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This is the new Kia Sportage, which will go on sale late this year or early in 2011.

The pictures are taken from a European Registry patent filing, and show much of how the exterior of the restyled car will look. In particular, the front grille arrangement carries the new Kia family look, instigated by head of design Peter Schreyer.

New Kia Sportage pictures

The new Sportage wi...Read the full article

Hmmm... Can't help thinking that 'C' pillar is REALLY going to hurt rearward visibility - Almost blocks out most of Wiltshire...

Hopefully the Tippy-Toes look will disappear before it hits the showrooms too.

"The new Sportage will be based on the same platform as the new Hyundai ix35, but is expected to feature a two-wheel drive transmission to differentiate it from the four-wheel drive ix35"

 doesn't sound right to me.

The current Sportage a sister car to the the Hyundai Tuscon and they both have the option of 2wd and 4wd versions so why should the new models change anything?

Plus the ix35 is available in 2wd only anyway.

 

Looking at the design of the car though it does look good, as long as there is a 4wd version I'd deffinately consider one.

 And the problem with blocking out Wiltshire is ............?

Actually if you block out everything below the wheel arches it's a copy of the old Vauxhall Signum.

Maybe should I give up that Buckfast wine !

 

 

I will fill in for HyundaiSmoke here.

This is far & away the best SUV the world has ever seen. It is the absolute pinnacle of design & engineering magnificence. It combines the luxury of a Rolls Royce Phantom, the "go-everywhere" ability of a Challenger tank, the driving dynamics of a Lamborghini, the amazing dealer service of Lexus, the affordability of a packet of Maltesers, & the desirability of your 19 year old babysitter.

It absolutely trounces the Range Rover, let alone cars in its price bracket like the abysmal Ford Kuga, the deplorable VW Tiguan, & the utterly hopeless & uncompetitive Freelander. How any manufacturer can ever hope to sell a single vehicle ever again is beyond me.

Love it. Don't forget the has-been Japanese though.

Good use of IP registry images. This won't have come from the European Patent Office, however, because the drawings don't meet their formal requirements for showing inventions. They almost certainly come from the OHIM which registers the appearance of products as Community Registered Designs.

roverfan1984:

I will fill in for HyundaiSmoke here.

 

 Thanks for that - I'm starting to miss him.