By Tet Andolong
WHILE famous tennis champions were being driven by a fleet of Kia vehicles to their practice sessions and matches at the Rod Laver Arena during the recently concluded 2016 Australian Open Championship, a group of Filipino journalists, including this writer, were test-driving the all-new Kia Sportage in the city of Melbourne.
A few days before his final match, superstar and Kia global brand ambassador, Rafael Nadal, unveiled a customized, one-of-a-kind Sportage inspired by Mystique, the character from the X-Men movie franchise, which was created in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox. The fourth-generation Sportage crossover or as Kia prefers to call it, C-SUV, made its global debut in last year’s Frankfurt International Motor Show, but the Kia X-Car made more noise during the Australian Open, when it boasted of a unique design with special textured “tone-on-tone,” matte and gloss blue paint finish, racing wheels and tires along with red and yellow bodywork highlights.
The first-, second- and third-generation Sportages became globally popular and didn’t only become the favorite of men but of women, as well. The vehicle played an important role in driving the company’s sustained growth and success around the world in recent years, with more than 1.6 million of the third-generation model sold around the world from 2010 to 2015. Now, the fourth-generation vehicle is even stronger and safer—two important qualities that people look for in a vehicle aside from comfort, practicality and value.
The company designers headed by Peter Schreyer, created a sense of sporty and powerful energy from every angle of the new Sportage. The look was made by Kia’s European design studio in Frankfurt, Germany, with input from the brand’s Namyang, Korea, and Irvine, California, design centers.
According to Michael Choo, Kia Motors Corp. general manager of Overseas Public Relations: “The Sportage features a bold new look and the attractive ‘face’ show the biggest change to the car’s design over its predecessor with Kia’s hallmark ‘tiger-nose’ grille and the car’s headlamps. The headlamps are now positioned higher, sweeping back along the outer edges of the sharply detailed bonnet. A lower, wider grille was enlarged to promote greater engine cooling.”
More horizontal forms and clearly defined lines are seen at the rear with smooth bodywork on the tailgate. The panoramic sunroof significantly increases roominess owing to the natural lighting, as well as fresh air when it’s open. “The wind noise is also reduced as a result of thicker front windshield glass, a new dual lip seal for the panoramic sunroof and additional soundproofing in the doors,” Choo added.
For the first time, a new “GT Line” has been designed and engineered for those who are looking for a sportier driving experience. The GT Line delivers all the versatility of the standard version, while adding greater visual and dynamic appeal. The GT comes with a unique 19-inch wheel as standard. It also features dual exhaust mufflers and metal-effect rear underbody diffuser for a sportier appearance.
“The attractive new design also makes this the most aerodynamic Sportage to date, with drag coefficient reduced from 0.35 to 0.33 Cd—a result of the re-profiled undercover and newly designed bumper,” Choo said.
One of the most significant improvements over the old Sportage is the interior. Inside, one will find an appealing cabin, which offers a wide, driver-oriented dashboard, with a simple, modern design. I noticed the air-ventilated seats used on soft-touch leather materials with stitching—creating a more luxurious ambience. Three-way front heat seating is standard, as well as 10-way power control with lumbar support for the driver’s seat and eight-way power control for the passenger seat.
The cockpit has a display zone, which is focused purely on delivering information in the clearest way possible, as well as the infotainment and HMI (human-machine interface) system in the center of the dashboard. With many functions now found on the 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment and satellite navigation system, which features a rear parking camera, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity and aux-in and USB ports for smartphones and MP3 music players, as well as the new wireless charger for mobile devices—a first for any car in the C-SUV segment.
The new dashboard offers a highly ergonomic layout designed to be clearly visible when on the move. Driving for the first time in Melbourne where we were on the other side of the road, the Sportage’s GPS helped us stay en route and find our destinations so easily and conveniently.
We drove the all-new 2.0-liter EX CRDi AT and the 2.0-Liter GT Line. The 2.0-liter “Nu” MPI engine, produces 155 ps and 192 Nm of torque. It is offered with a choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions and either a front- or all-wheel drivetrain. One could feel the more powerful yet smoother, more refined ride and greater handling agility of the new vehicle. The GT Line was tuned to endow the Sportage with sharper, more athletic handling and a slightly firmer ride, crucially without compromising comfort.
“Safety, as always, is a top priority for Kia, and the new Sportage builds on the brand’s reputation for offering the highest standards in occupant and pedestrian crash safety. The fourth generation of Kia’s best seller has been engineered to meet the toughest and most demanding crash-safety tests,” Choo added. The Sportage scored a maximum possible five-star safety rating in the Euro NCAP crash-performance tests. The new Sportage performed strongly in the Euro NCAP’s important Safety Assist category, which analyzes the latest driver assistance technologies and their effectiveness in avoiding accidents and mitigating injuries. Some of the safety features include Kia’s Vehicle Stability Management system that helps ensure stability under braking and cornering through careful management of the vehicle’s optional Electronic Stability Control and electric motor-driven power steering to name a few.
The all-new Sportage generates a greater impression of space and sportiness with a perfect balance of driving performance. To top it all, it’s the safest in its class, not to mention that it is quite enjoyable to drive. I enjoyed driving the right-hand drive Sportage in Australia and I can’t wait to get my hands on the left-hand drive version when it comes to the Philippines next month.