Just tested this car a couple of days ago and it really rocks. I liked the looks, the interior and the luggage compartment especially, because I plan to use it for travels. Thank you for the video, Sam! Good luck with your channel and all the best from Russia!)
I really wish that this generation had a memory system & an auto up-down passenger window in this top SX trim. It would make this the perfect used car!
You are right! The Washboard road is a great test and I agree you should keep using it. I'd even go so far as saying you should drive regular cars down it too just to test the right quality. Great review!
Anyone who wants better ride quality and less interior noise can simply change to a smaller wheels and softer tires. It makes a huge difference in any car!
Awesome video! I've been binge watching many of your reviews lately. Quick question...have you found that most vehicles with the panoramic sunroof are more susceptible to creaks/rattles or noises in general emanating from the roof? My Kia Cadenza with this same roof seems noisier than I expected on rough roads or the random bump/pothole. Thanks!
Most panoramic roofs have creaking and noise issues regardless of the brand. This is generally over sharp bumps or when the body twists like entering a parking lot or on a speed bump.
Another good job, Sam. I like the panoramic roof but I couldn't tell if there's any kind of sliding cover if one didn't want the open glass above. I guess I'm thinking of these hot AZ summer days where I'd like to be able to have the option to cover the glass to keep the sun from beating down on the interior. Maybe it's there and I missed it?
Here is my Kia experience. Anyone in my position has encountered the same thing from Kia. If you cannot supply them with up to date maintenance records on your vehicle they will not cover it. So for instance, if you change your own oil you're screwed. Might work if you saved all your receipts but very few people are in the habit of saving receipts of them doing their own oil changes. This ploy Kia uses is well documented if you want to look it up, I have, and it’s out there. Also my car would be covered under the SC147 recall as the symptoms of my engine seizing up (engine needs replaced) followed the exact same symptomology as those the manufacturing defect notes in the recall. The recall notice even appears on my Carfax report. Again you can find all the recall information online. The reason my car isn't part of the SC147 recall according to Kia is because it is MPI instead of GDI. All the rest of the engine is the exact same, 2.4L theta II. Kia says that because my car uses a different kind of fuel injection method that it cannot be affected by the metal filings left in the engine block which is what the SC147 recall is all about. That's totally absurd on its face but that's Kia's position. The vehicles Kia did recall was done after many government threats as well as numerous lawsuits brought by disgruntled Kia owners for which there are many. Kia's mother company, Hyundai actually recalled their vehicles for the same problem immediately when the issue was discovered. It took Kia several years later to admit to the problem and issue a recall even though they were well aware of the problem. Where was Kia's concern for people being killed due to this manufacturing defect? A car having its engine seize up on the interstate would be something that would concern most companies immediately but not Kia. Unless Kia completely changes the way it does business they will continue to cost consumers thousands of dollars for defective cars and probably end up killing people due to their own negligence. I had to argue, write emails, file complaints with various entities, etc just to get Kia to actually LOOK at my engine at no cost to me to determine the how and why of the engine failure. Kia refused to cover my car even though it is under warranty and furthermore refused to even LOOK at my car to see what caused the failure. I'm still waiting for a callback from Kia with their assessment. Kia actually agreed to take my valve cover off to take a look at my car once I complained as high up as I could to Kia. This was after several months of my car sitting dead on the Auffenberg Kia lot in Metro east St Louis. Kia actually told me I'd have to pay $1500 up front to have my engine failure looked into initially. My constant pressure on Kia finally got them to say they would take my valve cover off for no fee which costs Kia less than $50 in labor. Kia had no desire whatsoever to know what caused my engine to seize up. Their ONLY concern was to avoid any acknowledgement of any responsibility or liability. Kia already knew what caused the engine to fail. The same thing that happened to hundreds of thousands of the same engines made by Kia and Hyundai. It was the exact same problem as the Kia SC147 recall. Taking the valve cover off will not help. There was no oil leak. No oil smell. Never any indication of any problem with the valve cover. It's simply a ploy for Kia to say we looked at your engine and it's your fault. Who would trust their assessment at this point anyway? I'm out thousands of dollars I still owe on a car without a working engine. Don't you think any car maker worth a darn would want to know why one of their vehicles engines just seized up on the highway? Kia's been super lucky so far no one has died due to their negligence. Additionally a co-worker of mine had a problem with his Kia and will not buy one again either. For his Kia the car required a specific oil filter made and installed by Kia and if that was not used the engine fails. He was never told this when he purchased the vehicle. His insurance successfully sued Kia for over $7,000 for his engine failure. Unfortunately my insurance doesn't cover mechanical issues. Ever wonder why your Kia never quite gets the gas mileage it was rated to get? Kia has also paid out for a class action lawsuit because they lied about the MPG of many of their models. The very MPG rating that many people base a large percentage of their purchase decision on. Yeah, Kia lied about that too but kept it hush hush. You can find the information online if you look for it. I had my car into the dealership (Auffenberg) several times before the engine failure telling them something is bad wrong with the car. The Kia service department ran every kind of computer diagnostic and could find no reason for the problems which included knocking, major loss of power, major loss of fuel economy and car dying at both idle and speed. Check engine light was always on and every sensor it said was malfunctioning was replaced and it didn't help. Unfortunately I could not leave my car with Kia. Kia wouldn't supply me with a free rental. They said it was against company policy. My step daughter was dying needing a second