Continental Trading Enterprises has launched the fourth-gen KIA Sportage. There is a redesigned front bumper with new fog lamp housings, and new gloss black or bright chrome inserts leading from the fog lamps to the lower air intake. The Sportage now has an evolved ‘tiger-nose’ grille, with new gloss black or matt black grille.

New full-LED headlamps with four-point LED daytime running lights and rede­signed fog lamps provide maximum visi­bility and enhance the SUV’s light signature for a more modern appearance. At the rear, the slim combination lamps retain their horizontal shape, with the revised design featuring a new C-shaped LED light signature. The reversing lamp and reflec­tors are now integrated into the new rear bumper, which is now finished with a flash of chrome across its base

 Hill-start Assist holds the car for two seconds on inclines to prevent it from rolling backwards

Changes to ‘GT-Line’ include a new gloss black hot-stamped radiator grille, gloss black and silver skid plates, and dark chrome inserts on the front bumper, the side sills and rear tailgate. The unique 19-inch alloy wheels of the ‘GT-Line’ have been redesigned, and all models are fit­ted with a dual exhaust rear valance and revised ‘ice cube’ LED fog lamp designs.

The new Sportage has the look and feel of a car from a higher market segment, but without the hefty price tag. While the layout of the previous Sportage cabin is retained, a series of minor upgrades exude a further sense of modernity. The upgraded model is equipped with a new steering wheel and revised driver instru­ment cluster.

The Kia Sportage rides on fully inde­pendent front and rear suspensions, car­ried over unchanged for the 2018 model. Delivering a comfortable ride and supe­rior damping over poor road surfaces, the chassis is nevertheless tuned to offer intuitive and engaging handling. ‘GT-Line’ models feature their own specially-tuned suspension characteristics, endowing the Sportage with sharper, more athletic han­dling and a slightly firmer ride—crucially, without compromising the SUV’s funda­mental comfort and stability. A number of advanced driver assistance systems are offered on the Sportage, all designed to minimize the possibility of an accident. The Sportage has earned a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP.

All versions have Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BAS), so that the car comes to rest in the shortest possi­ble distance in an emergency, and with maximum retardation, regardless of the pressure applied to the pedal by the driver. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Vehi­cle Stability Management (VSM) prevent the car from skidding in corners or when accelerating on surfaces with different lev­els of grip between left and right.

Hill-start Assist holds the car for two seconds when setting off on inclines to pre­vent it rolling backwards. Every Sportage is equipped as standard with Kia’s Vehicle Stability Management (VSM). This maxi­mizes stability when braking and cornering by controlling the car’s Electronic Stability Control (ESC) if it detects a loss of traction. The Sportage is also fitted with driver and front passenger airbags, first-row side airbags, and first- and second-row curtain airbags.