Looking at spending our children's inheritance on a new tow car, and either of these seem to suit our requirements. Has anyone had recent experience using these as a tow car, especially with regard to stability, economy, reliability etc. Also, is the 7 year warranty as good as it sounds?
Hi Bofs
I have a 63 reg 2.0 XRDi, before this we had the previous model Sportage.
My caravan weighs 1500kg loaded up,Lunar Clubman SB , we tow to south France twice a year and we are happy with the car.Our previous model needed suspension bushes, at 4 yrs old and were replaced under warranty no problem.
Our current car developed an engine problem last year, Kia replaced the engine, again under warranty.
Depending on the weight of your van, there may be an issue with the ride height of the car when the van is attached.
There are only two of us so we dont have a lot of weight in the car.
I chose the Sportage because it is not a huge vehicle and it drives like a car.
We get about 25mpg towing and about 37 mpg pottering about solo.
There is a new Sportage model out ,now I think, so might be a good time to buy "old model".
If you have any questions, please ask.
John
We have a 62 reg Sorento, it has done 33000 miles without any problems.
We recently had a new set of alloy wheels under warranty as there was a little corrosion on the rims of 2 of them!
I thought they would have paid for them to be refurbished, so was very happy.
It tows our Baily Unicorn effortlessly and does 25-27 mpg towing and 38-40 solo. It has done several trips to France towing as well as at home.
It is a 7 seater, used once in that role!
In normal use has a big boot and plenty of legroom for 5.
The 2.2 engine has 184bhp and plenty of torque.
Ours is a KX2 model which has leather heated seats and climate control, which was very effective in France last year!
Its our third and we will definitely consider another.
The latest model has more power, better economy and more toys! Price went up a bit though!
Just seen a picture of the new sportage in local paper, it looks nice.
I expect we will get an invite to see it from our dealer.
John is right, might be some good offers on the current one!
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Thanks both for your replies. We have a 1360kg Lunar CK based in this country and a 1450kg Compass Rallye 482 based in France, so either is fine on paper for towing. Read a report from the Towcar of the Year awards saying that the Sportage was affected by crosswinds and also was a little unstable on the emergency lane change, hence considering the Sorento rather than the Sportage, especially in view of the strong winds we seem to be suffering these days. Have you had any stability problems John?
Have a look at the Mitsubishi ASX. Its about the same size as the Kia. For £24k you get 5 years warranty, 3 years European roadside assistance, 147BHP 2.2 litre diesel, 4wd, auto, with more goodies than you can name, and almost exactly the same as the Kia KX-4. Its a torque converter auto with paddle shift available, using Mitsu's own engine and gearbox.
Towing in the region of 30-33, round town 40-45, and long runs up to 50.
Towing limit is stated as 1400kg, but in reality the plated weight is 1470kg. Given that its the same running gear, engine and chassis as an Outlander which will tow 2000kg, running it near its limit is not going to make any difference.
Side winds - brilliant, really not affected at all.
Tows well too.
Gets lousy reviews in the UK where bias against for some reason is very evident, but much better ones in Australia where it is the 2nd most popular SUV.
We sold our last ASX after 5 years and 40,000 miles and achieved 55% of the purchase price on trade in, and got £1k off the price of a new one - so just under £2k a year depreciation.
We tow from Teesside to northern Spain twice a year, in Aptil and September.We have never had any stability issues, we use the French peage and drive up to 70mph when the road is clear.I
Have not really driven in strong winds, but if I did I would take it easy.
I think it comes down to how much you can afford to spend.
My next car will probably be a Sportage.
The Sorento is a good tow car, our van is 1550k and we often travel with 3 grandchildren and a large roof box fitted, still maintain around 28-30mpg when towing. We had the Santa Fe (2011 5 seater) before the Kia and the rear suspension suffered badly when the van was attached, no problems with the Kia (2014). Warranty is good as had numerous minor niggles with the Santa Fe, and a few issues with the Sorento, all repaired without hassle.
I had a look at the new Sportage on the interweb, it looks very nice. TV ads appearing now!
We will probably have another Sorento when we decide to change.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Quote: Originally posted by bofs on 05/2/2016
Looking at spending our children's inheritance on a new tow car, and either of these seem to suit our requirements. Has anyone had recent experience using these as a tow car, especially with regard to stability, economy, reliability etc. Also, is the 7 year warranty as good as it sounds?
Why not have a look at the new Hyundai Tucson, it has the same/similar engine range as the Sportage(same group as Kia)or the Santa FE. Warranty is 5 years not 7 but maybe has other benefits to offset the 2 years.
Tucson is available with 2 or 4 wheel drive with the 2 ltr diesel, if you want an auto it only comes with 4 wheel drive, 2 ltr diesel comes in 2 power outputs, 136PS and 185PS
We've been out for a test drive this afternoon and have put down a deposit on a Sorento. Decided on the Sorento in the end as it means we can change our caravan in the future without worrying too much about weight, and there's loads of room for all our stuff and the dog in the back. Very impressed by the way it drove and how comfortable it was, also the equipment levels. We have a Galaxy at the moment and it compared very favourably. The clincher was that the garage was selling the Sorento demonstrator (3 months old with 250 miles on the clock) for £4000 less than new and would include a tow bar, tax and a tank full of diesel! They also offered me £1600 more for the Galaxy than the local Ford dealer, so we're picking it up next week!
Many thanks to you all for your help and advice.
Quote: Originally posted by amara 520 on 07/2/2016
Why not have a look at the new Hyundai Tucson, it has the same/similar engine range as the Sportage(same group as Kia)or the Santa FE. Warranty is 5 years not 7 but maybe has other benefits to offset the 2 years.
Tucson is available with 2 or 4 wheel drive with the 2 ltr diesel, if you want an auto it only comes with 4 wheel drive, 2 ltr diesel comes in 2 power outputs, 136PS and 185PS
http://www.hyundai.co.uk/new-cars/tucson#pricing
We test drove one of these before buying another ASX. very similar spec, very similar drive ..... BUT £8k more to buy!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Kia Sportage or Sorento?
