KIA Sportage not just a pretty face | Lifestyle.INQ

OCTOBER 27, 2022

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KIA official briefs media on KIA Sportage at the Pacific Palms Resort, City of Industry. LAWRENCE OCHOA

CITY OF INDUSTRY, California — More than two dozen reporters joined the 2017 Kia Asian Media Ride and Drive Wednesday, June 22 to test drive the “2017 All-New Sportage” from the Pacific Palms Resort in this city to Burbank and later, Koreatown in Los Angeles.

Daniel Sherman, product and residual planning manager told the group that the driving capability of the KIA Sportage “sets the expectations for the 2017 calendar year”.

The Sportage model was selected for the media test drive because it has the highest resale value, with its market steadily growing. It’s also one of the autonomous models, which means it has built-in appointments like a collision avoidance system that greatly increases safety on the road.

“I’m proud to say that previous Sportage models won the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), and that’s the highest honor you can get from this institution,” Sherman declared.

He added: “Kia Sportage continues the focus into styling from the last generation of models. We looked at our competitors and saw that they didn’t have a lot of character. We wanted to design something that indeed had character.”

Another model introduced was the hybrid Optima with a refined chassis and upscale cabin. The Optima has many tech features, like optional touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking.

One metallic gray Sportage has a spacious all-leather interior, with the 6’4” Sherman fitting in the backseat with ample leg and headroom. The exterior looks innovative and stands out among the usual “box-on-wheels” design of cars.

The 29-mile drive from the City of Industry to Burbank took about 40 minutes, enough distance to prove the car’s smooth handling and ability to make sharp turns with precision and safety.

With state-of-the-art lane change assist system, the Sportage provides a wide degree of blind spot noticeability and uses it’s braking system from merging with incoming cars.

Kia Motors, headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea’s second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 2.7 million vehicles in 2012 and almost 2.75 million vehicles in 2013.

Kia Motors America was incorporated in the United States in 1992. The first Kia-branded vehicles in the United States were sold from four dealerships in Portland, Oregon in February 1994.

The austere Pope Francis brought further fame to the brand internationally in August 2014, when the pontiff rode a Kia Soul, during a five-day visit to South Korea.   The “People’s Pope,” also known for his no-frills lifestyle, chose this brand instead of the more lavish Benz or other luxurious rides.

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