An official announcement confirming the facelift Sportage for South Africa is yet to be made.
Shown in North American guise at the Los Angeles International Auto Show at the end of last year, Kia has taken the wraps off of the facelift Sportage the United Kingdom which provides the likely biggest indication of what the South African-market version could look like.
New outside
On-sale in the island kingdom from the third quarter of this year, the internally named NQ5 Sportage’s first revision since its world debut four years ago consists of a new front bumper, redesigned headlights and daytime running diodes, a tweaked Tiger Nose grille and new alloy wheels ranging from 17-inches to 19-inches on GT-Line models.
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At the rear, the updates are subtler and consists of a new bumper and graphics for the light clusters.
Subtly new inside
Inside, the Sportage gets the same steering wheel as the electric EV models and the Tasman bakkie, as well as newly designed air vents that now run flush across the width of the dashboard.
On the centre console, the plethora of physical buttons remain, as does the rotary dial gear selector on higher-end models. A traditional lever on automatic variants also continues as Kia still offers the Sportage with a manual gearbox.
Upgraded materials and upholstery colours, including a first-time two-tone on GT-Line grades, and a new optional Head-Up Display round the interior’s changes off.
Up front
On the power front, the UK-spec Sportage continues to offer a choice of two engines; the 1.6 T-GDI rated at 110 kW, and a hybrid that combines the same engine with an electric motor and battery pack for a total output of 175 kW.
Transmissions for the former are either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch, with the hybrid having sole access to a unique six-speed automatic.
Standard across all engine options is front-wheel-drive, with all-wheel-drive being optional on the hybrid only.
By comparison, the US-market Sportage has three engine options; a normally aspirated 2.5-litre petrol pumping-out 140 kW, a 1.6-litre hybrid developing 170 kW and a plug-in hybrid that combines the 1.6 with an electric motor and battery pack for a total output of 200 kW.
Confirmation awaited
Priced from $28 690 in the United States, which amounts to a directly converted R510 628, Kia South Africa is yet to confirm the updated Sportage for the local market, which, if approved, could happen before year-end.
As a reminder, the South African range spans six models and five trim levels: LX, EX, GT-Line, GT-Line Plus and GT-Line S, with a choice of two engines; the 1.6 T-GDI rated at 132kW/265Nm and the 1.6 CRDI turbodiesel outputting 100kW/320Nm.
Pricing starts at R662 995 for the 1.6 CRDI LX and ends at R823 995 for the top-spec 1.6 T-GDI GT-Line S,
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