The development of Kia has been fascinating to watch these past couple of decades. Having existed in the wilderness beforehand, it first became an imitator of European car design, and then something of a precocious master of it. The company now has a range of very attractive showroom models. From Stonic to Soul to Ceed to Proceed to Stinger, you’ll notice them when you see one, and for the right reasons. Suddenly, the company has a legacy; something to lose. So what now?
Well, it’s evidently not afraid to take a risk. If this new version of the Sportage compact SUV is any useful guide, Kia’s next design chapter might be entitled ‘bold and avant-garde’ rather than ‘studiously practised and accomplished’. The fifth-generation Sportage isn’t a ‘pretty’ car – clearly, it isn’t intended to be – but, just as the breakthrough third-generation model was, it’s a statement all right.
Its form is supposedly “inspired by nature”. It’s intended to look “sophisticated and organic”. It’s certainly predatory. To these eyes, the car’s bursting, angular primary features look a little like they belong to something at which an oily Sigourney Weaver might once have levelled a flamethrower. Glossy black contrasting body trim completes the sci-fi aesthetic, which you won’t forget in a hurry. Is it distinctive? You betcha. ‘Assertive’ even, as Kia itself prefers to call it. Attractive? I’m not convinced.
Denne historien er fra January 05, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 05, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE DRAMATIC ITALIAN THAT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA
When the Huracán bowed out, the curtain fell forever on Lambo's V10
HOW EV MAKERS CAN WIN THE RACE TO 5.0MPKWH
Manufacturers are honing every detail to close in on big efficiency goal
MASERATI MC20
We bid a sad farewell to a handsome supercar that was easy to live with
The quickening
Instant acceleration is part of the appeal of an EV, but is it all getting a bit much for unwary and inexperienced drivers? JOHN EVANS investigates
Inside track
Watching an F1 race with live access to engineers and telemetry is the stuff of dreams for racing fans. ALEX WOLSTENHOLME makes a day of it
WHOLE IN ONE
The Volkswagen Golf has been all things to all motorists for half a century. At the wheel of a classic Mk1, VICKY PARROTT charts the eight-generation history of one of the world's most successful cars
DACIA DUSTER
Mk3 model gains digital tech, ADAS, slicker looks... Is this mission creep?
MAZDA CX-80 PHEV
Another look at Mazda's hefty SUV, this time in plug-in hybrid form
VAUXHALL GRANDLAND ELECTRIC
Newcomer looks to ease the average family SUV driver into EV motoring
BMW X3 20 XDRIVE
Fourth generation of brand's best-seller arrives with base petrol engine
