panel gaps, with the exception of a mildly misaligned tailgate, are tight and even, but talking of that tailgate, it was disappointing to note that the inner reaches of the “door” were devoid of clear coat (no gloss) and that lots of spot weld points showed their presence. I understand why manufacturers cut out clear coat in the under-bonnet area as not too many owners spend time in this region, but given the tailgate is probably accessed daily, this skimping is strange and at odds with the effort put in elsewhere.

Inside, this Ignite model is notable for its clean and simple design execution but only the upper dash and front door cappings are composed of soft-touch surfacing. The rest of the interior panels are hard-to-the-touch but visually rather well disguised. It’s strange though, that the Kia designers have not integrated any soft padding around the door armrest area. They have though ensured that the comfy seats are swathed in decent quality self-patterned black cloth. The front pews are generously-proportioned and happily are equipped with rotary backrest recliners that allow infinite adjustment.

Those in the back lounge on a 60:40 split/reclinable pew and have super-generous space to enjoy ahead of a large but shallow (adjustable) luggage area which hides a full-size alloy wheel and sadly features hard plastic sides that were already showing scratch marks.

The driver sits behind an adjustable, leather-wrapped wheel that’s home to controls for Bluetooth, sound and cruise control and which affords a very clear view of beautifully-simple white-on-black analogue dials that flank a smaller digital display. The centre dash area houses a small sound unit mounted high up above logical rotary/push-button air con controls which in turn cap a panel housing a cigarette lighter and power plus USB ports.

A sliding and lidded centre armrest is a nice feature and accompanies other useful additions such as rear parks sensors – useful given the poor three-quarter visibility – adjustable steering, electric windows and central locking.

It should be apparent that even at this entry-level Ignite spec, the Sportage is well-equipped and presents itself as a comfortable, spacious and down-to-earth SUV that appeals to young families in particular. However, all the good things are sunk in this instance by a 1.6 GDi engine that is simply not up to the job of comfortably moving around a vehicle that’s very likely to well-laden much of the time. My advice – look one notch up the model range and try the 2.0 Ignite Plus which is only a few bob more.

KIA Sportage 1.6 GDI Ignite (6-Speed Auto)                 R386,995

Unlimited kilometre, 5-year warranty, as well as a standard 5-year/90 000km service plan and 5 years of roadside assistance.

Article & Photos: Richard Wiley