2019 Kia Sportage facelift on sale in Australia

Just months after debuting internationally, the 2019 Kia Sportage is on sale in Australia with updated styling, more equipment across the range and light drivetrain changes to make the car even more fresh and relevant in the medium SUV segment, according to Kia.

Priced from $29,990 plus on-road costs for the entry level Si, the 2019 Sportage is now better equipped across the range – autonomous emergency braking with forward collision warning and lane keep assist are now standard on all models. Diesel models have also picked up a new eight-speed automatic transmission, and use less fuel as a result. 2019 Kia Sportage models are now in dealerships.

“With the upgraded model it is about refining, not revising, what is already an excellent example of the breed,” Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith said.

“The Sportage has been very well received since the launch of this generation, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to add a little more.

“With the addition of AEB and Lane Keep Assist across the model range the enhanced Sportage is even safer than before, and the drive has been improved by the addition of the 8-speed gearbox to all diesel models. A revision of the ride and handling package adds a more luxurious ride.”

Priced $1,000 more than 2018 at $29,990 plus on-road costs, the 2019 Kia Sportage is better value than before. The entry level Si is now equipped with autonomous emergency braking with forward collision warning, lane keep assist, automatic high beam headlights and dual-zone climate control. This is in addition to 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera with rear parking sensors and cruise control.

The Sportage Si is available with an unchanged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which produces 114kW of power at 6,200rpm and 192Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, solely available in front-wheel drive form and to a six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is rated at 7.9L/100km – significantly more than the 1.5-litre turbo petrol Skoda Karoq 110TSI (5.8L/100km), 1.4-litre turbo petrol Volkswagen Tiguan 110TSI (6.3L/100km) and 2.0-litre petrol Mazda CX-5 (6.9L/100km).

Optional on all variants is a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine, which is matched to a new eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. It produces 136kW of power at 4,000rpm and a strong 400Nm between 1,750 and 2,750rpm. It’s priced from $35,390 plus on-road costs, and uses a combined 6.4L/100km of fuel.

The same engine choices are available on the Sportage Si Premium, which is priced from $32,290 ($37,390 for the AWD diesel) plus on-road costs. The Si Premium adds a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation with ten years of map updates and live traffic information, front parking sensors, LED daytime running lights, DAB+ digital radio, an eight-speaker JBL sound system and larger 18-inch alloy wheels.

Above the Si Premium sits the SLi, which uses the same 2.0-litre petrol engine with a six-speed automatic and front-wheel drive ($36,790) or the same 2.0-litre diesel/all-wheel drive combination as other Sportage models ($41,290). The SLi adds keyless entry with push button start, leather upholstery with a 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, LED tailights and an electric handbrake.

At the top of the local Sportage range is the GT-Line, which is available with a larger 135kW/237Nm 2.4-litre petrol with a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive ($44,790) or the same 2.0-litre diesel/all-wheel drive combination as other Sportage models ($47,690). Kia claims that the 2.4-litre petrol drivetrain uses 8.5L/100km combined – again not Mazda CX-5 efficient, whose 140kW/251Nm 2.5-litre petrol/all-wheel drive drivetrain uses 7.5L/100km.

The GT-Line also adds larger 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring with rear traffic alert, an 8-way electrically adjustable front passenger’s seat, LED front foglamps, adaptive cruise control, heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging, an electric bootlid, a flat-bottomed steering wheel with paddle shifters and more aggressive exterior styling.

Aside from an improved value equation and updated mechanicals, the 2019 Kia Sportage also sports updated styling, with new front and rear bumpers and more aggressive headlights and tailights. The cabin has also been improved, with new materials and infotainment systems that are now flush with the dashboard facia.

Kia will be hoping that the improved value equation and revised styling will help the Sportage’s sales in Australia. So far in 2018, Sportage sales are down 1.0 percent to 7,298 units YTD – sitting behind the sales leaders Mazda CX-5 (13,847), Toyota RAV4 (11,770), Nissan X-Trail (10,524), cousin Hyundai Tucson (10,280), Honda CR-V (9,042) and Mitsubishi Outlander (8,154).