Introduced in 1993, the compact crossover SUV Sportage was one of Korean manufacturer Kia's first American offerings. The original Sportage was Korea's take on an upscale (for Korea) Jeep, and was a direct relative of corporate partner Mazda's Bongo. The second generation (2004 to 2010) came with a pair of Hyundai-sourced engines, the 2.0L, inline four-cylinder Beta II and the 2.7L Delta V6. These engines were also used in the contemporary Hyundai Tiburon.
Engine Block
The Beta II used a cast-iron engine block very similar to the original Beta's used in Elantras, Tiburons and Tuscons. The Beta II used an engine block contoured around the cylinder bores, extra internal reinforcements for increased strength and an additional transaxle mounting point to increase mounting rigidity and decrease noise and vibration. The 2.7L V6 delta used an aluminum engine block capable of withstanding 400 horsepower worth of turbo boost.
Cylinder Heads
Both engines use similar aluminum cylinder heads, with two camshafts per head and four valves per cylinder. The more advanced Beta II has more efficient combustion chambers and intake and exhaust ports for better performance and fuel economy. Additionally, the Beta II head utilizes Hyundai's version of i-VTEC (called CVVT), which boosts both fuel economy at low rpm and horsepower at high rpm. However, unlike Honda's i-VTEC, Hyundai's system only works on the intake-side valves.
Rotating Assembly
Hyundai's little econo-motors may not have been much in the horsepower department from the factory, but their strong internals make for excellent power potential on the stock short-block. The Beta II utilizes the forged steel connecting rods used in prior 2.0L versions, and the 2.7L V6 uses slightly weaker but still strong powder metal-forged connecting rods. Both engines use fairly strong cast crankshafts and medium-strength cast aluminum pistons, but aftermarket forged aluminum pistons are available for both.
Injection, Induction and Exhaust
Both engines use a mass airflow (MAF)-controlled, multi-point fuel injection system, helping them to more easily handle aftermarket modifications and outside conditions than competitive speed density (SD) or manifold air pressure (MAP) systems. The Beta II does use a MAP sensor, but it's a redundancy to the MAF sensor. The V6 uses a two-part intake manifold very similar in design to those used on old 5.0L Mustangs. The Beta II uses a redesigned exhaust manifold with an integrated catalytic converter for lower emissions; the 2.7L V6 uses divorced catalytic converters and a shorty header-style, cast-iron manifold for increased performance.
Tags: engine, sportage, Beta used, Both engines, engine block, aluminum pistons, connecting rods, fuel economy, very similar
