Naza Kia Malaysia has revealed at a private media event their plans to introduce the turbodiesel variant of the fourth-generation Kia Sportage.
As a recap, Kia Malaysia is currently selling two variants of the SUV – KX 2WD and GT 2WD. Both variants are powered by the same 2.0-litre Nu MPI four-cylinder that develops 152 hp and 192 Nm of torque. Paired to a six-speed automatic transmission, drive is sent exclusively to the front wheels.
When the diesel powered Sportage comes, it will be the range topping model in all-wheel drive (AWD) wearing the GT trim. The engine of choice is a 2.0-litre CRDi turbodiesel pushing out 182 hp and a whopping 400 Nm of torque. Power is permanently sent to all four wheels via a six-speed slush box. Fuel economy is rated at 6.5 litres of diesel per 100 km.
It will get HID projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights, quad LED fog lamps and 19-inch alloy wheels as standard. Inside, there’s leather seats, keyless entry and push-start, dual zone automatic climate control, powered seats and paddle shifters. Expect the same, if not more equipment to be fitted here.
The Sportage scores a maximum 5-star crash safety rating at Euro NCAP (regardless of variants) thanks to an impressive safety kit comprised of six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC and VSM, hill-start assist, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and Emergency Stop Signal.
With the increasing availability of the cleaner Euro 5 diesel and soaring petrol prices, perhaps now’s the right time to look into a diesel powered car. Question is, which would you put your money on, the Kia Sportage CRDi, Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D or the Hyundai Tucson CRDi?
IMAGE GALLERY
Sportage GT
