Reporting “Asre Khodro” quoted from Cambridge News, this updated version of the third generation car now packs in more equipment, tidies the styling, sharpens the dynamics a tad but keeps the same value, practicality and great aftersales care. The motto here seems to be ‘If it ain’t broke, give it a better stereo’.
The oily bits haven’t changed too much with the latest revision. As before, you get a choice of four powerplants. There are ۱.۷ or ۲.۰-litre common-rail diesels with ۱۱۳ and ۱۳۴bhp respectively – or ۱.۶ and ۲.۰-litre petrols packing ۱۳۸ and ۱۶۱bhp. Performance is similar with the ۲.۰-litre units as both manage the ۰-۶۲mph trial in under ۱۱ seconds with the manual gearbox installed. The entry level cars have front wheel-drive, with upper spec models getting all-wheel traction. The Sportage uses a part-time all-wheel-drive system which sends ۱۰۰ per cent of power to the front wheels unless slippage is detected and it’s automatically diverted to the rear. There’s a Lock Mode for off-road driving which splits the available power ۵۰/۵۰ between the front and rear wheels, but it only operates below ۲۵mph. All Sportage models have Hillstart Assist Control to help with uphill getaways and Downhill Brake Control to provide reassurance on steep descents.
The latest car features Kia’s Flex Steer system on selected models. This allows the driver to choose between three different levels of power assistance according to preference and where the car is being driven. ‘Comfort’ mode provides increased help for parking or manoeuvring in tight areas, for example, while ‘Sport’ lessens the assistance for increased feel and stability at higher speeds. There is also a ‘Normal’ setting. In addition to this, the windscreen glass has been modified to reduce the amount of noise entering the cabin.
Talk about subtle. The exterior styling changes to the latest Sportage will have most of you scratching your heads, even with the old and new cars parked next to one another. Perhaps that’s a testament to the fact that the design has aged extremely well and still looks pin-sharp. I’m not going to be the one who accuses Kia’s design studio of laziness. The differences are a slightly smarter front grille, revised tail light clusters, revised alloy wheel designs and a shark fin antenna for some trim grades. Inside there’s a soft ‘nano’ paint finish on the dashboard and centre console, better illumination and soft-touch upper door trims. The door-mounted audio tweeters have been repositioned to enhance sound quality. Up-spec models also get a ۴.۲-inch TFT LCD supervision cluster mounted between the recessed dials of the dual-bezel instrument display.
The Kia Sportage has enjoyed a relatively low impact upgrade but, to be honest, it didn’t need much done to it. In the final year on sale, the only SUV to outsell the pre-facelift car in the UK was the Range Rover Evoque – which isn’t a direct competitor. By any account, the Sportage has carved an enviable niche for itself in the affections of British buyers. Of course, it’s taken quite some time to get there but its development has been steady and well planned. Ten years ago, the Sportage was built down to a price and felt it, but then ten years ago, the market leading entry-level Freelander emitted ۲۴۸g/km and averaged ۲۷.۳mpg. That was the target the rest were aiming for.
Just as SUV efficiency is almost unrecognisably improved these days, so is the Sportage. It’s now something to be proud of; which will blend into virtually any social situation. Prices have remained realistic and Kia can rightly expect this one to sit at the top of its class for some time yet.
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