South Korean car maker Kia began its journey with bicycles. The first light Kia SUV was launched by an Asia subsidiary for the army.
SUVs "Kia"
The first civilian Korean SUV appeared in 1990 and was produced until 1997. It was called Asia Rocsta. The next two years were given to his second generation Asia Rocsta R2, on which this lineup ended without successors. This SUV looks like an old American jeep from World War II.
The next was also a short-lived SUV "Kia Retona". It was created on the basis of the first-generation Sportage crossover, which was already produced at that time from 1997 to 2003.
These SUVs are no longer available, mercilessly superseded by crossovers.
Today, the only representative of South Korean cars is called, and rightfully, an SUV. This is a Kia Mohave jeep .
Two more models of crossovers can be conditionally classified as a small tribe of SUVs “Kia” - the first generation Sorento and the new Sportage.
Kia Asia Rocsta
The asceticism of the army classic jeep in a civilian version was mitigated by modern bumpers, moldings, plastic wing pads and interesting rims. The tented top remained, but another modification with a hardtop appeared. The salon also became more comfortable. The steering wheel is what is installed on cars, the seats are adjustable.
The second generation with the R2 index is already outwardly different from American jeeps , in its appearance the features of Japanese jeeps of the last quarter of the 20th century are visible.
Asia Roxta jeeps were not delivered to Russia. Those cars that drive on domestic roads got into it in winding ways.
In the first version of the four-wheel drive SUV, off the assembly line in 1994, two variants of four-cylinder engines were installed. Diesel R2 (MAGMA) of 2.2 liters and a capacity of 72 liters. from. and a 1.8-liter Mazda gasoline drove a jeep to a speed of 140 km / h.
The mass of the car was about 1.3 tons, dimensions (L × W × H) - 3.6 x 1.7 x 1.8 m, ground clearance - 0.2 m, load capacity - 0.5 t.
Jeeps were sold in England, Korea, Italy, Germany.
Kia retona
The second Kia Retona SUV at the beginning of its journey was positioned as a replacement for the Asia Rocsta jeep. At the end of the last century, Kia Motors acquired Asia, and Retona was unified with the first Sportage.
Externally, especially in front, the car with round headlights, close-fitting to the radiator and protruding outward wings, independent of the hood, reminds Jeep Wrangler. The bumpers and the footboard are made of unpainted thick plastic, the windshield frame, as a tribute to the military style, is decorated with decorative hinges that imitate the folding of the glass onto the hood.
The dimensions of the jeep are 4 × 1.75 × 1.8 m, the ground clearance is 0.2 m. The curb weight of the car is 0.4 tons, the permissible weight with cargo and passengers is 1.9 tons. In the combined cycle, the fuel consumption was 10 l per 100 km. The maximum speed that an SUV could develop is 125 km / h.
The SUV was produced in three versions of a two-door body: four-seater covered all-metal and a convertible with a soft tent, as well as a two-seater with a cargo compartment behind the front seats. The maximum amount of luggage is 1.2 thousand liters. A two-liter diesel engine with four cylinders and a turbocharging capacity of 83 liters. pp., a five-speed manual gearbox, a power steering wheel are quite worthy characteristics for a small SUV.
Kia sportage
Only the first generation Kia Sportage can be attributed to SUVs. It was developed on the Mazda Bongo platform, with its own engine and gearbox.
The jeep was sold in a four-door version with a hard roof and a two-door with a soft roof. Production began in 1993 and was finally discontinued in 2004.
Outwardly, he looked simple, not too expressive, but confident, as befits a jeep. Inside - quite comfortable and high quality, with comfortable seats.
Its dimensions are 3.76 / 4.34 × 1.65 × 1.73 m, ground clearance - 0.2 m, weight - about one and a half tons. The SUV was equipped with two-liter three gasoline and two diesel engines with a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic gearboxes. Sportage accelerated to 100 km / h in less than 15 seconds, the maximum speed was more than 170 km / h. The SUV felt confident both in the city’s cramped streets and off-road.
The first generation had a clear advantage - it was universal: an SUV and an SUV in the same Kia car.
Models of Sportage SUVs of the second and third generation gradually lost this advantage, becoming classic crossovers.
The third generation, presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010, is made in a modern crossover design, maybe with some sportiness.
The interior is decorated with high-quality expensive materials, the controls are precise, the luggage compartment holds almost five hundred, and with the seats folded, all four thousand and four hundred liters.
Two-liter gasoline engine rated at 163 liters. from. and diesel - 136 and 184 liters. from. are equipped with five- and six-speed automatic transmissions. A gasoline-powered SUV accelerates in 10.4 seconds, with a top speed of over 180 km / h.
Kia sorento
The next Kia car - the Sorento SUV - meets the requirements of the European market with its design and performance. The very first cars were equipped with a 2.4 liter gasoline engine and 139 liter capacity. from. and a 3.5 liter diesel engine with a capacity of 194 liters. from. with a five-speed automatic transmission. Later, the engines were replaced with more powerful, economical and environmentally friendly models.
The Kia Sorento frame SUV with a fixed rear axle was the best suited for off-road driving. He could even wade across water obstacles up to half a meter deep. The car was produced in two versions: all-wheel drive or with plug-in front-wheel drive.
The second generation Sorento, which entered the market in 2009, no longer possessed such off-road qualities. The crossover has become much more beautiful both outside and inside. More modern and powerful engines appeared, a five- or seven-seater saloon, an assistant to drive from the mountain, but the body became a load-bearing one, completely four-wheel drive disappeared (only the plug-in remained) and a lower gear.
Three years later, the appearance of the “Kia Sorento” became even more modern, a more powerful (192 hp) gasoline engine appeared. But this is one hundred percent, beautiful and reliable, but a crossover.
Kia borrego
Another Kia frame car is an SUV (photo below) Borrego.
The full-length Kia Borrego was created for the US market in 2008, but did not find its niche and was discontinued in 2011. But today it can still be found on roads in Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Under another name, it is produced in Russia in Kaliningrad at the Avtotor enterprise.
Kia mohave
A large powerful car has remarkable cross-country ability and is distinguished by a spacious, to say the least, interior. This is the only SUV in the Kia lineup today.
Off-road vehicles, the model range of which once consisted of real Rocsta, Retona, Sorento and Sportage jeeps, have practically disappeared, not finding sales. But the developments used in them did not disappear. They found a worthy application in Kia Mojave.
Since 2008, the jeep, which has two names, has improved, becoming an expensive luxury car.
The huge five-door jeep for seven seats is equipped with an economical 3 liter diesel engine with a capacity of 250 liters. from. with an eight speed automatic transmission. It consumes about 10 liters of fuel per 100 km in the combined cycle and accelerates to “hundred parts” in just 9 seconds, despite the fact that it weighs more than 2 tons. Its clearance is 0.217 m.
The frame design allows a heavy vehicle in off-road conditions due to the uniform distribution of all loads to maintain balance, not to heel and not to swing on rough terrain.
4.6 liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 340 liters. from. has 8 cylinders, meets the EURO V environmental standard and is equipped with a 6-speed automatic.
If the first Kia SUV was a compact and fairly cheap jeep intended for young people, the new model, large and very expensive, is suitable for serious charismatic people with a solid income. What fate awaits him, whether the Korean manufacturer will continue the lineup and what novelties, one can only guess.