Kia Reveals New-gen Sportage SUV That Shares Its Underpinnings With The New Hyundai Tucson

The Sportage, if launched in India, would rival the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson

Kia has revealed the all-new fifth-gen Sportage built on the Korean carmaker’s most recent ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. The SUV, which shares its underpinnings with the latest-gen Hyundai Tucson, will be launched globally later this year.

The Sportage has lost that rounded appearance it had in its fourth-generation avatar. Instead, it now looks more sharp and eye-catching. The front grille is made of a glossy black material and features hexagonal cutouts. It blends nicely with the boomerang-shaped LED DRLs, which act as a barrier between the grille and the headlight cluster. The lower half of the bumper is smoothly chiselled, lending a certain balance to the overall design. The fog lamps -- dual units on both sides -- are placed low on the bumper. 

In profile, the Sportage retains its crossover-ish design, with the roof sloping back towards the rear. The tail lamps protrude not only onto the boot but the side of the car as well. They’re connected in the middle too. The rear bumper is also intricately chiselled, featuring a rather busy design. It uses silver appliques that contrast nicely with the black base colour.

The highlight inside is the panoramic screen setup in front of the driver. Not only does it house the digital instrument cluster but it even encompasses the touchscreen. This is a trend we saw first in Mercedes-Benz cars, but nowadays, even cars like Kia Seltos sport this design. The difference in the Sportage SUV is that the entire setup is curved to be more driver-focused. The centre console features a host of soft-touch controls that should make it easier to operate the touchscreen, among other things. 

The cabin has a nice black-and-beige dual-tone theme. There’s generous use of black towards the upper half of the cabin, whereas the lower half uses beige. This lends the interior a vibrant sporty look.

While Kia has not revealed it yet, we do know that the Sportage will share its underpinnings and powertrains with the latest-gen Hyundai Tucson that’s expected to be launched in India. However, there is no such plan for the Sportage SUV yet. Although with its SUV-oriented mindset, it’s a safe bet Kia could bring it to our shores in the future. However, on the off chance that it is offered here, the Sportage will rival the Citroen C5 Aircross, Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson, and Volkswagen Tiguan.