Upgraded Kia Sportage now available

Kia's third generation Sportage was originally launched to the local motoring media on August 31, 2010.

Ever since its introduction, this model has proven to be one of Kia Motors South Africa’s most popular models, with over 9 000 units sold in the last three years.

To date, the Sportage has received numerous design awards including an IF-design award, a Red Dot Design award, as well as an award in the Automotive Brand Contest. On the international front, the Sportage has been awarded with various Car of the Year titles.

And now Kia Motors South Africa has launched the newly enhanced and upgraded Kia Sportage. The Sportage receives small but significant upgrades to its modern exterior as well as a refreshed interior design and new materials throughout the cabin.

The upgraded Sportage will be available in two engines, a smooth 2.0 D-CVVT petrol engine and a more powerful 2.0 VGT CRDi diesel engine. The petrol engine is more refined and is now paired with a six-speed manual and automatic transmission resulting in improved fuel consumption.

The steering on the diesel models change from Hydraulic Asssisted steering to Motor Driven Power Steering. The enhanced Sportage will be even more refined than the current model, with a number of changes designed to minimise noise, vibration and harshness.

Both the petrol and diesel engines will be available in three packages: the entry level Ignite model, a 2WD package and the top of the range, full house AWD package.

Various changes have been made to the exterior. The front grille has been re-moulded resulting in a high-tech and stylish appearance, while changes to the front fog lamps and lower bumper amplify the vehicle’s dynamic proportions. The newly designed 17 inch and 18 inch alloy wheels improve vehicle rigidity and contribute to a refined driving experience and enhanced NVH levels.

The re-designed rear combination lamps are striking and add a touch of sportiness to the rear.

The newly upgraded Sportage’s driver space is improved and features many enhancements. The door upper trim features soft padding with a newly developed IMG (In-Mould Graining) processed textures and offers a higher finishing quality.

The supervision instrument cluster features a new 4.2 inch TFT LCD screen which provides digitally displayed vehicle information. The dot-matrix centre facia display on the previous generation Sportage is replaced with a 4.3 inch TFT LCD touch screen, which doubles up as the rear-view camera display when reverse mode is activated.

The AWD model features the new and improved state-of-the art Infinity sound system with a built-in sub woofer, external amplifier and built-in hard drive.