The 2025 Kia Sportage facelift has been unveiled, and the Korean manufacturer’s updated fifth-generation C-segment SUV has gone on sale in its home market with turbocharged petrol, turbo petrol hybrid and LPG powertrains.
Externally, the 2025 Sportage facelift measures 4,685 mm long, 1,865 mm wide and 1,660 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,755 mm, with front and rear wheel track widths of 1,615 mm and 1,622 mm respectively.
Rolling stock for the Sportage facelift are alloy wheel ranging from 17 inches to 19 inches in diameter, shod in tyres measuring 235/65R17, 235/60R18 and 235/55R19. Front suspension is by MacPherson struts, while rear suspension is of a multi-link configuration.
The powertrain range offered in the Sportage facelift is a 1,598 cc turbocharged petrol engine paired to an eight-speed automatic – replacing the seven-speed dual-clutch auto – and the petrol version is offered in Korea in 2WD and AWD forms.
According to Kia, the 1.6 litre Smart Stream T-GDI turbo petrol engine produces 180 PS at 5,500 rpm, and 270 Nm of torque from 1,500 rpm to 4,500 rpm, while the petrol-hybrid variant gains a 65 PS/264 Nm electric motor. This has been updated with the facelift to gain an ‘infant’ mode for more gradual acceleration in order to minimise discomfort for child occupants.
The 2.0 litre LPG powertrain outputs 146 PS at 6,000 rpm and 195 Nm at 4,200 rpm, paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Inside, the facelifted Sportage gets dual 12.3-inch screens for driver instrumentation and infotainment, which receive the carmaker’s latest ccNC software that supports over-the-air updates, along with fingerprint authentication. For the top variants, a head-up display complements the array of screens.
The steering wheel is now of a mildly flattened top and bottom design, and this now detects the driver’s touch when lane centring assist is active, instead of requiring an active steering input from the driver to inform the vehicle that they are paying attention.
Satellite navigation in the Sportage facelift features an augmented reality view, and the adaptive cruise control function employs satellite navigation data to control vehicle speed.
Further driver assistance systems include Highway Driving Assist 2, which combines adaptive cruise control with lane centring, and enables the vehicle to change lanes automatically.
Also included in its ADAS suite are lane keeping assist, forward collision avoidance assist, rear side collision avoidance assist, rear parking collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, side parking distance warning, remote smart parking assist, and safe exit warning.
In Korea, the 2025 Kia Sportage facelift goes on sale from 28,360,000 won (RM89,465). As for right-hand-drive markets, the Sportage facelift is set to reach Australia in the second quarter of 2025, according to Car Expert. As of July, the fifth-generation Sportage was earmarked for its Malaysian market arrival this year.
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