Kia sportage hits allterrain mode

By: Graham Courtney - Motoring Correspondent

Why?...because Kia now offer the Sportage in three different guises to fit in with sand, snow and mud.

We’ve been driving the mud version although, to be honest, they all do roughly the same thing but come with different accessories which you can also add to.

Which makes this Kia Sportage an ideal tool for anyone who either enjoys heading for those sorts of terrain for a bit of fun, or can encounter them at various times of the year and would prefer a safe journey home.

On the centre console there’s a dial called Terrain Mode which allows you to set the car’s all-wheel drive transmission to prepare for sand, snow or muddy conditions…in other words…surfaces with poor levels of grip. The system automatically optimises the drivetrain to best suit each scenario, adjusting engine output, swapping power from wheel to wheel to find the best traction, as well as adjusting stability control characteristics. It even alters when the six-speed automatic transmission changes gear to suit different surfaces.

Clever huh?

As for the accessories which are fitted to the Mud Mode Sportage, you get a bike carrier and steel crossbars, with side steps to load and unload something like a mountain bike more easily. There’s some bodywork protection including mud flaps and all-weather mats for inside the cabin. There’s also a bumper flap which sits over the boot lip, giving owners an informal, easily cleaned seat at the back of the car or a shield against muddy paws, boots and clothing. You won’t scratch the pai ntwork either.

This special Kia is based on the GT-Line S HEV which means you get a 178bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine matched to an electric motor hybrid system. Add them both together and you end up with a decent dollop of 226bhp power. That means you can hit 60mph in 7.7 seconds and go on to 120mph. You can switch between various driving modes to suit your mood. This latest Sportage had a hefty chunk of input from European designers…and it shows because it is wonderful to drive and manages to soak up our terrible road surfaces.

And if you’ve not sat in a Kia lately, you really need to do some homework because the interior has a seriously premium look and feel. Gone are the days when the only reason to buy a Kia was because it came with a 7-year warranty (they still do). Cars like the Sportage are now hugely desirable and will fit the bill as a Monday-Friday commuter and school run tool while also being more than capable of taking the family on holiday. This GT Line S version comes with goodies like sat nav, sunroof, DAB radio, powered and heated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, smart cruise control, powered tailgate, LED headlights and a stack of safety kit. Not much else you need really.

Prices for the Kia Sportage start at £27,800 which is decent value for a family-sized SUV. Comfy, great to drive, well equipped and with goanywhere ability. What’s not to love?