Suspension & Steering

Long-travel, smooth-riding, responsive systems

Every Sportage is fitted with fully independent suspension systems, front and rear, designed to deliver responsive on-road handling and a supple, comfortable ride on European roads, while retaining long-wheel-travel and a genuine talent to also perform with real ability off-road.

Front suspension is common to all models. It has a subframe beneath the engine bay which supports the McPherson Strut suspension and the steering rack and also helps to isolate the passenger cabin from road surface vibrations. The co-axial coil springs are offset for smooth operation and the shock absorber strut incorporates the anti-roll bar mounting point, to provide optimal handling stability and improved ride without sacrificing mounting rigidity.

At the rear, the Sportage employs two different suspension set-ups, for the two-wheel drive (front drive) and four-wheel drive (all-wheel drive) models. 2WD models have a transverse subframe with dual lower transverse links, with a single forward-facing trailing arm. The shock absorber struts are fitted with co-axial coil springs with a large spring offset which allows for greatly-improved ride comfort and handling stability.

For 4WD models, the rear subframe is a larger, more substantial structure to accommodate and support the rear differential. Although the rear hubs are also different, to accept the rear drive shafts, the overall layout of the suspension is similar to the 2WD model (though using different components), with dual lower transverse links, with a single forward-facing trailing arm.

Both designs of rear suspension are tall and slender, ensuring minimum intrusion into the trunk space. Gas-filled shock absorbers are standard fit for both the front and rear suspension systems for optimal damping performance.

Every Sportage model has a power-assisted rack and pinion steering system with a 16.1 to 1 ratio, requiring 3.06 turns of the steering wheel lock-to-lock, and a turning circle of 10.8 metres.