Sportage interest surges ahead

Kia says the public's response has been phenomenal since the new Sportage was unveiled. Photo / Supplied

Kia has jumped the gun on the launch of its new Sportage, claiming public interest in the medium-sized SUV forced it to reveal pricing earlier than the planned October 1 deadline.

"Dealers have reported a phenomenal response to the new Sportage following the media unveiling a few weeks ago, which we are seeing reflected in the orders they have taken to date," said Todd McDonald, general manager of Kia Motors NZ.

"By announcing pricing now, we are able to provide more surety to customers who are still in the process of making a purchase decision ahead of the predicted GST rises."

The third-generation Sportage range starts with the petrol-powered line-up, in two-wheel and all-wheel drive. The AWD diesel models arrive early next year. Gearboxes are six-speed autos.

Sportage is priced from:

* 2-litre Auto Urban LX 2WD - $33,990.

* 2-litre Auto Urban EX 2WD - $37,990.

* 2.4-litre Auto EX AWD - $ 42,990.

* 2.4-litre Auto LTD AWD - $ 46,990.

The price doesn't include on-road costs but does include a five-year/100,000 warranty, 24-hour road-side assistance and a free first 1500km service.

Kia has high hopes for the new five-seat Sportage, especially now that its MacPherson strut front and new multi-link rear suspension system has been tailored for New Zealand and Australian roads.

The Sportage is the first Kia to get the Downunder treatment, but won't be the last, says the carmaker. It ran prototype Sportages on a mix of roads in both countries to find a suspension set-up it was comfortable with.

It also went with with a hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering unit, rather than an electrically assisted arrangement. The steering offers 2.99 turns lock-to-lock and, like the suspension, is mounted on a lightweight subframe designed to improve handling and ride and reduce noise, vibration and harshness into the cabin.

The Sportage comes with a reworked AWD set-up, too, called Dynamax and made by Magna Powertrain. Kia says it transfers torque quicker to the rear wheels when traction is lost.

Meanwhile, British consumer magazine Which? Car has named the small Kia Picanto hatchback as the most reliable car in Britain.

The Picanto beat off established Japanese and European rivals to take top honours with an overall reliability score of 98.1 per cent.

The magazine publishes an annual reliability survey based on the result of reports gathered from thousands of real-life owners and it is regarded as the most authoritative of its kind in Europe.

The 1.1-litre petrol-powered Picanto topped the list for reliability among cars up to three years old and was one of the Top Five in the four-to-eight years old category as well.

The finding is no surprise to McDonald. "Customers expect their cars to be reliable, not just in the few months after being purchased new, but well into the future and the five-year warranty programme is one way to demonstrate that reliability."