In less than two months from now, Kia will show us the
production 2016 Sportage in Frankfurt,
but until then, we can give you the best look yet inside the compact crossover.
Our spies came close enough to snap a photo of the next
generation Sportage's dashboard, the design of which is very similar to that
used in the newest Sorento, presented late last year at the Paris Auto Show.
Evidently, Kia wants to give the new Sorento a more upscale
feel inside over the outgoing model, with an 8-inch Infinity infotainment
system standing out on the center console under which we find an array of
buttons and knobs, including for the audio and dual-zone climate control
systems.
The exterior of the SUV was heavily bagged, but not to the
point where we couldn’t make out the familiar Sportage profile that's now
combined with a rounder front end seemingly inspired by the brand's KX3
Concept.
Kia's Jeep Cherokee, Honda CR-V and Nissan
Qashqai rival shares its platform with sister company Hyundai's new Tucson
(read our first drive here), so expect the same range of engines, which should
include a 164 hp 2.0L and a 175 hp 1.6L turbo for North America. Europe will
likely get two petrol units, a 132 PS 1.6L and a 175 PS 1.6-liter turbo, plus
three diesels, the 115 PS 1.7L, 136 PS 2.0L and 186 PS 2.0L.
