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MM Condensed-Review: 2015 Kia Sportage
A slightly condensed Review of the 2015 Kia Sportage.
http://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/spo...ce?story=hello
IN A NUTSHELL: Competent, competitive, and a relative bargain, but the interior is dull.
CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Trax, Mitsubishi Outlander, VW Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Jeep Cherokee.
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OVERVIEW:
I'm doing this review (mostly) for my brother's benefit, as, due to his company's upcoming relocation substantially further away from his house, he will soon have need for an AWD vehicle. The company is not moving so far away that it is completely out of daily driving distance, but he will sometimes to commute in bad weather. He's had excellent service from both his 2010 Kia Soul and the dealership he bought it from (which treats their service-customers like kings).....plus, the owner of the dealership is the Congressman from his district. The Soul has been an otherwise great vehicle for him, but clearly lacks winter traction, even with FWD. New winter tires for it may (?) or may not do the trick, but, ultimately, he would feel best and most secure with AWD, as we have had a couple of bad D.C.-area winters winters lately........colleagues of his who have AWD Sportages say they laugh at bad weather, just like most Subarus. So, obviously, it would make sense, if possible, to stay with the Kia dealership as a repeat customer (also while his used vehicle still has some value left).
And that basically leaves three choices.....a new (or newer, used CPO) Sportage AWD, wait for the all-new redesigned 2016 Sportage this fall, or wait and see if Kia makes good on the rumor that an AWD version of the Soul is coming next year (the Soul got a major face-lift last year, and added insulation/refinement really helped its road manners). A Sorento is out...it's larger and more expensive than what he needs (so is the top-line Sportage SX, for that matter, and the SX rides too stiffly with its sport-underpinnings).
So, I figured I'd formally review the 2015 Sportage, in a lower-line trim version (as all trim versions offer AWD), while it is still available, before it is replaced with the all-new 2016 model. If needed, of course, I can also check out the new one when the time comes. A usual, I'll share and post my findings here on the forums with anyone else who may be interested.
Since it is irrelevant to this case and there is no need to do so, I'll skip the usual write-up of the history and development of past versions that I usually do in reviews, For 2015 (probably the last year of the current design), the Sportage comes in the (typical for Kia) LX, EX, and SX versions....the SX, of course, for us, not being an option for us due to its expense and road-manners. LX and EX models come with the standard, normally-aspirated Kia 2.4L in-line four of 180-182 HP and 177 ft-lbs. of torque. SX models use a turbo 2.0L four with 260 HP and 269 ft-lbs. of torque. All versions come with a standard 6-speed Sport-shift automatic (no manual is offered) and a choice of FWD or AWD. (AWD, of course, is a must for him). Base prices range from $21,900 on he LX to $28,100 for the SX.
For the basic static-review, I looked at a couple of different models, and, for the test-drive, a silver AWD LX that listed at just over 26K.
MODEL REVIEWED: 201 Kia Sportage LX AWD
BASE PRICE: $ 23,250
OPTIONS:
Popular Package: $1000
UVO Services Package: $600
Carpet Mats: $130
Mud Guards: $95
Wheel Locks: $55
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $895 (about average for this size vehicle)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $26,025
DRIVETRAIN: AWD, Transversely-mounted 2.4L in-line four, 180-182 HP @ 6000 RPM depending on emission-specifications, Torque 177 Ft-lbs. @ 4000 RPM, 6-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 19 City, 26 Highway, 22 Combined
EXTERIOR COLOR: Bright Silver
INTERIOR: Black Cloth
PLUSSES:
Responsive four-cylinder at low RPMs (though somewhat jumpy).
Smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic transmission.
Locking center differential for very slippery road conditions.
Very quick steering response by small SUV standards.
Short turning radius for good parking-lot maneuvering and quick turn-arounds.
Generally good underhood layout except for engine cover.
Mostly good exterior and interior hardware.
Solid, precise-closing doors.
Good front and rear headroom.
Very legible gauges.
Simple, VERY easy-to-use controls and buttons.
Nice fore/aft transmission shift lever instead of annoying zig-zag.
Well-carpeted cargo floor.
Handy styrofoam multi-compartment under cargo-floor.
Superb Kia/Hyundai warranty.
MINUSES:
Jumpy, sensitive throttle from rest and at low speeds.
