2011 Kia Sportage

From the 2010 New York Auto Show, Cars.com's Mike Hanley takes a look at the 2011 Kia Sportage.

2011 Kia Sportage Cars.com Auto Review. Hi! I’m Mike Hanley with Cars.com. We’re here at the New York Auto Show checking out Kia’s redesigned Sportage. It’s a new small crossover from the brand that competes against models like the Ford Escape, Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 and it goes on sale this summer. The new Sportage has a completely different look than the model it replaces and it starts upfront with this new grill design that mimics what’s on the larger mid-size Sorento crossover. So, if you move around to the side, you can really see the clean athletic shape this model has and it also has these short windows right here that has some consequences for backseat passengers. Inside, the Sportage gets an all new interior and has pretty decent materials for the class that it’s in. A number of standard features too, including air conditioning, cruise controls, CD stereo with auxiliary and USB ports and also Bluetooth, telephone connectivity. But you can also get a lot of upscale features if you want like heated leather seats and ventilated driver seat, panoramic moonroof and Kia’s UVO system which is similar Ford’s SYNC Entertainment and Communication Technology. The Sportage has actually a really big side door in the back. It looks like a sail sort of and when you pull it tight; you can see what I was talking about on the outside because not a lot of window right here. This is really high, so you feel a little bit enclosed like you're sitting in Chrysler’s 300 Sedan which has the same type of look. Sportage will be available with two four-cylinder engines. There will be 176 horsepower, 2.4-litter four-cylinder and eventually, a two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder as well and like a lot of other miles in the segment, it will have front wheel drive or available all wheel drive. There's a lot of activity going on in the segment of the Sportage competes in right now but I think with what Kia has done with this model, it really makes it a much more competitive entry that can take on some of the class leaders. For more car related news, go to Cars.com or our blog KickingTires.net.