Bike transport the elegant way

If you want to take your bike on vacation or to the weekend, a transport system for the ball head of the trailer hitch is a good idea. Kia is one of the few manufacturers to even offer an electrically extending system for the Sportage. At a price of around 2400 euros, it's not cheap, but it's extremely convenient and, with a drawbar load of 100 kilograms, it's also suitable for heavy e-bikes.

However, anyone traveling to southern vacation regions must observe the marking requirement for cargo protruding over the rear, otherwise they will face a fine of at least 80 euros. Spain and Portugal require a different warning sign than Italy, but for about 20 euros you can buy two-sided printed signs that meet the requirements in all countries. If in doubt, you need two of them. This is because if the load, i.e. the bicycles, extend across the entire width of the rear of the vehicle, a sign must be attached to each side.

The trailer coupling on the Kia Sportage is not only suitable for simple and safe bicycle transport, it can also handle much heavier loads. With a permitted trailer load of up to 1500 kilograms, the Korean SUV is well in the midfield of towing vehicles. (aum/mk)