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Kia Sportage is stuffed with intelligent methods by Steve Rogers
Tremendous-agent James Bond is sipping a cocktail at a graceful Parisian bar and desires his automobile.
He reaches into his pocket for the important thing fob presses a button and the automobile glides out of its parking house, with out a driver, and pulls up alongside the kerb prepared for our hero to hurry away.
The stuff of desires for us mere mortals…. however is it? You may get the identical wizardry within the new Kia Sportage, a household SUV which is able to park itself or pull out of a bay with the proprietor urgent the important thing fob from throughout the road.
It’s all a part of a sizzling bundle for the brand new mannequin which has been the corporate’s largest vendor for the reason that launch of the 2010 Sportage, that was the creation of a German who designed the Audi TT and who was persuaded to leap ship and work his magic on the Korean firm’s fashions.
He did and Kia shortly turned an enormous participant within the UK automobile market.
This newest Sportage is an enormous step up each in styling and excessive tec options together with two 12.3in screens, one within the driver’s binnacle with tremendous sharp laptop generated dials and a central contact display screen with a full menu of data together with navigation, radio and Bluetooth.
The Sportage’s styling is simply as beautiful whether or not considered face on, or from the again which gives the look of two tail fins, on the prime and throughout the center. Daring design at its greatest. It has taken the crown from Mazda CX-5 as the very best trying medium sized SUV.
Right here is the unhealthy information, all this new expertise comes at a value and Sportage’s worth has shot up as a lot as its road cred. My prime finish GT-Line S is 40 grand and in the event you go for the decrease fashions you don’t get the luxury large display screen.
In addition to the dual screens the centre console has an area age look with a rotary controller changing the normal gear selector releasing up house for storage.
Different new helpful concepts embrace a stable hangar design behind the entrance head rests which is able to take a heavy bag or coat, a greater thought than hanging one thing from above the rear door. Extra brownie factors for a USB port constructed into the facet cushion of every entrance seat.
No diesel possibility this time simply a few 1.6 litre petrols, probably the most highly effective boosted by a 48 volt hybrid motor so it’s fairly potent and pulled my caravan with ease. Gasoline consumption suffers however that’s offset by the excessive price of diesel. Towing capability is down however ok for the typical 4 berth outfit, for something larger look to the seven seat Sorento though that’s being scaled down to at least one £50k mannequin coming early subsequent yr.
Efficiency from the hybrid is robust, my solely grievance is with the seven-speed auto which holds a gear for too lengthy and is usually in every single place when towing, so I used to be grateful for the steering wheel paddle shifters.
You may get a plug-in hybrid Sportage however there are not any plans for an electrical mannequin so the SUV possibility is the marginally smaller Niro.
As a household SUV Sportage has jumped a couple of rungs up the standard ladder though you’ll spot laborious plastic across the centre console and alongside the boot facet partitions which could be simply scratched so a material cowl could be a greater possibility.
Whether or not it’s appears, house or high quality Sportage is difficult to show your again on and it nonetheless has that attractive seven yr guarantee.
Quick information
Sportage GT-Line S
£40,255 (begins £27,250)
1.6 litre petrol, 226bhp
0-60mph 8secs; 120mpg
44.1mpg mixed
146g/km. 1st tax £215
Boot: 591-1780 litres
Insurance coverage group 26
Towing capability 1650kg
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