Denis Droppa
A COUPLE of weeks ago Kia released an artist’s sketch of the new Sportage SUV – a very impressionist version with oversized wheels, thin-slit windows and only two doors.
Now Kia’s released official photographs and, as hinted at by the sketch, the popular SUV (which is still decidedly a four door) has taken a bold leap into new styling territory.
Along with newly raised bonnet edges – a la Porsche Macan and Cayenne – the fourth-generation Sportage is characterised by a sportier, more raked profile.
Designed at Kia’s European design studio in Frankfurt, Germany, the styling of the Korean SUV is said to echo the contrast of smooth and sharp shapes found on some fighter jets.
The biggest change is at the front end, where the headlamps are no longer integrated with the grille but now placed further back along the outer edges of the more sharply-detailed bonnet and bolder wheel arches. A lower, wider ‘tiger-nose’ grille is flanked by elaborate fog-light clusters, resulting in a more imposing appearance.
From the side, the new Sportage retains the swept-back silhouette of the outgoing model, with a roofline that tapers slightly towards the rear.
Full engine and technical details will be revealed at the Sportage’s official unveiling at the Frankfurt motor show on September 15. The vehicle is likely to go on sale in South Africa early in 2016.