Euro Sportage
Korean manufacturer Kia announced on 1 September that a new Sportage had been created specifically for European needs. Developed on a new architecture, the Sportage benefits from a European-focused high-tech engineering program to create an SUV that is a perfect fit for discerning families, underscoring its everyday practicality and usability. In simple terms it means it has gadgets to make people happy.
The practical result is that luggage space, headroom, and legroom is improved compared to the outgoing Sportage. This model apparently offers the best legroom for second-row passengers in its category.
The gadgets with which Kia hopes to lure Europeans include LED daytime running lights; a 12.3” touchscreen, satellite navigation; voice control; and an app for your smartphone that allows you to open and lock the doors, displays your calendar on the touchscreen, and helps you locate your car in a parking lot in case you forget where you left it. There’s also a cordless 15 W charger for your phone, a Harman Kardon sound system, ride modes, and electronically controlled all-wheel drive.
The European Kia Sportage will be available in three versions: a standard hybrid vehicle (HEV) where the internal combustion engine is supported by an electric motor, a mild hybrid version (MHEV) that offers more performance, and a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) that allows you to drive on battery power alone. This is the first time that Kia has used PHEV technology. The plug-in hybrid version’s battery bank is larger than that of many other hybrid vehicles, and Kia says you can drive to and from work without using a drop of diesel, provided of course you don’t have to commute too far – and no, we don’t know what its range will be.
The internal combustion engine is Kia’s wellknown 1.6 T-GDI diesel engine that delivers 132 kW. The base model HEV gets a 44,2 kW electric motor and a smallish 1 498 kWh lithium-ion battery that, together with the diesel engine, deliver 169 kW. The flagship PHEV gets a 66,9 kW electric motor powered by a 13,8 kWh lithium-ion battery bank. Together with the internal combustion engine, the PHEV delivers 195 kW of power.
Will this next level Sportage be available locally? Kia South Africa says it is certainly being considered, but they didn’t want to elaborate on the specification list and launch date, let alone the price. The European Sportage was unveiled to the public on 7 September at the International Motor Show in Munich, Germany.