This time around, the Sportage has been designed and developed in a short-wheelbase form dedicated to the European market for production at Kia’s Slovak plant in Zilina, and yet a useful gain in five-seater space compared to its predecessor are still claimed. It benefits from a new, more upscale interior, usually featuring eye-catching digital technology, along with Kia’s latest active safety and driver assistance systems. And yet the value-driven buyer has not been forgotten, with entry-level petrol and diesel versions of the car both on the market early next year for under £ 28,000.
Kia brought specs from the German left-hand drive market to the UK of the all-new 1.6-liter hybrid version of the car to generate some first impressions from road testing. With the exception of winter tires and adaptive dampers (none of which will be available in the UK), these matched closely the top-of-the-line GT-Line S-trim Sportage models that will start arriving in the UK early on. next year.
The Sportage certainly has an attractive driving environment. A flight console duo of ultra-thin instruments and wide-screen infotainment screens tilts in front of the driver (lower quality cars will receive conventional instruments and a smaller center display) and is surrounded by Unusual fin-shaped air vents. You’ll also notice the trapezoidal loop-shaped interior door release handles. This is an interior designed to catch the eye as much as the exterior, and it does.
It is also the one which is full of digital technology but which is not dominated by it. The ventilation controls are independent of the main touch screen; a bit tedious to use at first, but not permanently. The infotainment system could do with a physical input device. But the car accessories and accessories are strong, safe and sturdy everywhere; Although the car’s switchgear still feels unabashedly plastic in places, and some of Kia’s decisions about where to use soft-touch moldings and where not to bother still baffle.
In terms of practical cabin space, the Sportage is competitive in its class without being the most accommodating family car you could spend between £ 30,000 and £ 40,000. The rear seats are adult-sized and comfortable, even for six-foot occupants, and you can cross three children if necessary. The boot narrowly matches or beats what you might find in a key rival like the Peugeot 3008 or the Skoda Karoq. The hybrid version of the car has almost as much carrying capacity as any other, although the more powerful plug-in hybrid has more.
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-12-14 15:15:09