Photo: SB-Medien
After the new Hyundai Tucson, it's now Kia's turn to develop a compact SUV with premium qualities. We are talking about the 2016 Sportage, which we caught testing up in the mountains.
Some of the camouflage has been stripped from the front, revealing the headlights. But let's take a quick look at the interior first.
Taking a page right out of the Land Rover textbook, the buttons used for the air conditioning system are huge. If you come to your car on a cold winter day, this feature allows you to start the heater without taking your gloves off.
Not surprisingly, the rest of the cabin is a mix of elements from the Cee'd and the new Hyundai SUV. It's definitely a nicer place to be, although we can't form an impression about the seats yet (race buckets being used for testing).
The styling of the next-gen Sportage seems to be inspired by the Niro concept. This places the headlights up top, touching the sides of the hood. The Kia crowd clearly loves distinctive styling.
Although this prototype doesn't have them, high-spec Sportages will come with ice cube LED daytime running lights.
The base engine will be 1.6 GDi offered exclusively with front-wheel drive and a manual. Just like on the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, there will also be a turbo version of that, packing185 PS. A small 1.2 turbo GDI with over 130 horsepower is rumored, but no confirmation has been made, so it might take another year to launch
In the diesel range, the 2016 Sportage will debut with an economical 1.7 CRDi that's available with a 7-speed DCT for the first time. There will also be a more expensive and powerful 2-liter CRDi coupled to a conventional automatic. That's because the DCT can't cope with over 300 Nm of torque.
A performance model is expected to be offered in Korea and the US. It will have the use of a 2-liter turbo making 245 PS and a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
Taking a page right out of the Land Rover textbook, the buttons used for the air conditioning system are huge. If you come to your car on a cold winter day, this feature allows you to start the heater without taking your gloves off.
Not surprisingly, the rest of the cabin is a mix of elements from the Cee'd and the new Hyundai SUV. It's definitely a nicer place to be, although we can't form an impression about the seats yet (race buckets being used for testing).
The styling of the next-gen Sportage seems to be inspired by the Niro concept. This places the headlights up top, touching the sides of the hood. The Kia crowd clearly loves distinctive styling.
Although this prototype doesn't have them, high-spec Sportages will come with ice cube LED daytime running lights.
The base engine will be 1.6 GDi offered exclusively with front-wheel drive and a manual. Just like on the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, there will also be a turbo version of that, packing185 PS. A small 1.2 turbo GDI with over 130 horsepower is rumored, but no confirmation has been made, so it might take another year to launch
In the diesel range, the 2016 Sportage will debut with an economical 1.7 CRDi that's available with a 7-speed DCT for the first time. There will also be a more expensive and powerful 2-liter CRDi coupled to a conventional automatic. That's because the DCT can't cope with over 300 Nm of torque.
A performance model is expected to be offered in Korea and the US. It will have the use of a 2-liter turbo making 245 PS and a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
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