New Kia Sportage takes shape

New renders of the high-tech next-generation 2021 Kia Sportage have hit the digisphere, and if these creations turn out to be accurate, the new Toyota RAV4 rival will raise eyebrows aplenty.

Created by South Korean photoshop maestros GotchaCars, the unofficial images posted to YouTube are guided by Kia’s recently-released official teaser images and a handful of spy photos, and reveal a bold front-end design with a hint of the upcoming Kia EV6 electric car.

Boasting an evolution of Kia’s tiger-nose grille and adopting the brand’s new ‘opposites united’ design language, the new-generation mid-size SUV features a striking new headlight design complete with extensive LED daytime running lights.

The overall look is more angular and aggressive than before, having more in common with the new Sorento large SUV than the current curvaceous Sportage design.

At the rear the design is more conventional and a little more rugged and athletic, with upswept rear windows on its flanks and reworked LED tail-lights.

There’s no denying Kia is on the march, as evidenced by its third placing among Australia’s top brands in May, and the South Korean car-maker could land an uppercut on the chin of Australia’s best-selling SUV, the Toyota RAV4, with the all-new Sportage.

Sharing its underpinnings with the new Hyundai Tucson, the Sportage will be bigger inside and out.

It will also be a high-tech affair, featuring a massive all-in-one curved digital screen, previewed by Kia’s official teaser sketches.

This new set-up (expected on top-end model grades only) takes up more than half the Sportage’s dashboard and will be one of the major talking points of the new model, integrating the instrument cluster and infotainment display to create a futuristic aesthetic.

The new Kia Sportage will also bring loads of connectivity, comfort and safety tech to the table, such as premium seat upholstery, blind-spot video feeds beamed onto the instrument cluster, wireless phone charging and more.

Powertrain options for Aussie buyers will be limited, with the turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid powertrain available overseas unlikely to be offered in the short term – meaning Kia could be without a Toyota RAV4 hybrid rival for some time.

Kia Australia reps told carsales that both the mild and plug-in hybrid powertrains are “not completely off the agenda but definitely not confirmed either”.

These engines are almost certain to mirror the Hyundai Tucson’s hybrid offerings (also not available in Australia) in the form of a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine hooked up to a small electric motor and battery, generating a combined 171kW/350Nm.

The new Kia Sportage is due to land on local soil from around November 2021 after its global reveal in July.

The mid-size SUV will be a main player in one of Australia’s most popular market segments – second only to utes – which as well as the RAV4 includes household nameplates like the Mazda CX-5 and Nissan X-TRAIL.