Kia has released the first pictures of the new Sportage. The fifth generation can already be seen inside and out, although Kia keeps extensive technical data under wraps. In any case, enough can be said about the appearance.
Car designers are in a rather extravagant sphere, it seems. More than once, cars are designed in a downright bombastic fashion, full of voluptuous lines and visual drama. Although Kia follows a very pronounced design path to a lesser extent than sister brand Hyundai, the brand comes out quite expressively with, among other things, the pronounced EV6. Kia proves that it can all go a bit more intense with the new fifth-generation Sportage.
The Sportage, which is currently still at dealers, has been there since 2015. This is soon followed by a very outspoken model. Just like the aforementioned EV6, that is drawn according to Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. That may sound like nice PR talk, but that Kia has made serious work of the new Sportage is immediately clear.
Kia Sportage
The big visual attraction is its front. Kia gives it a huge grille, flanked on either side by striking boomerang-shaped units that house the LED daytime running lights. That hook-shaped lighting is filled by the actual headlight units. Also seen from the side, the new Sportage looks nothing like the outgoing model. The Korean has a strongly rising shoulder line that optically merges in the D-pillar with a silver-coloured trim. The roof is also available in black for the first time. The lighting at the back is also quite expressive. The taillights taper out slightly downwards and have a spur on the flanks. The units themselves are optically tied together by a black plastic strip. For the first time, a more ruggedly decorated X-Line version will also be available. We already know the name X-Line from the Picanto, among others. The Sportage X-Line has, among other things, different bumper work and roof racks.
Kia Sportage
Robust
The interior looks robust and modern. Behind the steering wheel – including the new Kia logo – is a large panel that houses the digital instrumentation and the screen of the infotainment system. On either side of it are strikingly shaped ventilation grilles, the copy for the co-driver fills the rest of the dashboard in width.
As mentioned, Kia keeps extensive information under wraps. Tech-wise, the new Sportage is undoubtedly a lot like Hyundai’s recently revised Tucson. Count on a hybrid powertrain, but also on a plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid variant. Kia says it will soon release more information.
With 41,825 copies sold since 2005, the Kia Sportage is the best-selling Kia in our country after the Picanto and Rio. Last year 449 copies left the showroom, a fraction of the 3,000 copies that Kia sold in 2016. The Sportage experienced its best sales year in 2011, when 5,513 third-generation units found a Dutch owner.