Unprecedented demand at Kia dealers is down to one car – the Sportage, reports JAMES BATCHELOR

If you’d told a Kia dealer five years ago that customers would be posting deposits through their letterboxes so they were the first to own one of their new models, you’d have been laughed out of the showroom.

But that’s exactly what happened when the marque unveiled the new Sportage. After benefiting from copious column inches in magazines and newspapers, customers were desperate to be the first behind the wheel.

‘When the First Edition was launched we did have customers posting deposits through dealers’ letterboxes,’ revealed Ian Mathews, Kia UK’s head of product planning and marketing development. ‘They had only seen the car on posters, not for real, and they were still desperate for the car.’

With such interest in the new model, the Sportage 2.0-litre CRDi First Edition became a bit of a classic in the now 16-strong model range. But that was not the intention.

‘The primary reasons for the First Edition was that the factory had started building the Hyundai ix35 earlier in the year, and our planned launch date for the Sportage was always going to be quarter four,’ explained Mathews.

However, a shortage of the 2.0-litre diesel units shared by the Sportage and the ix35 meant that only a small number of Kias could be built.

’We were given an opportunity to have a limited, finite number of cars – around 1,000 units – two to three months before the planned launch,’ says Mathews. ‘We immediately put our hands up for that because we knew that this was going to be a popular car.

‘We thought we would be better placed and it would give a clearer message if we went with one, single version. We also wanted to have the opportunity of catching the September plate-change.’

Launching a new car with only one model might sound a bit mad – especially a car as important to Kia as the Sportage – but it was a decision that the firm was happy with.

‘If we had a better supply of Sportages, then we would have launched all the 16 derivatives initially. But, under the circumstances, we took the decision – and in hindsight we think that was the correct decision to launch a single version. It meant that the model was easier to communicate to dealers and for dealers to communicate to customers rather than saying we have got 30 of these units and 40 of those units. We got a lot of attention from it.’

Now there’s a strong supply of engines and the full range has been launched, Kia has high hopes for the car.

‘The Sportage is a significant car for Kia,’ added Mathews. ‘In terms of 2011, the Sportage will make up around 15 per cent of our mix. 2011 is also the first full year of Sportage being on sale, and we are looking to deliver more than double the volumes we delivered with the last full year of the previous generation Sportage.

‘With its smaller displacement engines and more of a focus on front-wheel-drive – a primary focus of the SuV sector – we are much better placed with the Sportage to capture a greater share of the SuV market.’

But it is not just new technologies and a greater focus on the SUV market which will make the Sportage successful – its design is just as important too, added Mathews.

‘It is a bit of a design icon for us as it is one of the first clean-sheet, Schreyer-designed cars. We believe it showcases the design direction of Kia into the future.

‘The new car is about aspiration and design, rather than the case a few years ago which was  just about being cheap with lots of spec. We are currently at the tipping point of changing people’s perceptions of Kia, and the Sportage is a good representation of this.’

But how important are the new 1.6-litre petrol and 1.7-litre diesel models?

‘They are extremely important to the Sportage range,’ says Mathews. ‘We are still holding strong with the 2.0-litre four-wheel-drive because that sector has had a resurgence due to us having three bad winters.

‘But the 1.6-litre and 1.7-litre variants with new technologies – low CO2, direct injection on the petrol – are important in the fleet markets, and to customers who are looking to downsize and reduce their CO2 and taxes. Overall these two new derivatives are significant because they give us a big, and virtually new, opportunity in a market that we weren’t present in with the old Sportage.’

Judging by its performance so far, since November, the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.7-litre diesel models are taking off from where the first Edition finished.

‘November and December is normally a quiet time of the year, but the Sportage performed extremely well,’ added Mathews.

So which will be the best selling in the range? ‘It’s a little early days to be conclusive,’ believes Mathews, ‘but our forecast is the 1.7-litre diesel Sportage 2 model will be the most popular derivative. We think customers will be tempted by the standard panoramic sunroof, and the growing importance of low CO2 emissions in a front-wheel-drive format will make the 1.7-litre diesel the popular choice.’ Perhaps dealers will have to get used to deposits being pushed through letterboxes…

Our view…

Verdict: Kia Sportage 1.6 GDi 1 2WD

THIS two-wheel-drive-only £16,645 ‘1’ specification is the cheapest Sportage money can buy. But that doesn’t mean to say it’s short of equipment. 16-inch alloys, all-round electric windows, electric door mirrors, day-time LED lights, fog and cornering lamps, a rain sensor, Bluetooth with voice recognition, leather steering wheel with controls – the list goes on.

In fact, all those toys just make the driving experience even more pleasurable as the 1.6-litre unit is pretty decent to drive. It’s not hair-raising by any means, but its 133bhp and 165Nm of torque delivers adequate grunt. Well-weighted steering, a precise gearbox and quick to react stop-start system makes the entry-level Sportage a fine car.

Verdict: Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDi 3 2WD

STEP up two trim levels and the driving experience only gets better. We normally prefer petrols to diesels, but Kia’s new 1.7-litre oil burner is a treat. It’s down on power by 18bhp to the petrol but up by nearly 100Nm of torque, ensuring a more refined turn of speed.

The diesel unit also feels better suited to the car compared to the petrol, as you don’t need to work the ‘box as hard and just feels generally smoother. This being the top of the range model means the ‘3’ boasts full leather interior, both front and rear heated seats, Xenon lights, dual- zone climate control, auto-dimming rear view mirror and 18-inch alloys – all for £21,595.

Our test car had a seven-inch in-dash sat-nav screen too pushing the price up to £22,570. The 1.7-litre diesel is the pick of the bunch, with the mid-range 2 model offering the best specification for the money.