By Pamela A. Munoz
Overseas Communication Team
Kia Motors Corporation

It was a rainy start when we took our 37 drivers out to enjoy the test ride with the all-new Kia Sportage in Korea yesterday morning. There were 10+ countries represented during the three day trip which allowed journalists, fleet dealers and distributors from the Middle East and Africa to get to know Kia a little more in depth. For our seasoned visitors, this was the first opportunity they had to test a Kia in Seoul’s urban sprawl and enjoy some of the country’s mountainous landscape outside of the city.

Arabic writing on the side mirrors… these were models that will be available in the Middle East.

When the rain subsided and summer in its full, humid fury, our drivers enjoyed the ventilated driver’s seat (on our EX models) and dual-zone automatic air-conditioning throughout the day. Tunes were blaring through the two tweeter speakers from people’s iPods or USBs while the smart card entry with engine start button was an interesting feature.

We were happy to get some reactions from journalists and our partners, alike, as feedback gives us ideas on ways to improve our products to better serve Kia drivers. There were mostly positive responses about the car’s lines and aggressive sportiness – they also like the LED daytime running lights! Inside, the super vision cluster with automatic light controls and comfortable seats were well-received, along with the ergonomic placement of the controls along the dash.

Mike Fourie from Car Magazine in South Africa (follow him on Twitter @MikeF_CARmag) was gracious enough to share his initial thoughts on the Sportage. We thought you’d like to get his first hand opinion…