Numb, over-boosted power steering feel.
Rather firmly-padded seats for my tastes.
Dull, Ho-Hum-looking interior trim.
No body-side moldings for parking-lot protection.
Manual prop-rod underhood instead of struts.
Engine cover blocks top-access.
Tight rear-seat entry/exit for tall persons (but headroom is OK once inside).
Marginal rear legroom for all persons.
Cargo cover is an accessory, not standard.
Odd exterior paint-color choices.
EXTERIOR:
Outside, the Sportage's body styling reminds one that it is part of the Kia family, though, being several years old, the present Sportage lacks the distinctive "Tiger" grille seen on most newer Kia products. The basic styling, somewhat conservative and squared-off, means a decent high enough roofline for space-efficiency, tough a slight dip in the rear, and the way the tops of the rear doors are designed, mean a head-bumping/dipping experience for tall people getting in and out of the rear. Headroom is OK once inside the rear seat, though...more on that below. A couple-inch-wide strip of black vinyl-cladding runs around the whole underside of the vehicle, including all four wheel wells and lower front-rear bumpers, to help ward off paint chips from road-debris (I wish all vehicles had that feature...it is very useful). The sheet metal seems fairly solid, and all four doors have a solid, precise thunk when closing.....more solid-feeling, I might add, than on the larger, more expensive, big-brother Kia Sorento. Oddly enough, the higher the trim level, the fewer the available exterior paint colors........LX models come in seven colors, EX in five, and SX in four. Go figure. The paint jobs themselves, though not as Lexus or Audi-mirror-like, are generally smooth and well-done. The twin outside mirror housings, on the LX version, include integral turn-signal indicators only with the Popular Package, which my test-car had...the housings snap/swivel and lock smoothly and slickly. In the rear, the rather large D-pillars block some outward rear/side visibility, though that is getting common now with the roof-crush/rollover standards in place that often use larger A and D-pillars for strength.
UNDERHOOD:
Open the solid-feeling hood (you must use a manual prop-rod to hold it up instead of struts), and the underhood layout is generally well-done. On the underside of the hood is the usual insulation-pad. The 2.4L in-line four fits in quite well, though the annoying (and fairly ubiquitous) black plastic engine-cover blocks almost all of the engine's top-access. Still, there is some room to reach side-block components, the battery is uncovered/accessible to the right, and the dipsticks, fluid-reservoirs, and filler-caps, as in most vehicles, are generally easy to reach.
INTERIOR:
Though the Sportage's interior is generally done with good materials and solid-feeling hardware, overall, I don't consider it one of the vehicle's better features. IMO, both the black and gray interiors (beige or tan is not available) have a somewhat dull, Ho-Hum look to them, even with the dark-silver trim belt that covers the right part of the dash. And top-level SX interiors only come in one color....black cloth, with black leather as a package-option. The black cloth seats in my LX had a center seat-insert pattern that looked bluish, and gave somewhat of a two-tone effect, but still the interior, IMO, looked somewhat drab and monotone. The silver paint on the inside for handles/switches also looked cheap. I hope that Kia, with the Sportage redesign next year, makes some visual improvements inside....as they have done a good job on other recent products. I also did not care for the rather firmly-padded seat cushions, although of course, I've gotten spoiled with the big oversize cushy seats in my Buick Verano (same seats as in the Buick LaCrosse), so, compared to them, many other seats feel firm to me. The seat fabric, though, in the Sportage, felt reasonably high-quality and durable, and I've sat on lots worse. (Of course, it won't be my car, but my brother's, so his comfort is what matters, not mine).
Headroom is fine in the front seat, and fine in the rear once actually inside, though actually getting in and out of the rear can mean some head-bumping for taller people. Legroom in back is also tight for taller people unless you have the front seats adjusted a bit forward. The ceiling and sun-visor material deemed nice to the touch, and my particular vehicle did not have a sunroof, which, of course, added to head room. The gauges were clear and easy to read, with the large round speedometer almost the size of a small dinner plate (no excuses for busting speed limits). The controls/buttons/switches were all super-simple, clear, and easy to use, more so than in most vehicles today. All of them felt reasonably solid and well-attached except for the two small round wobbly stereo-knobs, which had somewhat of a loose feel. The stereo sound quality itself is acceptably good for this class, though not in the premium-stereo league.
CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:
Lift up the solid-feeling hatch-lid, and you are treated to a not lavish but generally well-finished cargo compartment, with nice black carpeting on the floor, and hard but decent-looking material on the walls. An oversight, IMO, on Kia's part, is that a cargo cover, to keep prying eyes away from valuables, is a dealer-accesory instead of standard (that's also the case in some other SUVs). The cargo area is generally well-shaped and space-efficient, and, off course, the split-rear seats fold down to extend the available space. A nice multi-compartmented styrofoam tray to stash things is under the cargo floor (good solid styrofoam, not cheap flimsy stuff). Under the tray, a temporary spare tire is standard, though the Sportage's web-site has the same problem I found with the Sedona Minivan's and a few other Kia products......not listing the spare tire. (I informed Kia about that when I reviewed the Sedona, but they have not yet addressed it on the website).
ON THE ROAD:
On the LX version, start up the 2.4L four with a conventional ignition key and side-column switch (the switch itself is somewhat recessed and requires some careful key-aiming) and the engine fires up and idles with a reasonable amount of refinement. Place it in gear, though, and take off, and the drive-by-wire linkage in the gas pedal is quite jumpy from rest and accelerating at slow speeds, requiring some care and a very light foot to get smooth starts (maybe, over time, the engine's computer, like some others today, will learn the driver's style and compensate accordingly). There is a pretty good amount of torque at lower speeds, even with only 177 ft-lbs, though the engine starts to run out of breath as you approach cruising speeds. Engine and exhaust noise under load is about what you would expect from a relatively large-displacement four....not the noisiest engine out there, but you know you are not in a smooth V6.
The 6-speed automatic transmission is smooth and quiet, whether in automatic or manual-shift mode, and readily kicks down at light or part-throttle to add its own responsive spunk at lower speeds to what the already-sensitive gas pedal provides. In this car, you will learn to watch traffic ahead of you at a stoplight and time your take-off accordingly...otherwise, you might tap somebody's rear bumper.
The chassis seems to be an mixed combination of sport and non-sport. The steering response, especially by small SUV standards, is almost sports-car quick in how it reacts to input, but the way over-boosted power steering itself is as numb, and has about as much tactile road-feel, as the novocane my dentist uses. There is some body roll on sharp turns from the relatively center of gravity, but not bad at all. Ride comfort over bumps is not bad either, by small-SUV standards...not quite as soft as I'd like, but soft enough to take the worst out of bumps and potholes. Road and wind noise, with the stock factory tires on my test-car, are both reasonably well-controlled. The brakes are generally effective, without too much mushiness in the pedal and the brake pedal itself. The brake pedal itself, though not as badly-mounted for my feet as in some vehicles, is still close enough to the gas pedal, and high enough, that my big circus-clown size-15 shoe slightly catches on it when going from gas to brake.
THE VERDICT:
Well, since this may (?) end up being my brother's car instead of mine, his opinion of it will obviously be more important than mine. But, like many other persons in the market for vehicles, he asks me for my opinion, so here it is: The current 2015 Sportage is reasonably well-priced, though not quite as much of a bargain as in previous years, as Hyundai and Kia prices steadily keep rising. It generally competes well with the many other small car-based crossover SUVs in its class, though it is not the most refined of them in the way it drives. It seems very well-assembled except for the fairly loose radio-knobs, and, though perhaps not ultimately Honda/Toyota-reliable, should not require many unscheduled trips to the service-depatment, and the long 10/100 and 5/60 warranties should cover it for quite some time. It's reasonably space-efficient inside, though the slightly smaller Kia Soul actually seems to have a roomier rear seat. But, IMO, even with generally good materials, the appliance-grade interior needs a little something more for the eyes, the seat cushions could use a little more (and softer) padding, and the engine/transmission computers and fuel injection could use some reprogramming. But, if he wants the car (instead of waiting for next year's all-new 2016 Sportage), I'd still consider it money well-spent, especially the superb way the service department at that shop treats its customers, and the fact that the dealership's owner is a Congressman who, if Congress itself is shady or not honest, at least seems to run a good honest business.
And, as always......Happy car-shopping.
MM
A slightly condensed Review of the 2015 Kia Sportage.
http://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/spo...ce?story=hello
IN A NUTSHELL: Competent, competitive, and a relative bargain, but the interior is dull.
CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Trax, Mitsubishi Outlander, VW Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Jeep Cherokee.
;
;
;
;
;
;
;
;
OVERVIEW:
I'm doing this review (mostly) for my brother's benefit, as, due to his company's upcoming relocation substantially further away from his house, he will soon have need for an AWD vehicle. The company is not moving so far away that it is completely out of daily driving distance, but he will sometimes to commute in bad weather. He's had excellent service from both his 2010 Kia Soul and the dealership he bought it from (which treats their service-customers like kings).....plus, the owner of the dealership is the Congressman from his district. The Soul has been an otherwise great vehicle for him, but clearly lacks winter traction, even with FWD. New winter tires for it may (?) or may not do the trick, but, ultimately, he would feel best and most secure with AWD, as we have had a couple of bad D.C.-area winters winters lately........colleagues of his who have AWD Sportages say they laugh at bad weather, just like most Subarus. So, obviously, it would make sense, if possible, to stay with the Kia dealership as a repeat customer (also while his used vehicle still has some value left).
And that basically leaves three choices.....a new (or newer, used CPO) Sportage AWD, wait for the all-new redesigned 2016 Sportage this fall, or wait and see if Kia makes good on the rumor that an AWD version of the Soul is coming next year (the Soul got a major face-lift last year, and added insulation/refinement really helped its road manners). A Sorento is out...it's larger and more expensive than what he needs (so is the top-line Sportage SX, for that matter, and the SX rides too stiffly with its sport-underpinnings).
So, I figured I'd formally review the 2015 Sportage, in a lower-line trim version (as all trim versions offer AWD), while it is still available, before it is replaced with the all-new 2016 model. If needed, of course, I can also check out the new one when the time comes. A usual, I'll share and post my findings here on the forums with anyone else who may be interested.
Since it is irrelevant to this case and there is no need to do so, I'll skip the usual write-up of the history and development of past versions that I usually do in reviews, For 2015 (probably the last year of the current design), the Sportage comes in the (typical for Kia) LX, EX, and SX versions....the SX, of course, for us, not being an option for us due to its expense and road-manners. LX and EX models come with the standard, normally-aspirated Kia 2.4L in-line four of 180-182 HP and 177 ft-lbs. of torque. SX models use a turbo 2.0L four with 260 HP and 269 ft-lbs. of torque. All versions come with a standard 6-speed Sport-shift automatic (no manual is offered) and a choice of FWD or AWD. (AWD, of course, is a must for him). Base prices range from $21,900 on he LX to $28,100 for the SX.
For the basic static-review, I looked at a couple of different models, and, for the test-drive, a silver AWD LX that listed at just over 26K.
MODEL REVIEWED: 201 Kia Sportage LX AWD
BASE PRICE: $ 23,250
OPTIONS:
Popular Package: $1000
UVO Services Package: $600
Carpet Mats: $130
Mud Guards: $95
Wheel Locks: $55
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $895 (about average for this size vehicle)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $26,025
DRIVETRAIN: AWD, Transversely-mounted 2.4L in-line four, 180-182 HP @ 6000 RPM depending on emission-specifications, Torque 177 Ft-lbs. @ 4000 RPM, 6-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 19 City, 26 Highway, 22 Combined
EXTERIOR COLOR: Bright Silver
INTERIOR: Black Cloth
PLUSSES:
Responsive four-cylinder at low RPMs (though somewhat jumpy).
Smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic transmission.
Locking center differential for very slippery road conditions.
Very quick steering response by small SUV standards.
Short turning radius for good parking-lot maneuvering and quick turn-arounds.
Generally good underhood layout except for engine cover.
Mostly good exterior and interior hardware.
Solid, precise-closing doors.
Good front and rear headroom.
Very legible gauges.
Simple, VERY easy-to-use controls and buttons.
Nice fore/aft transmission shift lever instead of annoying zig-zag.
Well-carpeted cargo floor.
Handy styrofoam multi-compartment under cargo-floor.
Superb Kia/Hyundai warranty.
MINUSES:
Jumpy, sensitive throttle from rest and at low speeds.
Numb, over-boosted power steering feel.
Rather firmly-padded seats for my tastes.
Dull, Ho-Hum-looking interior trim.
No body-side moldings for parking-lot protection.
Manual prop-rod underhood instead of struts.
