Seeing the all-new Kia Sportage at the Frankfurt Auto Show reminds us of how far the Korean brand has come since the first generation of the series from the early 1990s.
Now in its fourth generation, and having long shed its rugged past, the next Sportage wants to pass off as an even more sophisticated and upscale model than its predecessor, though, we must say that, the new front end with the gaping-mouth grille and top mounted headlights, might take some time to get used to.
While more modern and sharper looking, the interior design gives us a sense of familiarity. Kia claims that it is made up of higher quality materials and offers improved practicality along with “a range of technologies to improve comfort, convenience, connectivity, and safety”.
It also offers better room inside as it comes with a 30 mm (1.2 inches) longer wheelbase (now 2,670 mm or 105.1 inches) and 40mm (1.6 inches) greater overall length at 4,480 mm (176.4 inches). According to Kia, passenger space is increased, with headroom rising to 997 mm (+5 mm) and 993 mm (+16 mm) for front and rear passengers respectively, while maximum legroom has expanded to 1,129 mm (+ 19 mm) and 970 mm (+7 mm). There’s more space for luggage too, as cargo capacity increases from 465 liters (16.4 cu-ft) to 503 liters (17.7 cu-ft).
Kia will begin European sales of the new Sportage in the first quarter of 2016 offering a choice of two petrol units, a 132PS (130hp) 1.6-liter and a 177PS (175hp) 1.6-liter turbo that can be hooked up to a new 7-speed DCT gearbox, and three diesels, a 115PS (113hp) 1.7-liter CRDi and a 2.0-liter ‘R’ available in 136PS (134hp) and 184PS (181hp) outputs.
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