Kia teases fifth-generation Sportage

Tuesday, 1 June 2021

There’s a sharp new nose for the sharp new Sportage.

Kia has released a trio of teaser images for its fifth-generation Sportage, ahead of a release in July.

The shadowy images don’t show much, but we can see a new front end with slim daytime running lights flanking the grille. Kia says the new nose carries a “detail-orientated black grille graphic,” which sounds interesting.

Kia's latest design language is called 'Opposites United', first seen on the new EV6.

Around the back are new rear lights that look to be of the LED variety, connected by a strip spanning the bootlid. It’s difficult to tell from the images but it doesn’t appear the strip is illuminated.

The overall design language is aped from the Kia’s first dedicated EV, the EV6, which includes “crisp character lines” and a “muscular stance”.

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More interesting is the glimpse of the cabin. Kia has given the new Sportage a long, curved digital panel that spans half of the dashboard. Sitting below are a handful of physical controls, including two knobs and some air-conditioning buttons. The steering wheel gets the new Kia logo as well.

The Korean maker promises more tech and “responsive yet highly efficient powertrains” in addition to the new looks. What those might be will be made clear in July, which is when we’ll see the next Sportage Kiwis will be able to buy.

Recently, Kia announced that it was pulling the current Sportage from its website in response to high demand and low stock.

“There has been an overwhelming response to Kia Sportage, so much so that we are unlikely to meet demand,” said Todd McDonald, managing director of Kia New Zealand.

“Therefore, in order to manage customer expectations, we have taken the unprecedented step of removing it from our website until the all-new model arrives in 2022.”