Featured car history
Kia Sportage 2010
The SL series Kia Sportage was released in April 2010 to Asian and European markets, followed by the North and Central American markets in August 2010 for model year 2011. Australian models were released in October 2010. It currently uses a 2.0-liter Hyundai R diesel engine with 184 hp (137 kW). Also, a 2.0-liter Theta T-GDI gasoline engine was available. The third generation receives a mid-generational refresh for the 2014 model year, with new headlamps, fog lamps, etc. In China, the third generation, called the Sportage R, was released by Dongfeng Yueda Kia in October 2010, and is to be built and marketed alongside the previous generation rather than as a replacement of the existing model. The Sportage won the 2011 Car of the Year (originally “Auto roku 2011 na Slovensku”) in Slovakia and “Truck of the Year” nomination of International Car of the Year. The Kia Sportage was top of the JD Power Survey for 2012, it was the only car in the survey to score five stars across all categories, from mechanical reliability to ownership costs and the dealer experience.