After making some great cars which got lot of applause Kia launched their Mid Size Compact SUVs and they have improved a lot over the time. The best example is the Kia Sportage. This is a versatile SUV which is ranked quite well when compared to other competitors. The Sportage not only gives you the impression of an upscale SUV from its looks, but the moment you drive this SUV you feel it too. Kia has really surprised the auto experts who had once criticized the vehicle manufacturer for their not so demanding SUVs. And to the most astonishment they have by far developed their engines too.

Though you cannot put the SUV in the league of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, the Kia Sportage is nicely packed with interiors and engine standards which make it worth the money. This is indeed one of the few Korean cars which have added such competitive dynamics to their vehicle. The car lacks in fuel efficiency because of the heavy engine placed under the hood. Leaving behind the criticisms you have the versatile Sports Utility Vehicle with engine options to choose for power and drive.

Engine Developments: The redesigned Sportage is now available with a 2.0 liter four-cylinder Kia Sportage engine which has made a considerable difference with the SUV’s Performance. The performance of the engine is interestingly modest and humble and the version of engine is adequate for a comfortable ride within this price tag. The Kia’s 2.0 6 liter engine features variable timing and can produce 140 horsepower and 136 pound-feet of torque. The power is enough to thrust the car to a speed of 0-60 miles per hour in just 8.2 seconds. This may not be too much appealing for those who want more power.

But there is another version of the Kia Sportage engines, which includes confidence inspiring 2.7 liter V6 engine with 173 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. You have the electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. Still these specs of the engine are not impressive as compared to other SUVs. Kia needs to look more into their power shaft. The performance of the 5 speed manual remains better than 4 speed automatic transmission. But Kia Sportage cannot meet the standards of other automatic transmission SUVs.

The V6 engine provides some amount of lively acceleration on the highways compared to the four cylinder engine. The 4 cylinder engine is comfortable for city driving and there is no surplus power from it from highway.