Kia's redesigned mid-size
crossover will be preceded by a new Sorento seven-seater as Kia builds SUV momentum in 2015
Kia's next-generation Sportage is
set to arrive in Australia late this year, bringing with it expected
across-the-board upgrades in technology, safety, the potential of some slick
new engines and a brand-new design.
Last
year the Sportage was Kia's
second-best selling model in the Australian market after the Cerato small car,
and in the first month of 2015 it is the top-selling model, highlighting how
crucial the SUV model is for the brand.
The
fourth-generation model is expected to build on the popularity of the current
model, priced between $25,990 and $41,590, by delivering an contemporary new
look courtesy of Kia design
chief Peter Schreyer and could make a surprise appearance at a major motor show
in the next six months.
Following
its global premiere, it will be launched in Australia late in 2015 -- if Kia Motors Australia CEO Damien
Meredith gets his way.
"We're
hoping to get the all-new Sportage in the last quarter of this year," he
said.
"It's
all-new, not a facelift," he clarified, stating that there would be no
changes to the current Sportage until the new 2016 model arrives.
Meredith
wouldn't be drawn on how the Mk4 Sportage's design will evolve, but previous
spy shots and these fresh ones shot near the Arctic Circle (where Hyundai's new
Tucson was spotted alongside), show it won't depart radically from the
distinctive design motif that helped shape the Kia brand when it
was first revealed in at the 2010 Geneva motor show.
"I
haven't seen it yet but we've got the utmost confidence in our designers,
engineers and R&D team and they haven't let us down in the last cycles of
all vehicles.
"We're
confident this will be a special SUV," he stated.
The
current Sportage is offered with a pair of four-cylinder 2.0-litre engines – a
122kW/205Nm petrol and a 135kW/392Nm diesel – matched to front- and all-wheel
drive systems.
European
sources suggest that at least in some markets the new Sportage will bring
improved 1.6-litre CRDi diesel engines and an upgraded 1.6 petrol, plus an
all-new 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine and even Hyundai-Kia's 2.0-litre
turbo-petrol four. At least the T-GDi engines will be matched with a
seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Another
feather in Kia's SUV cap for
2015 will the arrival of a brand-new Sorento here in June-July.
The
Korean brand's big new seven-seat SUV will provide it with a more sophisticated
product to take on sales leaders such as the Toyota Prado and Kluger, Jeep
Grand Cherokee, Holden Captiva 7 and Ford Territory.
We
reviewed the new vehicle during its international launch in the Spain last
month and rated it highly following improvements in interior quality,
practicality and overall refinement.
"We're
getting an all-new Sorento half way through this year," Meredith confirmed
to motoring.com.au.
"It'll
get some of the tech about to debut on the new Carnival," he observed,
perhaps referring to radar-based adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection
and lane-departure warning systems.
"What
it brings to us is a good competitor in that large SUV segment, a big segment.
We believe we'll get more volume out of it. It'll be a real competitor"
Kia will also launch its new
Optima in November, headlined by a new turbocharged performance hero car.
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