Checked out a new 011 Sportage today. No drive, just sat in one.

Nice! Not lux nice, but it's stylish, and the interior is laid out nicely and is well finished. Lots of passenger room and comfortable.

Trunk could be a little bigger and finished nicer, but that is probably the biggest presentation flaw the car has.

Plastics are not lux, but nice and low gloss. The design is interesting and very ergonomic. I love the console and center stack.

This vehicle is at or near the top of my list. It's efficient, cheap, and stylish. Roomy too.

They had 4. The one I sat in was 19k with a manual trans. Shifter was located nicely.

I drove a tucson same equipped already, I know it's got nice power and handles well.

Nice job Kia. Problem is the sorento is not much more $$$$. What a dilemma.

I'd say there is not much space difference between the sportage and the equinox. They feel like size clones.

I saw one on the road today...I have to admit it looked really good in person!

Yeah, I admit they do...

best looking small CUV on the market IMO.

I think I like the looks of the 'Nox better, but this is a good looking vehicle. Kia has finally come up with a strong design language, and is making it work well.

I'd say there is not much space difference between the sportage and the equinox. They feel like size clones.

Interesting...I thought the Sorento was about the size of the Equinox. Isn't the Sportage much smaller?

Interesting...I thought the Sorento was about the size of the Equinox. Isn't the Sportage much smaller?

Not any more...everything is getting bigger..

Interesting...I thought the Sorento was about the size of the Equinox. Isn't the Sportage much smaller?

Equinox has the exterior dimensions of a midsize SUV like Ford Edge, but its interior and pricing is closer to a compact like Sportage, CR-V, RAV4, etc.

Local dealer has three, with the cheapest one priced at $19k... and I was surprised at how well-equipped it was for the price, including body-color mirrors and door handles, alloy wheels and chrome trim bits. Of course, it was a FWD with a manual trans, but it was definitely not looking like a cheapie. The cargo hold has a tiny wheelhouse intrusion problem compared to the Equinox. I can see plenty of ppl forgoing the Chevy for this. AWD LX model was only $22k, wow.

The black interior is a little monochromatic though. The gray is nicer, with a contrasting finish across the dash. The black interior should have the same contrasting slab across the dash, too.

The Equinox interior is much more upscale than the Sportage, to be sure.

The equinox interior is a little nicer. Not too much though. But equal spec equinox are a few thou more. For a budget interior, the sportage is well done. I love the dashboard design. The manual spec sportage blu mentioned, 19k, well equipped, 176hp, a great alternative to say, a low powered chevy cruze.

Edited August 8, 201014 yr by regfootball

Not bad....

The LXs with black interior I saw had a low-gloss black trim swath across the dash, unlike the pics above, which feature a metallic gray theme.

the ones i saw were all black also. i thought the black was just fine.

i checked insurance on the sportage. the guy did not have rates yet but i checked the current Tucson also (similar model) and the rates were absurdly low. about 20-25% less than my Cobalt. For that matter, it was also about 20% cheaper than the Subaru Legacy I checked last week.