Kia Sportage Diesel (2005/6) Crdi - Need Advice

[tom]

Hi,

Anyone who has experience with KIA Sportage Diesel Vehicle? I am looking for a 2nd hand SUV - Came across a KIA Sportage 2006 Diesel ( 2L CRDi) 4 WD Auto vehicle. I heard that it does well on Fuel. Any Idea about the maintenance and reliability? (provided it is Diesel and old over 5 years)

Other options within my budget are Hyundai Tucson ( 2006 Petrol 2L ) , X trail ( 2003 2.5 L) , Grand Vitara / Escudo ( 2005/6 V6 ) , Mazda Tribute ( 2003) , CRV ( 2003).

Looking for a Vehicle with moderate Fuel consumption and fair on maintenance.

Your expert advice is essential !

[tom]

Hi Guys. any experts pls...

[CJ5]

Will you be taking it on very rough terrain?????

[tom]

Mainly for Colombo - sub urban use. may be once a month out station - 'light safari' .

[CJ5]

Mainly for Colombo - sub urban use. may be once a month out station - 'light safari' .

As a car all the models given by you have good ground clearance but not as SUVs. However I would go for the X-Trail or the Tucson as I feel theyare more rugged than the others and of the two my choice would be the X-Trail. But as regarding fuel costs the KIA very likely would be better. Space wise the Grand Vitara would score as if I am correct it is a 7 seater while the others are 5 seaters. The Mazda Tribute is not a very popular model and there could be issues with spares and resale.

I am no expert though and this is my honest opinion.

Edited March 19, 2013 by CJ5

[tom]

Thanks CJ5 for your feedback.. X-Trail would be a good choice defenetely - only issue is the maintenance cost. anyone selling awell maintained 2003 + X trail I would happy to consider.

I came across a KIA sportage Petrol 2L 4WD - seems low performance ( power and fuel economy) than diesel version. But I feel the maintenance would be lower .

[The Don]

Hyundais and Kias are pretty similar these days as they come from the same stable.

[CJ5]

Hyundais and Kias are pretty similar these days as they come from the same stable.

Hyundai owns a little under of 50% of KIA, so how correct is it to say that "they come from the same stable"?????

[Clark's son]

The hyundai is slightly more expensive when coming out of the compay because it is made with a slightly high build quality.

There seem to be more rattling from a kia compared to a similar hyundai.

And the main reason why i chose Hyundai over KIA is the local agent, Prestige is no A*W or Unimo but it's way better than the KIA agents.