Kia Sportage Gets Swift Facelift For The 2025 Model Year

At Kia, the life cycles of their vehicles are notably swift, even faster than their competitors. Consequently, the top-selling model in numerous European markets is set to undergo a mid-cycle facelift.

As “young” as the Sportage is, marketed in January 2022 in our country, it is true that its front end with its large luminous boomerangs stands out even more now than before compared to the recently restyled Sorento and EV6.  And in addition to a front end that conforms to the latest stylistic codes of Kia, we discover a largely reworked interior.

Let’s start with the exterior. And if you already liked the wide grille of the current Sportage, you’ll be happy to discover that it remains just as imposing, connecting the headlights, and still topped with thin tiger noses at the end of the hood. Where it changes is at the level of the bumper, with rectangular and triangular shapes that give it a more massive appearance. As for the front optics, now vertical, they take the shape of those initiated on the big EV9 and taken up on the restyled Sorento. But unlike the latter, the thin line of LEDs that constitutes the daytime running light signature does not extend towards the centre of the grille.

At the rear, the changes on this restyled fifth-generation Sportage are more subtle. While the bumpers have also been retouched, we notice that the design of the optics has been slightly simplified. Note that the Korean Kia Sportage, as in some other markets, offers a larger rear overhang than in our country. And so the rear end is slightly different.

We now move on to the interior, and there the changes between the before and after restyling are obvious. And it is again the big brother Sorento who has set the example. The dashboard has been completely redesigned, with the integration of a large digital, panoramic and curved panel. The air vents are now better integrated and less visible, over the entire width. On the other hand, the steering wheel is no longer round, but polygonal with flats on the top and bottom. Only the central console seems to remain relatively identical.

That’s it for the aesthetic changes. As for the engines, it’s hard to trust what’s offered on the Korean market, as global standards are different. But we can expect micro-hybrid (petrol and diesel), hybrid and plug-in hybrid (petrol) engines to be included. As for the electric, it will be embodied by another model, the future Kia EV5. The launch of the restyled Kia Sportage should arrive in early 2025.

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