Following the
unveiling of the 2018 Kia Sportage in May, the Korean manufacturer has revealed
more details of the changes made and new additions made to its popular C-SUV,
one of which is the all-new.6L SmartStream diesel engine - claimed to be their
cleanest one yet.
Developed with the
company’s new ‘SmartStream’ efficiency technologies, the new 1.6 unit replaces
the 1.7-liter CRDi diesel engine. The new engine comes with re-engineered
components supported by a new Integrated Thermal Management System (ITMS) to
help achieve their claimed benefits. It is also lighter (by 18 kg) than the
outgoing 1.7L unit.
Available in Korea
and Europe, the 1.6 unit will be sold in two configurations: 115 or 136 ps.
Both engine configurations will be driving the front wheels via a six-speed
manual transmission as standard. The more powerful 136 ps engine will be
available with all-wheel drive and a seven-speed double-clutch transmission.
The Sportage 1.6 diesel can travel up to 16.3 km on a single liter of diesel on
the WLTP combined cycle, with carbon dioxide emissions rated from 126 g/km for
115 ps models, and 123 g/km for higher-powered models.
Another diesel
option is a 2.0-litre ‘R’ diesel engine combined with a 48-volt battery and a
mild-hybrid starter-generator unit. It is available with an all-wheel drive
system, and can be equipped with a six-speed manual or a new eight-speed
automatic transmission. The 2.0L mild hybrid system produces 185 ps and 400 Nm
torque. The new mild-hybrid powertrain can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 4% on
the WLTP.
The new Sportage is
confirmed to go on sale in global markets from the third quarter of this year
(July-August 2018). As for its arrival in India, reports suggest that Kia could
introduce the Sportage in the country as an import. It is likely to be
assembled at their Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh with CKD kits. If
approved, the new Kia Sportage will only arrive after Q3 2019 and compete with
the likes of Hyundai Tucson and Jeep Compass.
