Kia Sportage facelift: expression adjusted
Kia is presenting a heavily revised Sportage for the US market at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It gives a foretaste of the European version.
(Image: Kia)
Kia adapts some models to regional preferences, and the Sportage SUV is one of them. The version for the US market, for example, is 15 cm longer than the one for Europe. At the trade fair in Los Angeles, Kia is showing a heavily redesigned Sportage, the design of which is also likely to come to Europe – probably in a year at the latest.
Kia has mainly changed the view from the front, where there is no danger of confusion with the previous model. The headlights are now arranged vertically, as with so many new releases or revisions from Kia in the recent past. Compared to this, the rest of the bodywork's new features are relatively straightforward. Different wheel rims and reshaped bumpers are within the usual scope of such a revision. The high-gloss black surfaces in the interior have been replaced by other materials.
Open Smart
The topic of infotainment is keeping car manufacturers on their toes. Many customers now expect regular updates for existing systems and upgrades at the latest in time for model updates. Like other manufacturers, Kia is also trying to meet this demand. Innovations in this area include a head-up display and the wireless integration of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Sportage can be air-conditioned, opened, locked and started using a cell phone and smartwatch. Additional functions can be added in the car's app store.
Assistance has also been expanded. A new feature in the USA is a helper that is designed to prevent head-on collisions with improved recognition of other road users. The highway assistant is now also supposed to work more smoothly. Only the two hybrids have a helper to prevent complaints from the second row: heated rear seats.
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Minimally more power
The Sportage is currently available with three drive systems on the American market. The base model is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 139 kW. A full hybrid with a turbocharged petrol engine provides a system output of 172 kW –, which is 3 kW more than before. At the top of the range is a plug-in hybrid with 200 kW –, which is 5 kW more than before. We expect Kia to bring both hybrids to Europe in this form.
Kia Sportage 2025 (9 Bilder)
Kia
)However, the plug-in hybrid could receive an upgrade for the local market. The US version has a 140 kg 13.8 kWh battery that can be charged with a maximum of around 7 kW. A greater range would be particularly important for the German market so that the Sportage PHEV can benefit from the tax incentives for privately used company cars. In this context, perhaps Kia will make it possible to drive purely electrically even in frosty conditions. In some PHEV models from Kia and Hyundai that we had as test cars in the editorial office, this was only possible if the air conditioning was switched off completely.
Europe follows
The revised Sportage will be launched on the US market in the second quarter of 2025. We expect that Kia will then also present the version for Europe and bring it to dealers towards the end of the year. The SUV currently costs at least 34,690 euros in Germany, while the plug-in hybrid with more extensive standard equipment costs at least 45,290 euros. We do not expect any major shifts in this respect.
(mfz)