New Kia Sportage SUV: full prices and specs of updated model

Full details of the all-new Kia Sportage have been released, including prices, on-sale date and full specifications. Prices for the new car start at £17,995, while the limited edition First Edition models top the range, starting at £31,645.

There are six trim levels available at launch, including an exclusive - and expensive - limited run First Edition model.

The latest Sportage is also be available in a new top-of-the-range GT Line specification - which start at £24,350. It's on sale now and goes up against rivals such as the Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5 and the Nissan Qashqai.

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Kia bosses recognise how important the Sportage is for the brand’s European product line-up. Michael Cole, chief operating officer for Kia Europe, said: “As this hotly contested segment continues to expand, the new Sportage will reinforce our position among the market leaders, leading the way in terms of its refined innovation, distinctive design and high material quality.”

The new Sportage was unveiled alongside the revised Optima saloon (which features a new high-performance GT trim) and the updated Kia Cee’d range. This is the fourth generation of the Sportage – a name that’s been in the UK since 1993.

New Kia Sportage design

After concept cars, teasers and sketches, the Sportage’s final design features Kia’s ‘tiger nose’ grille, with the new GT Line specification coming with the ‘ice cube’ foglights like those on the Kia Cee’d GT. The face of the Sportage will be replicated on all future Kia models, while the new model’s wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) is longer than the previous version’s.

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The new Sportage also bears a striking resemblance to the Kia KX3 Concept, which was first seen at several motor shows in China. We got more of an idea of the final design thanks to a series of sketches released by Kia. The brand says the concept creates “visual harmony out of the tension between bold, precise feature lines and dramatically sculpted bodywork”. It’s fair to say the final design sits somewhere in between the sketches and the KX3 Concept.

Interior equipment and technology

The new Sportage’s interior has undergone a less radical rethink than the exterior, but the brand says it's the “most refined, highest-quality cabin to date”. Many of the controls are familiar from other models in the Kia range, such as the larger Kia Sorento SUV and the Kia Cee’d hatchback. The new steering wheel and automatic gearlever are similar to the ones in the revised Kia Optima saloon.

Like the new Optima, the Sportage’s dashboard is split into two zones. The ‘Display Zone’ comprises the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and the seven or eight-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. The ‘Control Zone’, located below a beltline running across the middle of the dashboard, consists of an organised button layout that Kia says is “designed to be clearly visible on the move”.

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Kia has also made a concerted effort to improve interior quality. There’s extensive soundproofing inside and an ‘acoustic shield’ in the engine bay to further reduce noise. Tweaked suspension means road rumble should be kept to a minimum, too.

There are six trim levels to choose from. The first four are 1, 2, 3 and 4, while sporty GT-Line and luxurious First Edition models have also been added to the range.

Entry-level 1 models, which start at £17,995, get 16-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, electrically-adjustable door mirrors, black cloth upholstery, Bluetooth connectivity, a USB and Aux-in port, and cruise control with a speed limiter as standard. Step up to 2 and you get larger 17-inch alloy wheels, a satellite navigation system with a seven-inch touchscreen and a reversing camera. These models also come with dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and a cooled glovebox.

Next up is '3' trim, which adds leather upholstery, 19-inch alloy wheels, an eight-inch sat-nav screen and an upgraded sound system. These models also come with a 4.2-inch TFT information screen in the instrument binnacle. Step up to a grade 4 model - priced from £26,550 - and your car will come with bi-xenon adaptive headlights, front parking sensors, a panoramic sunroof, LED rear lights and electrically adjustable front seats. These models also come with safety technology like Blind Spot Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

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Like the latest Kia Cee’d, the new Sportage is available in sporty GT Line specification (the red car in our pictures). This model comes with the ‘ice cube’ foglights, as well as dual exhausts and 19-inch alloy wheels. Inside, the GT Line features a flat-bottomed steering wheel, piano-black interior trim and aluminium pedals.

Limited-run First Edition models (white car) get the Smart Parking Assist system - a system which can detect a suitable parking spot and then steer the car into it automatically - a powered tailgate and wireless phone charging. These models also get a choice of either Fusion White or Phantom Black Paint colours, as well as grey two-tone leather upholstery.

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Kia’s Connected Services system is available in the new Sportage, in collaboration with sat-nav maker TomTom. Along with navigation, the service provides real-time updates regarding traffic incidents, the weather and the location of speed cameras.

The new Sportage also has much more interior space than the previous model. There's much more headroom for passengeers in bioth the front and back seats, with passengers in the back also enjoying an extra 7mm of legroom. This is largely thanks to a 30mm increase in the car's wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels), while the car itself has grown in length by 40mm. Kia has also redesigned the rear seats to be more comfortable and supportive, while they can now be reclined even further than previously.

A wireless charging system for the latest smartphones can be found in a cubbyhole at the front of the centre console. This will warn you if you’re about to leave your device in the car and also has built-in overheating protection.

Engines

The new Sportage is available with a choice of two petrol and three diesel engines. Highlights of the range include a 174bhp 1.6-litre T-GDI turbocharged petrol – also used in the similarly sized Hyundai Tucson SUV and Kia Cee’d GT.

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We’d expect most Sportage buyers to go with diesel, though. The 113bhp 1.7-litre diesel offers the best fuel economy in the range – potentially more than 61mpg. This means CO2 emissions of as little as 119g/km, resulting in a £30 annual road tax bill and a 21% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax liability. There are also two versions of a 2.0-litre diesel, producing 134 and 182bhp respectively.

These return around 54 and 47mpg respectively (the more powerful 2.0-litre diesel is only available with four-wheel drive, which has a detrimental effect on fuel consumption and emissions). Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for these engines stand at 127 and 154g/km, which will mean a tax bill of £110 and £180 respectively.

Four-wheel drive is offered on the 1.6-litre turbo petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engines. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, but a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission can be fitted to the 1.6-litre turbo petrol and a conventional six-speed automatic is available with the 2.0-litre diesels.

Comfort, handling and safety

Along with a higher-quality interior, the new Sportage is more comfortable on the move, as Kia has promised improved ride quality and handling. You can find out what it's like to drive by reading our full review, here.

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Body roll and damping were Kia’s main focus and the company says the latest Sportage was “tested on European roads with European buyers in mind”. It adds that the GT Line model’s suspension “has been tuned to endow the Sportage with sharper, more athletic handling and a slightly firmer ride, crucially without compromising comfort”.

The amount of safety equipment has taken a huge step forward, which has helped the new car achieve the full five star rating when it was crash tested by Euro NCAP towards the end of 2015. The new Sportage is available with automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, speed-limit detection and auto-dipping headlights.

Price and release date

The new Sportage is on sale on now.

Prices for the standard versions range from £17,995 to £27,160, while the limited run First Edition versions cost from £31,645.

For more information on the current Kia range, check out Carbuyer’s reviews page.