Kia Sportage (2010 / 2011) revealed

Kia has revealed the Sportage which will debut at Geneva

Kia has revealed its version of the Hyundai ix35 – The Kia Sportage – which will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

It’s lagging a bit behind its sibling from Hyundai, but Kia’s version of the ix35 – The Kia Sportage – has now been revealed and will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

As with the Hyundai ix35, the Kia Sportage is leaps and bounds on from the old car. Its design language, which comes from the guidance of  former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, is as competent and as effective as anything from Europe or Japan. Kia says the new Sportage “…embodies Kia’s new visual dynamism, all-new Sportage is a fresh, bold, athletic and sporty design”. And we don’t disagree, even if it looks a bit like the Kia Sorento from Frankfurt on a boil wash.

Kia have done not much more than release a couple of pictures of the Sportage ahead of Geneve. But it seems highly likely it will get the same engines as the ix35 – a pair of diesels and a pair of petrols, at least in the UK and Europe. In the US it will probably get the same engines as the Tucson (which is the US ix35), namely the 2.0 and 2.4 litre 4-pot petrols. But it does look as if the Sportage may come in just front wheel drive versions instead of offering the AWD on the ix35.

Expect prices to start around £14k in the UK when the Sportage goes on sale later in the year.

More detail as Geneva approaches.