1999 Kia Sportage - Review

See more photos

"She eats up the small ones pretty well, don’t you think? " yelled Darren’s voice through my helmet’s radio. "She" was the Kia Sportage race car that was taking us on a run for the money in "The Richest Off-Road Race in Nevada." The "small ones" were the lesser, but numbingly continuous, bumps and grinds along this 250-mile off-road course that ran parallel to Death Valley. The "big ones," by contrast, were ridges and drop-offs that sent us airborne, often followed by a rush of sagebrush and dust that rained into the cockpit through the glass-less windshield.

 Typically, in backcountry driving, this rugged terrain would be traversed at slow speed. But this was a race, in fact, the last race of the Best of the Desert Series, called the "Terrible’s Town 250," and Skilton wanted to win. With the two of us held taut in our five-point harnesses, the majestic views and desert terrain went past at speeds that reached nearly 90 mph.

A combination of the Kia’s 104-inch wheelbase, 60-inch track, impressive angles of approach and departure, and supple suspension made this everyday SUV turned race car a dazzling dame at "eating up" the bumps. Ride comfort was a bonus for Skilton. But what really mattered were the Kia’s 185 horses channeled through a five-speed transmission with a 2WD and 4WD box. The combination is a competitive off-road vehicle that Skilton has driven to a number of victories over the past few years.

1999 Kia Sportage 2

Enlarge Photo