The latest generation of the Sportage has been released quite recently and to everyone’s joy, it is not only a better looking car than most of us expected but it is also a more refined machine with more power and a much nicer overall design. While it is quite new, the car is actually expected to receive an update with the 2018 Kia Sportage which should not bring all that much to the market but it should come with a slightly revamped powertrain as well as a much more capable running gear, probably on a sportier version of the car.
Changes & Improvements
Suspension wise, the new Sportage will get a more compliant set of shock absorbers and probably slightly stiffer springs. These should make the car better to drive and more stable during hard cornering but thanks to its shocks it will very likely be more comfortable as well as quieter than before.
All-New Design – Interior & Exterior
Design wise, the 2018 Kia Sportage will definitely look nearly identical to the ongoing model, especially since this car has only been released for a few months now and a visual update would not make too much sense. However, while it will not change all that much, we do expect the sportier version of the car to come with new 18 inch rims as standard, a different color scheme which could use, instead of the current chrome inserts, an all black trim level with black mirrors, window surroundings and black roof rails.
This should make for a more aggressive design and with the body-colored fender flares and likely a new grille with red inserts, the new Sportage should make for a seriously handsome car.
Modern Interior
Inside the cabin on the other hand we don’t expect too much from this model. However, the car may now be fitted with Kia’s latest safety features such as a more advanced adaptive cruise control system, a better frontal crash collision and avoidance system as well as a new lane-keep assist which should now be able to make better corrections even in bad weather conditions.
Under the Hood
Engine wise, the 2018 Kia Sportage might finally ditch the old 2.4 liter naturally aspirated base mill in the favor of Hyundai;’s latest 1.6 liter turbocharged inline 4 engine which is already being used in Europe on this model. This engine would easily be capable of delivering up to 175 horsepower and more than 180 lb-ft of torque from as low as 1,700 rpm, so it should not only feel faster than the 2.4 liter unit but it should also be a lot more fuel efficient.
The top of the range model on the other hand will get a new 2 liter turbocharged inline 4 mill which despite the fact it shares the same displacement with the older top end unit, this will feature direct injection and a lot of new features, so while the power will be down to around 245 horsepower, the torque will now be higher than 270 lb-ft, so it should get improved driving characteristics and a better fuel consumption.
While the larger engine will get the same old 6 speed automatic, the smaller unit is expected to get, besides the standard 6 speed manual, a 7 speed dual-clutch gearbox which should be really interesting to use, especially on the US market where these types of gearboxes are quite scarce.
2018 Kia Sportage Price & Release date
The release date for this 2018 update will likely be set in the last quarter of 2017 in order to allow the car to be released by the start of 2018.
In terms of pricing, the base model is still going to cost $23,000 but its top end versions will go for quite a bit more than now mostly due to the addition of that sportier version.
