New vs old KIA Sportage: what are top 3 differences?

By Farzana Chaumoo

Here are the top 3 things that make the new KIA Sportage stand above its predecessors.

 

The Sportage was first launched in 1993 and has survived four design generations. It goes down as KIA's most successful model in their history. Last year the Sportage celebrated not only a 25-year anniversary but also reaching 5 million cumulative sales across the globe.

It has certainly come a long way since its introduction at the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show as an ‘Urban SUV’ concept. It laid the foundation for a compact, practical SUV, suitable for use in a variety of environments and became an instant hit. 

A new version of Sportage was introduced in 2004, and after seven years of production, sales hit a record of 1,223,776 units globally. The current generation model was released about 3 years ago and its last refresh took place in November 2018. The new model received revisions to the engine and transmission, as well as the model line-up.

 

1. Exterior and interior design revisions

Between the old and new model, the design differences are immediately noticeable. The Sportage has a multi-award winning global design that's more prominent due to a slight nip-and-tuck to its exterior for the 2019 model year. At the front, the Sportage retains its striking headlamps, incorporating unique LED Daytime Running Lights, as well as a slightly revised, more prominent ‘tiger nose’ grille. A new bumper design gives the Sportage a more masculine, menacing visage, with a more prominent housing for the front fog lamps.

At the rear, the Sportage also gains a revised bumper that emphasizes the car’s width while giving it a more planted stance. The rear taillights retain their original shape – with a connecting strip between the lights – but feature a new lighting signature that also assists in emphasizing the vehicle’s width.

Other enhancements include a new selection of alloy wheel designs in 16-, 17- or 19-inch sizes (model dependent), as well as a range of new colour options.

 

2. New 8-speed automatic transmission

Loved for its excellent mid- and low-range torque and agile acceleration, KIA’s much-loved 2.0 CRDI engine produces 131 kW of power, and a healthy 400 Nm of torque between 1,750- and 2,750 r/min. As part of the Sportage’s mid-life enhancement, the engine is now mated exclusively to KIA’s new eight-speed automatic transmission in both the Ignite Plus, EX and EX Plus specification grades.

Designed in-house by KIA, the transmission boasts 143 newly-patented technologies and delivers a slick-shifting, more decisive drive while reducing emissions. Compared to other automatic transmissions, KIA’s new eight-speed unit requires fewer control valves, enabling a more direct mechanical link to the engine. This allows the transmission to shift more quickly than the outgoing six-speed automatic transmission, and enables more decisive acceleration.

In the Sportage, the new transmission assists in getting the SUV to the 100 km/h mark in 9,3 seconds, with a top speed of 201 km/h and CO2 emissions of 164 g/km.

 

3. Driver Assistance and Safety

The Sportage range features a full complement of safety and driver assistance systems, which include ABS brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), six airbags and ISOFIX child seat anchors as standard. Vehicle safety is ensured through the standard inclusion of central locking, as well as an alarm, immobiliser and Data Dot.

Drivers will also benefit from Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-start Assist (HAC), and Downhill Brake Control (DBC). All models feature Park Distance Control at the rear, while higher specification EX and EX Plus models also gain front parking sensors and a reverse camera, displayed on the 7- or 8-inch colour touchscreen.