• Euro-spec model gets bold styling makeover
• Available with a choice of hybrid powertrains
• Set go on sale later this year

The all-new Kia Sportage has been unveiled. Now in it’s fifth-generation, the latest Sportage gets a radical styling makeover, a wealth of new technology and a range of hybrid powertrains.

The reveal of the latest Sportage follows the international model‘s debut earlier this year. While the UK version may look similar, it has a 75mm shorter wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels), along with unique styling and a different chassis setup.

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The all-new Sportage goes on sale later this year, with first deliveries expected in early 2022. Prices are yet to be confirmed, but we’d expect it to start from around £25,500. Upon arrival, the Kia’s midsize SUV will renew its rivalry with the Volkswagen Tiguan, Peugeot 3008 and Ford Kuga.

2022 Kia Sportage SUV: design and dimensions

The styling of the new Kia Sportage has been inspired by the forthcoming electric EV6, with large ‘C-shaped’ daytime running lights, stacked headlights and distinctive foglights. Elsewhere, Kia’s bold ‘Tiger Nose’ front grille spans the entire width of the nose, making it the boldest version seen on a Kia to date. Above this, a pair of air intakes sits in front of an angular bonnet.

The SUV’s side profile is slightly sportier than before, thanks in part to a sharper roofline, a crease line in the front and rear doors and sharply flared rear wheel arches, giving it a more muscular look than the old car. The UK version of the Sportage also gets a redesigned C-pillar, losing the small rear window of the longer international version. At the back, a new angular hatch design features slim LED lights, with a gloss black trim insert across the rear hatch and a redesigned bumper unique to the UK model.

Kia hasn’t yet revealed full details of styling options but buyers will be able to pick from a variety of colour schemes, including new two-tone paint finishes. A range of six new alloy wheel designs will also feature, likely ranging from 17 to 19-inches in size.

The new car is 30mm longer than the old model, with a 10mm longer wheelbase that should not only help improve passenger space, but also provide extra room for batteries in the hybrid models.

Interior, technology and practicality

The interior of the new Sportage has undergone a radical makeover, including a new digital setup. That consists of a vast curved digital display housing a pair of 12.3-inch screens for the digital dial cluster and infotainment screen.

A new steering wheel design sporting Kia’s new logo is also fitted, along with a pair of physical rotary dials. Uniquely, the rotary dials can be set to operate either the infotainment setup or the ventilation controls, which is adjusted via the touch-sensitive panel. Below this, the centre console houses the automatic gear selector along with switchgear for the car’s hill descent control, 360-degree camera view, heated seats and steering wheel controls.

While full specifications are expected to be confirmed later this year, technology like remote parking assist and Matrix LED headlights with LED daytime running lights will be available depending on the trim level.

According to Kia, the latest Sportage will boast 591 litres of boot space, which expands to 1,780 litres with the rear seats folded flat.

Engines and powertrains

At the top of the line-up, the Sportage will be available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time. This combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a 13.8kWh battery producing 261bhp. Kia claim’s this setup is capable of up to 35 miles of pure-electric running, with a full recharge taking around two hours.

A new hybrid powertrain is also offered, combining a smaller 1.49kWh battery with a 1.6-litre petrol engine to produce 227bhp. This version doesn’t require plugging in to a charger, instead harvesting energy as the car slows down.

Beneath this, a 148bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine features mild-hybrid electrical assistance. This engine is paired with the group’s Intelligent Manual Transmission, a clutch-by-wire system that allows for in-gear, engine-off coasting to improve economy. This engine can also be specced with an automatic gearbox, with the DCT-equipped version getting a higher power output of 178bhp.

High-mileage drivers will be catered for with a pair of diesel engines. Both are powered by the same 1.6-litre diesel engine, with the manual getting 113bhp and the DCT automatic producing 134bhp.

Want to find out more about the current Kia Sportage? Click here to read our full review.