Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2010/January 2011 | Page 102

motoring

Island Life - December 2010

TEST DRIVEN
ON THE ISLAND
By Roz Whistance

Sporty surprise with Kia’s new SUV
The Kia Sportage 2 has just won
Scottish Car of the Year award. Not
an irrelevant fact if Isle of Wight
weather is to continue to resemble the
UK’s north, but maybe something of
a surprise given the possible choices.
Actually though, this, the 2-wheel drive
sister of Kia’s widely applauded 4-wheel
drive crossover, is one big surprise.
The reason? It drives as if it were a
small car. The 1.7 litre diesel Sportage
ISG that we took out on wintry West
Wight is remarkably manoeuvrable, its
turning circle quite bizarrely tight given
the size of the vehicle. The whole drive
is lively: the engine – diesel, remember
– is quiet ( jay walking Christmas
shoppers were often surprised we were
there), but also sparky, up for anything.

It looks poised, tall, elegant for its
size. Headlights, deep and cutting, are
trimmed by halogen strings. At night
these team up with the main beam for
a particularly thorough sweep of the
way ahead.
Climb inside and the black cloth and
leather seats are sofa-like in dimension,
the three rear seats given the thumbs
up from their school-run testers. What
everyone liked was the sunroof, with
sliding cover, which runs virtually the
length of the car. That touch of neat
design reflects the thoughtfulness of
the design in general.
Yet this car hasn’t shirked its
responsibility to the environment. ‘
ISG’ stands for Intelligent Stop and
Go, which means it cuts the engine at

lights or in traffic, to wake up on clutch
depression.
Irrational though it is, it’s often one
little touch which makes you really want
a car. The fact you can plug in your
iPod and run your playlist, perhaps. or,
even better, the voice-control. Once
your phone’s connected, press a button
in the steering wheel and the Voice of
Kia will say: “Pardon?” You say: “Dave
mobile”. Kia says: “Did you say ‘Dave
Mobile?’ and dials Dave for you.
Isn’t that just so satisfying?
On the road price, £20,020.
Test drive the Kia Sportage 2 at
Northwood Garage, Northwood Road,
Cowes. Tel: [phone].

Photos:
Standard
interior shot,
Right: Optional
Sat Nav and
Reverse parking
camera option.

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