1999 KIA Sportage
Capable SUV Gets
Racy, Mini and Cute

By Sue Mead

"She eats up the small ones pretty well, don't you think?" yelled Darrenās voice into my radioed helmet. "She" was the Kia Sportage race car that we were now encased in on a run for the money in "The Richest Off-Road Race in Nevada." The "small ones" were the continuous, but lesser, 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, which rained into the cockpit through the glassless windshield.

Typically in backcountry driving, these features would be traversed at slow speed. But this was a race. In fact, it was last race of the Best of the Desert Series -- called the "Terrible's Town 250" -- and Skilton wanted to win. The majestic views and desert terrain went past the two of us, held taut in our 5-point harnesses, 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-racecar a dazzling dame at "eating up" the bumps. But ride comfort is a bonus for Skilton. Whatās really important is the Kiaās 185-horsepower locked in 16 valves mated to its 5-speed transmission with a 2wd and 4wd box that have made it the competitive off-road vehicle that Skilton has driven to a number of victories over the past few years.

A 31-year-old Long Beach, California resident, Skilton began his racing career just six years ago and has already garnered three SCORE Milestone Awards, for finishing every mile of every race he started, and some impressive wins -- like two SCORE Baja 1000 titles. Following the "Terrible's Town 250," he was named the '98 Class Champion in the Best of the Desert Racing series. All in the Kia Sportage.

Eyebrows have been raising in the desert where Kia, a company selling cars in the U.S. for only 5 years, is winning off-road races. Their mini-SUV has claimed victories beating vehicles such as the Jeep CJ-7, Chevy Blazer, Ford Bronco II, and Nissan Pathfinder. It's been fast, but durable too; before winning best-in-class at Baja, the very same vehicle completed the Paris-Dakar rally, driving into the record books. For 1999, a spunky 2-door convertible joins the desert-proven 4-door in the Sportage lineup.

You may be still be wondering, "Who is this Kia, anyway?" Well, this automaker actually has a long and impressive history, though not in the United States. In 1944, Kia manufactured bicycle parts in Korea and went on to become the first Korean company to build internal combustion engines and passenger cars. Today, the Seoul-based firm, recently purchased by Hyundai, sells cars in over 120 countries and has established itself as a world-class automaker.