2011 Sportage becomes fourth new-generation Kia to be named Top Safety Pick

August 19, 2010May 20, 2012 Omar Rana 2011, Crossovers, Kia Sportage, SUVs

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the all-new 2011 Sportage crossover its 2010 Top Safety Pick recognition in the small SUV category when built after March 2010. The 2011 Sportage joins 2010 Forte compact sedan, 2010 Soul urban passenger vehicle and 2011 Sorento SUV as a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS – making it the fourth new-generation Kia to be given the designation.

“The Kia brand is committed to providing consumers with the highest levels of passenger safety by providing a comprehensive list of cutting-edge technologies and features for increased crash protection,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, Kia Motors America (KMA). “The 2011 Sportage”s sleek and modern appearance continues Kia”s design-led transformation while staying true to the company”s core philosophy of providing consumers with exciting, fun-to-drive vehicles with high levels of value, quality and safety.”

Ratings from the Institute are based on results from frontal, side and rear impact crash tests, and for 2010 a good performance in a roof strength test ““ to measure protection in a rollover ““ also was required to win. All vehicles must have electronic stability control available to be eligible.

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Refresher: All 2011 Kia Sportage models come standard with a 2.4L DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine with CVVT making 176-hp. Estimated fuel-economy comes in at 22/31 mpg (city/highway). A 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo GDI engine making 270-hp will be available in the 2011 Kia Sportage SX, which will go on sale shortly after the Base, LX and EX model. Prices start at $18,295 for the base model.