Engine cover blocks top-access.
Tight rear-seat entry/exit for tall persons (but headroom is OK once inside).
Marginal rear legroom for all persons.
Cargo cover is an accessory, not standard.
Odd exterior paint-color choices.
EXTERIOR:
Outside, the Sportage's body styling reminds one that it is part of the Kia family, though, being several years old, the present Sportage lacks the distinctive "Tiger" grille seen on most newer Kia products. The basic styling, somewhat conservative and squared-off, means a decent high enough roofline for space-efficiency, tough a slight dip in the rear, and the way the tops of the rear doors are designed, mean a head-bumping/dipping experience for tall people getting in and out of the rear. Headroom is OK once inside the rear seat, though...more on that below. A couple-inch-wide strip of black vinyl-cladding runs around the whole underside of the vehicle, including all four wheel wells and lower front-rear bumpers, to help ward off paint chips from road-debris (I wish all vehicles had that feature...it is very useful). The sheet metal seems fairly solid, and all four doors have a solid, precise thunk when closing.....more solid-feeling, I might add, than on the larger, more expensive, big-brother Kia Sorento. Oddly enough, the higher the trim level, the fewer the available exterior paint colors........LX models come in seven colors, EX in five, and SX in four. Go figure. The paint jobs themselves, though not as Lexus or Audi-mirror-like, are generally smooth and well-done. The twin outside mirror housings, on the LX version, include integral turn-signal indicators only with the Popular Package, which my test-car had...the housings snap/swivel and lock smoothly and slickly. In the rear, the rather large D-pillars block some outward rear/side visibility, though that is getting common now with the roof-crush/rollover standards in place that often use larger A and D-pillars for strength.
UNDERHOOD:
Open the solid-feeling hood (you must use a manual prop-rod to hold it up instead of struts), and the underhood layout is generally well-done. On the underside of the hood is the usual insulation-pad. The 2.4L in-line four fits in quite well, though the annoying (and fairly ubiquitous) black plastic engine-cover blocks almost all of the engine's top-access. Still, there is some room to reach side-block components, the battery is uncovered/accessible to the right, and the dipsticks, fluid-reservoirs, and filler-caps, as in most vehicles, are generally easy to reach.
INTERIOR:
Though the Sportage's interior is generally done with good materials and solid-feeling hardware, overall, I don't consider it one of the vehicle's better features. IMO, both the black and gray interiors (beige or tan is not available) have a somewhat dull, Ho-Hum look to them, even with the dark-silver trim belt that covers the right part of the dash. And top-level SX interiors only come in one color....black cloth, with black leather as a package-option. The black cloth seats in my LX had a center seat-insert pattern that looked bluish, and gave somewhat of a two-tone effect, but still the interior, IMO, looked somewhat drab and monotone. The silver paint on the inside for handles/switches also looked cheap. I hope that Kia, with the Sportage redesign next year, makes some visual improvements inside....as they have done a good job on other recent products. I also did not care for the rather firmly-padded seat cushions, although of course, I've gotten spoiled with the big oversize cushy seats in my Buick Verano (same seats as in the Buick LaCrosse), so, compared to them, many other seats feel firm to me. The seat fabric, though, in the Sportage, felt reasonably high-quality and durable, and I've sat on lots worse. (Of course, it won't be my car, but my brother's, so his comfort is what matters, not mine).
Headroom is fine in the front seat, and fine in the rear once actually inside, though actually getting in and out of the rear can mean some head-bumping for taller people. Legroom in back is also tight for taller people unless you have the front seats adjusted a bit forward. The ceiling and sun-visor material deemed nice to the touch, and my particular vehicle did not have a sunroof, which, of course, added to head room. The gauges were clear and easy to read, with the large round speedometer almost the size of a small dinner plate (no excuses for busting speed limits). The controls/buttons/switches were all super-simple, clear, and easy to use, more so than in most vehicles today. All of them felt reasonably solid and well-attached except for the two small round wobbly stereo-knobs, which had somewhat of a loose feel. The stereo sound quality itself is acceptably good for this class, though not in the premium-stereo league.
CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:
Lift up the solid-feeling hatch-lid, and you are treated to a not lavish but generally well-finished cargo compartment, with nice black carpeting on the floor, and hard but decent-looking material on the walls. An oversight, IMO, on Kia's part, is that a cargo cover, to keep prying eyes away from valuables, is a dealer-accesory instead of standard (that's also the case in some other SUVs). The cargo area is generally well-shaped and space-efficient, and, off course, the split-rear seats fold down to extend the available space. A nice multi-compartmented styrofoam tray to stash things is under the cargo floor (good solid styrofoam, not cheap flimsy stuff). Under the tray, a temporary spare tire is standard, though the Sportage's web-site has the same problem I found with the Sedona Minivan's and a few other Kia products......not listing the spare tire. (I informed Kia about that when I reviewed the Sedona, but they have not yet addressed it on the website).
ON THE ROAD:
On the LX version, start up the 2.4L four with a conventional ignition key and side-column switch (the switch itself is somewhat recessed and requires some careful key-aiming) and the engine fires up and idles with a reasonable amount of refinement. Place it in gear, though, and take off, and the drive-by-wire linkage in the gas pedal is quite jumpy from rest and accelerating at slow speeds, requiring some care and a very light foot to get smooth starts (maybe, over time, the engine's computer, like some others today, will learn the driver's style and compensate accordingly). There is a pretty good amount of torque at lower speeds, even with only 177 ft-lbs, though the engine starts to run out of breath as you approach cruising speeds. Engine and exhaust noise under load is about what you would expect from a relatively large-displacement four....not the noisiest engine out there, but you know you are not in a smooth V6.
The 6-speed automatic transmission is smooth and quiet, whether in automatic or manual-shift mode, and readily kicks down at light or part-throttle to add its own responsive spunk at lower speeds to what the already-sensitive gas pedal provides. In this car, you will learn to watch traffic ahead of you at a stoplight and time your take-off accordingly...otherwise, you might tap somebody's rear bumper.
The chassis seems to be an mixed combination of sport and non-sport. The steering response, especially by small SUV standards, is almost sports-car quick in how it reacts to input, but the way over-boosted power steering itself is as numb, and has about as much tactile road-feel, as the novocane my dentist uses. There is some body roll on sharp turns from the relatively center of gravity, but not bad at all. Ride comfort over bumps is not bad either, by small-SUV standards...not quite as soft as I'd like, but soft enough to take the worst out of bumps and potholes. Road and wind noise, with the stock factory tires on my test-car, are both reasonably well-controlled. The brakes are generally effective, without too much mushiness in the pedal and the brake pedal itself. The brake pedal itself, though not as badly-mounted for my feet as in some vehicles, is still close enough to the gas pedal, and high enough, that my big circus-clown size-15 shoe slightly catches on it when going from gas to brake.
THE VERDICT:
Well, since this may (?) end up being my brother's car instead of mine, his opinion of it will obviously be more important than mine. But, like many other persons in the market for vehicles, he asks me for my opinion, so here it is: The current 2015 Sportage is reasonably well-priced, though not quite as much of a bargain as in previous years, as Hyundai and Kia prices steadily keep rising. It generally competes well with the many other small car-based crossover SUVs in its class, though it is not the most refined of them in the way it drives. It seems very well-assembled except for the fairly loose radio-knobs, and, though perhaps not ultimately Honda/Toyota-reliable, should not require many unscheduled trips to the service-depatment, and the long 10/100 and 5/60 warranties should cover it for quite some time. It's reasonably space-efficient inside, though the slightly smaller Kia Soul actually seems to have a roomier rear seat. But, IMO, even with generally good materials, the appliance-grade interior needs a little something more for the eyes, the seat cushions could use a little more (and softer) padding, and the engine/transmission computers and fuel injection could use some reprogramming. But, if he wants the car (instead of waiting for next year's all-new 2016 Sportage), I'd still consider it money well-spent, especially the superb way the service department at that shop treats its customers, and the fact that the dealership's owner is a Congressman who, if Congress itself is shady or not honest, at least seems to run a good honest business.
And, as always......Happy car-shopping.
MM
. Surprised though that you didn't mention so-so interior ergonomics. Maybe it's just me personally, but I've found on most new Hyundai and Kia models, there to be so-so or poor interior ergonomics. That includes everything from where controls and buttons are positioned, to seating position/adjustment, steering position/adjustment, and things like elbow and shoulder room, or lack of. Glad you mentioned the so-so seat comfort, as I've definitely noticed that too.
