Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
Kia Sportage
At first glance the new Sportage is not what you might expect from a KIA. In fact it’s not even remotely an Asian-looking car. It’s very much sporting a European look both front and rear.
The design elements come from former-Audi designer Peter Schreyer‘s KIA revolution which has already taken form on the Cerato and Sportage (and soon on the RIO and Optima). Despite Schreye’s influence, the Sportage was designed by one of KIA’s chief designers, Massimo Frascella who works at the KIA design centre in California.
When you have the likes of Schreyer and Frascella (who has previously worked for Jaguar and Aston Martin) you begin to see why the Sportage looks so good. Frankly, it’s amazing how much looks can persuade opinion. It’s hard not to admire the Sportage for its clean, crisp modern design. The package could be perfect under the skin but if doesn’t appeal to the visual senses, it simply wont work.
The KIA Sportage is based on the same platform as the Hyundai ix35. That means it shares the same overall dimensions as well as all engine and transmission systems. However it does use a completely different AWD system developed jointly between Magna and KIA (more on that later).
The new Sportage marks the third generation of the SUV. Having originally launched in 1993, so far over 1.5 million buyers worldwide have taken one home. KIA expects the new model will find an additional 1.4 million buyers during its life cycle and given the overall package appears to be a certain winner on paper, it probably will.
To celebrate the launch of the new KIA Sportage, the Korean company took the automotive media to Queenstown, New Zealand. From here the program was destined to head to the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds but the weather Gods didn’t permit such a journey.