Kia celebrates 30 years of Sportage!

We travelled to the Western Cape to attend Kia's celebration of 30 Years of Sportage, which also coincides with the brand having been in the local market for 25 years! The brand released a spec-update for the Sportage as a result, and here's the details!

Sean Nurse

13 Nov 2023 · 08:48Buying a Car2 min read

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Kia Motors South Africa is celebrating 25 years within the local market and 30 years of its most successful model, the Sportage. We travelled down to Cape Town as the brand launched specification updates for the range, and has stated that there will be stock availability of the updated range!

Related: Kia launches diesel Sportage models!

Fifth-generation spec update

Having been introduced a year ago locally, Kia has revised the Sportage line-up and has placed an emphasis on diesel-powered options as it has spotted a gap in the market where the R600 000-700 000 price bracket has a distinct lack of diesel options. While the world is slowly moving away from diesel engines, many markets, South Africa included, still have a massive demand for these powertrains, and the 1.6-litre CRDi motor available in the Sportage is impressive in terms of fuel returns.

The engine produces 100kW and 320Nm of torque and is paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. As of the time of writing, the entry-level LX and EX models in the Sportage range will only be available with the diesel engine. The petrol-powered 132kW/265Nm 1.6 T-GDi is still an option, but only in three GT-Line models. We had a chance to drive the diesel model again at the event and were reminded of how frugal the powertrain can be and when driven appropriately, the calibration between the gearbox and engine is impressive, while those expecting a level of dynamism should apply elsewhere.

Updated safety

Safety features include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC), Downhill Brake Control (DBC), Trailer Stability Assist (TSA), six airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors as well as a raft Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) including Lane Follow Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) across the range.

Pricing*

Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi LX: R 637 995

Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi EX: R 691 995

Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi GT-Line: R 713 995

Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi GT-Line Plus: R 741 995

Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi GT-Line Plus: R 765 995

Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi GT-Line S: R 798 995

*All Sportage models come as standard with a 5-year /unlimited kilometre warranty and a pre-paid 6-year / 90 000 km service plan.

Written by Sean Nurse

With a lifelong passion for cars, bikes, and motorsport, Sean knew that attaining a degree in journalism would allow him to pursue his passion, which was to be a motoring journalist. After graduating in 2012, Sean was awarded a bursary from the SAGMJ which allowed him to work for a variety of motoring publications. This was a dream come true for Sean, and after a year of gaining vital industry experience, he was hired as a motoring journalist at a local newspaper and worked his way up to editor. In 2020, Sean joined the AutoTrader team and counts himself lucky to wake up and genuinely love what he does for a living.Read more