Kia’s big-selling mid-size SUV is about to get a makeover for 2025
Despite the covering at the front, we can just about see the new Sportage’s ‘star map’ headlights which mimic those of the new Kia EV9, Sorento and Picanto. The new Kia family face will give the Sportage a bulkier, more aggressive look and we should see a new interpretation of Kia’s traditional ‘tiger nose’ grille.
Down the side we can spot new diamond-cut alloy wheels that aren’t too dissimilar to the ones featured on the new Kia EV3. While the rear lights sit in the same position as before, beneath the mesh we can clearly see that they will get a new light signature. While we can’t be certain just yet, it’s a safe bet the new Sportage will get reshaped bumpers front and rear as well.
The Kia Sportage was one of the first cars in the current range to utilise the now familiar dual 12.3-inch screens inside, along with a touch-sensitive climate control panel which has since been used on the EV6, EV9 and Sorento. While the new similarly-sized EV3 will launch with a three-screen setup, Kia may decide to keep the same dual-screen layout in the Sportage to help differentiate the all-electric and internal-combustion engined SUVs. Like its Hyundai Tucson sister model that received a facelift earlier this year, we expect the Sportage to make the dual-screens a standard-fit feature on all models – removing the 4.2-inch driver’s display that was on lower-spec versions.
As for powertrains we expect the same lineup as before with mild-hybrid, a more powerful hybrid petrol and a range-topping plug-in hybrid – all based on a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.
Given this is our first sighting of the new Sportage we don’t expect a full reveal until towards the end of the year. Pricing is likely to rise over the current car’s £29,390 entry point when the car goes on sale in 2025.
