Kia is one of the most popular car brands in the country, and the Sportage is one of their best-selling cars. The Kia Sportage was first launched in 1993 and back then, it sported a third-party body-on-frame chassis. However, in circa 2004, Kia binned this old platform when it came time to launch the second generation of the Sportage.
This time around, the Korean marquee chose the Hyundai Elantra Tucson’s platform, thus transforming the unrefined Sportage into a well-mannered urban crossover. Now in its fourth generation, the 2019 Kia Sportage has come far from its ancient roots, and is now a modern, stylish, and urbane SUV. Despite its huge popularity and success, this Kia faces some worthy competitors in the form of the Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and Toyota RAV4.
Exterior
The exterior design of the 2019 Kia Sportage is not only striking and eye-catching, but its confident and poised stance also emphasizes its outgoing appeal. The front fascia features interesting-looking double-barrel headlamps which are placed right next to the hood, Kia’s signature “Tiger nose” grille, and bumper-integrated foglamp housings and functional air intakes.
The Sportage’s sleek side silhouette is highlighted by its high ground clearance, chic alloy wheels, pronounced fender flares, a sloping roofline, curvy contours, and copious amount of the now the ubiquitous black plastic cladding. The sporty rear features artsy LED taillights, large roof spoiler, and a good looking bumper with a subtle chrome strip and an air diffuser.
The 2019 Kia Sportage comes in at 4.480 meters in length, 1.855 meters in width, 1.655 meters in height, and has a wheelbase of 2.670 meters, plus boot space is an impressive 739 liters.
Interior
The interior of the new 2019 Kia Sportage isn’t as eye-catching as the exterior, though it isn’t too bland either. The gentle curves and soft edges lead to a pleasant and subtle cabin, which may lack some charm but is definitely not garish. Kia has come a long way from its early days, and this cabin barely has any tacky plastic or sharp edges. The Sportage might not have the best materials in the market, but they are far from bad.
The cabin has plenty of room for five adults, and the seats offer just the right amount of support and comfort for the money. The new Sportage’s features include automatic headlights, keyless-entry and go, 18-inch alloys, power tailgate, panoramic sunroof, leather seats, automatic air-conditioning with rear vents, power driver’s seat, cruise control, electronic handbrake, parking sensors with rear camera, and a touchscreen infotainment rig with navigation.
The Kia’s standard safety aids include multiple airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control program, tire pressure monitoring system, and ISOFIX anchors.
Engine and performance
Engine options on the 2019 Kia Sportage include a 1.6-liter, 2.0-liter, and 2.4-liter four-cylinder petrol-burners. While all three powerplants come mated to an automatic transmission as standard, all-wheel drive is only available in certain variants. As for grunt, the base engine makes 130 HP and 161 Nm of torque, while the 2.0-liter makes 155 HP and 197 Nm of torque, and the 2.4-liter mill churns out 181 HP and 240 Nm of torque.
Fuel economy numbers for the 2019 Kia Sportage vary between 7.5 to 9.6L/100 km. As sporty as its name and looks might suggest, the Sportage isn’t exactly a spirited driving tool. Its acceleration time from 0-100 km/h of over 10 seconds, and a max speed of 180 km/h aren’t going to win you any races.
Verdict
The 2019 Kia Sportage costs between AED 73,500 to AED 113,500, and insurance premium ranges between AED 1,654 to AED 554.
