| Chassis & Suspension Once again only the Vitara and Sportage have full box section ladder type separate chassis which is another mark of a real 4WD. Though some other 4x4's are switching to monocoque type bodies the 'real' 4x4ers remain to be convinced. A rigid box section chassis is very resistant to the twisting forces encountered in four wheel driving and considered mandatory for the rough stuff. Whilst designs are always being improved upon particularly to comply with crash testing requirements there is a growing trend to move away from ladder type chassis. They are very heavy, don't perform well in crash testing (they don't deform and crumple to absorb impact forces) and add to a high centre of gravity. On the plus side they are far better for towing and carrying heavy loads as well as maintaining their rigidity off-road. The clearance under the chassis is quoted at 200mm (standard). Thankfully the Sportage is extremely easy to get more clearance underneath thanks to the tiny factory wheel sizes and huge guards; the factory 205/15x75 tyres are quite small. Adding a set of larger tyres 235/15/75 or 30x9.5" (which fit factory rims) and an off the shelf spring lift will add a significant amount of height. My 30" tyres are actually 28" tall in the real world; add my 40mm springs and I have approximately 370mm under the sills (if I remove the side steps which reduce this to about 320mm). Apply this to the fording depth which Kia quotes at 700mm and the various approach, departure and rampover angles then suddenly these are all increased substantially with very little effort. Fording Depths It's curious how the fording depth of the Kia is quoted higher than most 4WD's of any size or class; the factory claim of 700mm is quite a surprise as Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee's are rated at 232mm and the Holden Jackaroo at 350mm (50% of the Kia's depth !). Although I'm not sure why this is I suspect its because manufacturers are overly cautious to cover themselves for warranty claims. The ratings seem to correspond quite closely to the sill height of these vehicles so if water does get into the cabin the manufacturer is covered. However some of the AWD's aren't well equipped for water of any depth; the Hyundai Santa Fe for example has its air intake low down in the inner guard. There was a rash of warranty claims with the relatively big Santa Fe dying in relatively shallow water but Hyundai denied these claims as the owners manual stated that the Santa Fe had a mimimal fording depth. Who reads the manual .... but its enough to save Hyundai from expensive engine rebuilds. The Kia is certainly well equipped for water crossings with the air intake mounted above the grill out of harms way; even a big bow wave over the bonnet for a short period shouldn't be a problem though not a situation you'd want to be in on a voluntary basis. The alternator is reasonably high up and the fuse/relay box is at the top of the engine bay also. There are no old fashioned plug leads, distributors or coils to get wet with the coil packs mounted up at rocker cover level. However there are still potential problems to be wary of with any vehicle, and not just the Kia. The obvious one is water getting into the cabin; the door seals will slow the water flow a bit but they're not totally waterproof. When submerged the water pressure will eventually allow water to get inside; just remember the drain holes in the bottom of the doors also allow water back in. Its important to keep a steady forward movement and create a 'bow wave'; you'll notice in pictures of vehicles crossing water that the bow wave is relatively high up while the flow along each side is usually only a fraction of the depth. This will keep you dry ! An extra precaution is to use a tarpaulin tided over the front which will be far more effective at creating this bow wave effect and limit the amount of water flowing though the front into the engine compartment. This is important as the engine fan can easily get 'sucked' into the back of the radiator if too much water flows through the front potentially causing massive damage. When crossing water its also a good idea to let the vehicle cool down for a while before attempting the crossing. Hot componants do not take kindly to being immersed in cold water and could well crack or fail unexpectedly. If you intend using a 'blind' across the front you're also cutting off the radiators air flow while you cross so once again another good reason to let things cool of before crossing. Differential housings are also prone to damage, something a lot of people don't really think about. A hot differential housing will contract as all metal objects will when immersed in water. This may well suck in water and dirt through the breathers and will evetually cause the diff to fail. There are extension hoses available to extend breathers and are available from any 4WD shop; they aren't infallible but are a worthwhile precaution if your trip may involve water crossings. More frequent changes of diff oil won't do any harm either after a big day out in the wet stuff. Click here to view a brief table of approach, departure & rampover angles of various vehicles compared to the Sportage. |
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| Sportage Offroad |
| The Sportage is almost unique and in a class of it's own with only the Suzuki Vitara and the Mitsubishi iO being similar though the iO is being phased out of the Mitsubishi line up in the near future. Sure there a a number of similarly sized soft roader All Wheel Drives (AWD's) but none of them offer low range gearing, separate ladder frame chassis or decent ground clearance. However the breed is dying with the Kia Sportage succumbing to the masses who crave soft-roaders; yes in 2004/5 the Sportage will go soft. With nothing much of the same space or capability under $40000 this will be a sad day with only the aging Vitara holding the reins. I doubt that even this vehicle will last as its sales are ever dwindling with soft roaders now flooding the market. I can't help thinking that after a few years the class will be rediscovered and hailed as a revolutionary new concept ... |
| Transfer Case A second set of low range gears contained in the transfer case is one of the main requirements of a 'real' 4WD. Crawling through thick mud, rough terrain, up and down steep inclines is where low range comes into its own leaving everything else far, far behind. I think its hilarious that some AWD's are fitted with 'Hill Descent Control' systems which electronically limit the vehicle speed down and incline without the driver having to think too hard about it. I ponder whats the point in driving down a hill an AWD wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting back up again .... ? Some 4WD's are criticised for not having low enough low range reduction gearing which I'm pleased to say doesn't apply to the Sportage; a low first gear, good reduction and low final drive (diff) ratio's means that the low range reduction is class leading and indeed as good as if not better than many other much larger (and capable) 4WD's. Indeed only the Hilux, Landcruiser and F-series trucks have significantly lower gearing that I've found so far. The manual Sportage offers 34.56:1; a Holden Frontera V6 is only 24.02:1, Grand Vitara V6 28.89:1 and the now defunct Pajero iO at 31.39:1 (auto 22.36:1).. |
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