Kia PH brings back Sportage nameplate

MANILA: Kia Philippines, under the stewardship of ACMobility, has reintroduced the Sportage nameplate. 

Reimagined for today’s generation of car buyers, the crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) now packs a more sustainable (but still respectable) powertrain, boasts a modern look, and comes equipped with a handful of appointments that lean towards the comfort and convenience of its passengers. 

Here is a quick look at the latest iteration of the Kia Sportage. 

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Modern exterior 

The returning Kia Sportage is fitted with the modern interpretation of the brand’s tiger nose grille — making its looks akin to the likes of the Sorento and Carnival. 

As such, it gets a mesh-like grillework flanked by LED illumination (projection-type headlamps and daytime running lights). The lower portion of the fascia uses a horizontal-like pattern (with front fog lamps on each side), finished by a brushed silver applique on the chin. 

The Kia emblem sits proudly on the hood, nestled on the silver garnish just above the meshwork. 

Its side profile is characterized by athletic bodylines that move ever so lightly upwards, complemented by cladding on the wheel arches and lower portions of the door (also with brushed silver trims), which, to the author’s surprise, came in a glossy finish. 

These appear to go well with the 18-inch two-tone wheels shod in 235/60-series highway tires, the chrome accents on the windows, and its roof rails. 

At the back, the Kia Sportage crossover SUV gets a sporty-looking spoiler mounted on the roof, sharp taillamps adjoined by a black garnish (and speaking of black), and a black trim on the rear bumper finished by a brushed silver feature.  

Overall, its looks befit the times (and mimics the design cues seen on other Kia vehicles) and will likely attract the attention of the younger market. 

Sporty cabin 

Stepping inside, the Kia Sportage’s cabin looks sporty with an abundance of black finishes and a somewhat minimalist, seamless-looking dashboard. 

The driver is treated to a flat-top, flat-bottom steering wheel (which is a fixture on performance cars due to its ability to offer good leg clearance, better visibility of the instrument panel, and a race-inspired look) with multi-functional controls. 

It is worth noting that the aforementioned steering wheel has paddle shifters (on top of the rotary gear shifter) to aid a sportier driving experience. 

Past it is a horizontal screen that combines the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment system that measures 12.3 inches. The latter also has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity for added convenience. Voice control is also available, so drivers will not have to take their hands off the wheel when performing basic infotainment actions. 

While listening to one’s favorite music or podcast, audio is transmitted via an eight-speaker Harman/Kardon premium sound system. 

Other notable features include leather upholstery, soft-touch surfaces on common touch points inside the cabin, power seats, a pull-down armrest for the second-row occupants, dedicated air conditioning vents for those sitting at the back, large seatback pockets, charging ports on the seats, and functional hooks behind the front-row seating. 

The writer would like to point out that the Kia Sportage still has physical knobs and buttons for controlling in-car climate, which makes tweaking the temperature easy for the driver.   

Another nice touch is that the crossover SUV comes with a spare tire at the back, a rather dying feature among hybrid and other electrified vehicles. And while we are on the topic of hybrid cars… 

Hybrid powertrain 

Propulsion for the Kia Sportage comes from a 1.6-liter Gamma II turbocharged gasoline engine with a permanent magnet synchronous motor and a 1.49 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, generating some 231 horsepower and 367 Newton-meters of torque. 

The front wheels are spun by way of Kia’s Smartstream six-speed automatic transmission. 

Streamlined safety 

When it comes to safety, the Kia Sportage combines standard and advanced technologies. 

Things like airbags, seatbelts, anti-lock braking, an electronic parking brake, electronic stability control, downhill brake control, hill-start assist, and a tire-pressure monitoring system are supplied to the entry-level variant. 

Further, the range-topping model comes with the Kia Drivewise — the company’s suite of advanced driver-assist systems — and adds features like cruise control, forward collision avoidance assist, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane following assist, lane keeping assist, blind-spot collision avoidance system, parking sensors, a rear-view parking monitor, and a parking distance warning system. 

Variants, pricing 

The Kia Sportage is sold in two variants (EX and SX) with an introductory price of P1.898 million for the entry-level offering.

Check out their suggested retail prices below:

Variant	Price
EX	P1.978 million (single tone)
SX	P2.098 million; P2.128 million (optional two-tone interior)

 Also read:

Kia PH reaches 10K-unit sales milestone for Sonet

Hyundai, Kia unveils first-ever in-vehicle UV sanitization tech

Will the Kia Sportage have the same warm reception as in UK?

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