Kia gives new Sportage some teeth

Kia has unveiled its new Sportage ahead of its global market launch later this year. The SUV has previously been a safe bet in terms of design and appearance with its reserved form and unobtrusive character. But this latest iteration brings with it a little more grit.

The exterior design team has clearly tried to make the Sportage more aggressive. The boomerang daytime running lights (DLRs) on the front-end slice between the main diamond-shaped headlamps and the grille, cutting back over the top of the front wheels. The same boomerang shape is used lower down for the foglamp surrounds. Kia’s signature ’Tiger Nose’ grille, again using diamond shapes for texture, stretches across the entire face to achieve a sense of width.

On the sides, low-running character lines slice through the bodywork under the door handles, while the shoulders are clearly emboldened with high curves that extend from the back lamps and disappear on the back doors.

The rear lamps with V-shaped graphics are connected by a light bar, again adding to the sense of width. A single clean line sweeps across the bottom of the boot lid above the bumper, which pushes far up into the bodywork to emphasise height. The bumper includes hook shapes in a grey material that are similar to the shapes of the foglamp surrounds at the front end, providing an element of continuity.

The interior finish is very close to the one shown in Kia’s recently unveiled EV6. A curved display unit houses both the touchscreen and driver instrument cluster display. It is flanked either side by L-shaped air vents, both of which push out all the way to the doors. Another digital display, small and narrow, is positioned under the touchscreen and central air vents. It shows climate control information and is complete with two small rotary knobs on either side.

Various dials and buttons are placed on the centre console, which is finished in a glossy black surface. Leather clads most of the dash, apart from a narrow composite section in the middle that continues on the doors.

Kia says more design options will be available when selecting the X-Line addition, including a unique bumper style, side sills and curved roof rack. ‘Sage Green’ or black seats and ‘black metal wood’ will also give the interior a different feel.

The new Sportage was co-designed by Kia’s teams in Korea, Germany, the US and China. “Reinventing the Sportage gave our talented design teams a tremendous opportunity to do something new; to take inspiration from the recent brand relaunch and introduction of EV6 to inspire customers through modern and innovative SUV design,” says Karim Habib, senior vice president and head of Kia’s Global Design Center. “With the all-new Sportage, we didn’t simply want to take one step forward but instead move on to a different level in the SUV class… When you see the all-new Sportage in person, with its sleek but powerfully dynamic stance, and when you sit inside the detailed-oriented cabin with its beautifully detailed interior and first-class materials, you’ll see we have achieved those goals and set new benchmarks. In the all-new Sportage, we believe you can see the future of our brand and our products.”