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car review

2011 Kia Sportage

Kia Canada proudly boasts that cash buyers "can also select up to seven vehicles from Kia Canada's line-up for under $20,000." Buyers will pay considerably less for those vehicles with cash incentives of up to $6,000.

This deal means that almost everything on offer is a deal. You no longer need wonder why Kia's sales were up 34 per cent in April.

And it's not just the cash that is in play. Kia is also offering 0.0 per cent financing on all 2011. If you choose to finance, you won't need to pay anything for 90 days on certain models.

These offers help explain why the Kia Sportage small crossover has what in industry jargon is called a 22-day "turn rate." That is, the typical Sportage stays on a dealer lot for about three weeks before finding a buyer's home. A good turn rate is 45 or 50 days; 22 days is obscene.

This sort of fire sale marketing puts pressure on Kia's rivals to match the deals. Naturally, Deals of the Week went looking.

We found a $2,000 cash incentive on the Sportage and not just for cash purchases. No, you can take the $2,000 - if you squeeze it out of the dealer, because it's a factory-to-dealer incentive - and combine it with 4.39 per cent financing for up to five years. It does not take a marketing genius to move metal with these kinds of handouts in play.

Which brings us to a Sportage competitor, the 2011 Jeep Compass. The Jeep has an upgraded cabin and a few other very minor improvements for 2011. But the real story is the deal: up to $2,500 in cash discounts that can be combined with finance rates of 4.99 per cent for up to five years and whatever dealer discount you can negotiate. You're not surprised that Chrysler Canada's sales were up 15.4 per cent in April, are you?

Premium auto makers are not immune to the need for speed in the deal-making department. BMW Canada has a $2,000 factory-to-dealer offer on the table. Or you can take $1,000 and combine it with 0.9 per cent financing for four years.

And Nissan has a healthy $5,000 cash incentive on the 2011 Pathfinder SUV. If you're an off-roader, this is worth a look-see.

As usual, Deals of the Week obtained pricing information from www.carcostcanada.com. Here are the numbers.

2011 Kia Sportage EX AWD

MSRP: $29,395

Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,750

Dealer discount (estimated): $1,000

Taxable subtotal: $30,145

Factory discount: $2,000 (Trading Dollars factory-to-dealer discount)

Factory discount: $2,000 (Prime Rate Credit factory-to-dealer rebate)

Total price with 13% HST: $29,543.85

Note: discounts can be combined with 4.39 per cent financing for up to five years

2011 Jeep Compass 70th Anniversary Edition AWD

MSRP: $26,895

Freight, dealer prep: $1,500

Dealer discount: $800

Taxable subtotal: $27,595

Factory discount: $1,500 (Consumer Cash Discount factory-to-dealer rebate)

Total price with 13% HST: $29,487.35

Factory discount: $1,000 (Bonus Cash factory-to-customer rebate)

Final price: $28,487.35

Note: Offers can be combined with 4.99 per cent financing for up to five years

2011 BMW 128i coupe

MSRP: $35,800

Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $2,095

Dealer discount (estimated): $1,500

Factory discount: $2,000 (Alternate Cash factory-to-dealer rebate on cash purchases; can be combined with 0.0% financing for five years)

Taxable subtotal: $34,395

Total price with 13% HST: $38,866.35

Note: Finance rates of 0.9 per cent for four years qualify for a $1,000 factory-to-dealer rebate

2011 Nissan Pathfinder S 4WD

MSRP: $37,948

Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,620

Dealer discount (estimated): $1,500

Factory discount: $5,000 (Trading Dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)

Taxable subtotal: $33,068

Total price with 13% HSTT: $37,366.84

Note: Finance rates of 4.75 per cent for up to six years can be combined with the $5,000 offer.

Pricing information source: www.carcostcanada.com. Calculations based on Ontario customers. Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Dealer discounts are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis.

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