Sportage with added specs
Kia has upgraded its Sportage mid-sized SUV with new pricing, petrol engines, gearbox improvements and an extra variant among the key changes.
All petrol variants will get a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit which ups the torque and lowers fuel consumption. It produces 122kW and 205Nm of torque - an improvement of 8Nm.
Fuel use has been cut marginally, now ranging between 8.2L/100km and 8.6L/100km depending on the variant and transmission.
The 2.0-litre diesel offering will remain as is and will continue to be paired with a six-speed automatic.
Kia says the updated Sportage will be more refined to drive, after introducing a raft of measures to improve noise, vibration and harshness.
It has a new soundproof windscreen with a film in between glass laminations to reduce wind noise, while engineering improvements to the front subframe, drive train and transmission aim to reduce harshness and allow a more composed ride.
On the outside, there's a new grille, shark-fin antennae and rear LED cluster.
Most of the changes have been made to the two-wheel-drive entry-level of the range. A new Si Premium variant will double the number of spec choices in 2WD by sitting above the Si and will get a six-speed automatic gearbox, 17-inch alloys, automatic headlights, roof rails, reverse camera, daytime LEDs and more as standard.
Kia has given the Si a new six-sped manual to replace the previous five-speed, while the amount of standard gear across the whole range has increased.
The Si gains 16-inch alloys, rear parking sensors, trailer stability control on the automatic and a front console storage on the outgoing model.
The all-wheel-drive SLi sits above the 2WD Si Premium and gets dual-zone climate control, sat nav, added subwoofer, front park sensors and more.
At the top of the stable, the Platinum scores 18-inch wheels, smart key and push-button start, leather seat trim, HID headlamps and heating to all seats among other perks.
These additions haven't come free, however, with all variants, including those with diesel power, seeing their list price rise.
The Si is up $500 to $25,990 plus on-roads in manual guise and $600 (to $28,190) for the automatic, while the jumps in price get bigger in the AWDs. The petrol SLi is now $1300 dearer at $34,790 and up $800 with the diesel engine ($37,790).
At the top of the tree, the Platinum has seen the biggest rises, up $1900 for the petrol ($38,390) and $1400 for the diesel to crack the $40,000 mark ($41,390).
The new Sportage range is available now.
2014 SPORTAGE PRICING
Si 2WD: $25,990 (man); $28,190 (auto)
Si Premium 2WD: $29,990 (auto)
SLi AWD petrol: $34,790 (auto)
SLi AWD diesel: $37,790 (auto)
Platinum AWD petrol: $38,390 (auto)
Platinum AWD diesel: $41,390 (auto)
