This pre-facelift 5th-gen Kia Sportage arrives over here in CKD form with 4 variants on offer.
After much teasing and promises that it will soon be arriving over here, Kia has finally decided that 2024 is the right time to launch its fifth-iteration Sportage locally. Having first made its international appearance all the way back in 2021, this South Korean SUV has recently made its Malaysian debut in pre-facelift locally-assembled guise with a total 4 variants on offer at launch.
The 4 variants (and their associated prices) of this fifth-generation Kia Sportage available in Malaysia are as follows:
- 2.0G 2WD: RM 145,999
- 2.0G 2WD High: RM 155,999
- 1.6T 2WD: RM 175,999
- 1.6T AWD High: RM 185,999
Now as the variant names suggests, the Sportage will be offered with two petrol powertrain options over here. The first is to be a 2.0-litre Smartstream MPi naturally-aspirated four pot that produces 156 hp and 192 Nm of torque, which sends drive to the front wheels paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The more atas trim levels on the other hand will feature a more potent 1.6-litre Gamma II T-GDi turbocharged four-cylinder under their hoods, with this boosted mill sending a 177 hp and 265 Nm of torque through to either the front or all four wheels by way of a 7-speed dry dual-clutch transmission.
Despite first being shown off to the world three years ago, the sharp lines of this Sportage still admittedly make it look like it rolled off the designer’s pad just yesterday. The ‘Tiger Nose’ face of this South Korean SUV is headlined by a double-tiered front grille, which is then flanked boomerang-shaped DRLs and diamond-shaped automatic LED headlights.
17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels are to be featured along the newly-sharpened side profile of this Sportage (relative to its blobby predecessor anyway) for the 2.0G variants, while the higher-end 1.6T trims net larger 18-inch rollers. The rear of the Sportage is finally finished off by an EV6-esque full-width tail light signature, as well as a large black ‘lower graphic bumper casing’ with an integrated faux-metal skid plate that serves to slim its rump significantly.
In terms of dimensions, the Sportage is to be on the large side amid its peers. This South Korean SUV currently measures in at 4,660 mm in length, 1,865 mm in width, 1,660 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,755 mm, which has hence allowed Kia to boast of ‘class-leading legroom, headroom, and luggage capacity’.
As for the kit available on these Sportages, the entry-level 2.0G 2WD nets, among other things, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers keyless entry and start, 6 airbags, an electronic parking brake with auto hold, a tyre pressure monitoring system and remote engine start. Fabric seats and a urethane steering wheel does however give it that base-spec feel, with this spec to be the only one without the usual host of ADAS kit (adaptive cruise control, blind-spot collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist etc.) that one would expect from a car of this price.
Stepping up to the 2.0G High nets all the aforementioned active driver assists, with it further adding to the kit list LED front fog lamps and a powered tailgate, along with front parking sensors and exterior trimmings finished in gloss black and satin chrome. Its interior also now features leatherette seat upholstery, a leather steering wheel, piano black dashboard trim and an eight-way powered driver’s seat.
Both the 2.0-litre trims feature on the infotainment front an 8-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, in addition to a 4.2-inch colour TFT-LED screen in its analogue gauge cluster. Upgrading to the 1.6T variants will in turn see a fully-digital 12.3-inch instrument screen, alongside with a central touchscreen of a similar size.
These 1.6T variants also further net a 360º surround view camera in place of the standard rear view-only unit on the 2.0G trims, along with a digital climate control panel and an additional USB port each on the side of each front seat for the benefit of the rear passengers. The flagship 1.6T AWD is to be the only one in the range packing an 8-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, with it replacing the standard 6-speaker setup found on the lesser trims.
All variants of the Sportage will be available in four colours: Astra Blue, Meteor Grey, Snowflake White Pearl and Jet Black. As with all Kias sold locally too, this South Korean SUV is to be offered with a five-year, 100,000-km warranty and service package as standard.
It is perhaps also worth highlighting at the end here that despite its delay in arriving over here, Malaysia still oddly enough beats out both Indonesia and Thailand in welcoming this fifth-iteration Sportage first. What is nevertheless the bigger question worth asking though is that with Kia recently previewing the facelifted version of this SUV, when will we actually get to see that version over here?