liver transplant as all this was going on and I couldn't be without that vehicle. With only one vehicle (other than the Kia) I wouldn't be able to get to work or my step daughter wouldn't be able to be cared for properly. I told Kia this and still they refused to get me a rental while they actually got to the root of my car problem and addressed it. Instead they said sorry to hear that, we can't find any problem with your car. They actually let me leave with a car they KNEW was dangerous and about to fail. They didn't care that my family was going through a serious medical situation with my step daughter and the car behaving as it was only increased the stress on my entire family during this time. Fortunately my step daughter got her transplant just in time and is doing ok now. Not only did Kia sell me a defective product but all this happened as our family is going through the stress of a child being deathly ill, lots of additional costs for medical related expenses and Kia was told this and didn't care. Kia added thousands of dollars to my already stressed finances by selling me a defective vehicle. But it gets even better. The Kia rep in Arizona named Steve that handles my case and many others actually told me on the phone that some of Kia's cars die early and that's just the way it is. He insisted all other car manufacturers have the same problem and also refuse to repair the vehicles leaving their customers screwed too. That's certainly not my experience nor that of anyone I know. Steve at Kia flat out told me Kia isn't going to pay and I'm out of luck because I got a bad Kia and have to eat it. That's what he said. That's Kia’s customer service that said that to me. I have to shake my head and laugh every time I call Kia and their recording says "Rated #1 in initial quality 2 years in a row!" Yeah, and dies in 78,000 miles and Kia refuses to make a full recall or honor it's warranty. You won't see Kia winning any customer service awards or vehicle longevity awards. My advice to anyone that has a Kia (ESPECIALLY if it's a 2.4L) is to trade it in and get something other than a Kia before it dies and your left paying off a car that doesn't run. I liked Kia at one time or I wouldn't have bought one. What I've found out since has opened my eyes to the quality of their vehicles and their denials of their own manufacturing defects even if it could cost lives or severely screw consumers over financially. Buying a Kia might make you think you're getting more quality for less money but it's all based upon lies and cover-ups. That is my Kia experience and it's the WORST experience I've had with any company on any level at any time in my 31 (47 - 16) years of driving cars.
Man, that really sucks. However, from my personal experience involving a 2011 KIA Soul, a 2011 KIA Optima Hybrid LX, a 2014 KIA Optima Hybrid EX there were no issues with the warranty repair whatsoever. Fortunately, I did not have any major issues with the KIA cars I owned, unlike what you described, but still a leaking taillight, a foggy headlight, some fading chrome pieces and a cracked washer fluid tank were all replaced without any difficulty or unnecessary questions asked. I always change my own oil and always buy the oil filters from KIA. The maintenance record is simple to keep - I just staple the receipts with dates and mileage recorded on them into the maintenance book. I have a 2018 Sportage SX AWD now for nearly 9 months with close to 10,000 miles on it - no issues whatsoever so far, and I am about to do my second oil change in a few days. Sorry about your more than frustrating experience with KIA, and thanks for sharing it. I will continue making sure that I have all the maintenance records up to date, not to get in trouble like you described.
I'm about to get this car. Is there a difference between the suspension in the EX and the SX? In thinking of getting the SX I love smooth rides but I hate body roll and feeling every bump in the road. So I'm looking for a happy medium. Thumbs up!!!
I haven't driven a KIA though I have sat inside of them and kicked a few tries. I agree with your perspective of the aesthetics and quality, as you mentioned in your review, they have made milestone improvements to their product. I think a great deal of people are obsessed with brand name status and overlook the value of the certain manufacturers. When I am in the market for a replacement vehicle I will certainly use TestDriven.TV for reconnaissance. Does your team have access to vehicle long term tests?
Sam do you know if KIA will be introducing a Hybrid Kia Sportage. If so will you be testing it? I realy like the looks of the 2017 model but realy want something with better fuel ecomomy.
Not so much a Hybrid Sportage, but the new 2017 Kia Niro is coming soon that is for all intents the same thing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4zrnh_Aby0I.html
Sam, I am a subscriber looking at pulling the trigger on a lease on a new small SUV at about the $25K MSRP price point. The models I am considering, you have tested in videos. 2017 Kia Sportage EX, Volkswagen Tiguan S and Mazda CX-5 Touring. Coming from a large SUV, I'm in my early 50's but I want something fun this time but with a comfortable seat that can also can carry stuff. What would be your ranking on these three? I note that you tested the Kia Sportage in SX trim. I don't know if you had the opportunity to drive the EX.
Nice set to choose. Sam is a VW guy at heart so he'd probably lean on that, but the Kia and Mazda both are equals. You ought drive all three and see which one presses the most buttons.
I think that is true. He would probably choose the Tiguan at the price point of the base model. I noticed that he added the Sportage to his "I'd Buy It" list but not the Tiguan, even though he seemed to like both a lot. Of course it was the higher model Sportage SX with the 2.0L turbo that he added to the list, not the base or the EX trim. The Tiguan can be had with the 2.0L turbo in the base model. That's about a $6000 difference between the Sportage SX and the Tiguan S base model.
I'm trying to decide between the Hyundai Tucson 2017, the Kia Sportage 2017, and the Mazda CX5 2016 I can't quite make up my mind yet on which one I should buy. One thing I like about the Hyundai is the height. Any sugestion anyone?
Love the review thanks. I like how you explain the side window profile. The 1 vehicle I hate for its side window profile is the Chev / Holden Equinox, THAT back window looks like it has its pant hanging down around its arse, WTF lol.
Tuscon 1.6 GDI for a test drive, for a car with this engine, "barely goes" . Motor has very little torque at high revs, and yelling, like a lunatic in the asylum , when you try to squeeze out of him whatever it was, KS, NM, and it does not even overtaking a truck on the rise ... ;)
