Refreshing or Revolting: 2017 Kia Sportage

The 2017 Kia Sportage went on sale in the U.S. earlier this year after debuting in Frankfurt last September. The crossover receives new safety technology, and most noticeably, a dramatic new exterior design. With an improved interior to match the revised sheetmetal, is the 2017 Kia Sportage aptly equipped to hold its ground in the hot compact crossover segment?

Kia redesigned the entire front fascia, including the headlights, grille, and foglights. The headlights feature a new housing, while the foglights have been given an “ice cube-like” design. The grille gets rid of the horizontal slats in favor of a honeycomb design. Now, the grille doesn’t flow into the headlights, but rests just below. The Kia badge has been moved to sit above the grille, instead of in the center.

The side profile doesn’t change much from the outgoing model, but the rear fascia has been completely reworked. The LED taillights feature a new housing, a more stretched rectangular design than the previous model, and the lights themselves are now “U” shaped. Running between the taillights is a chrome strip, which is raised from the surface of the vehicle just slightly. The Kia badge has been placed below the strip. Now, the license plate is framed distinctly above the bumper.

More changes continue inside with the redesigned center stack, steering wheel, and instrument cluster. The infotainment screen is prominently featured at the top of the dash, surrounded on the sides by the redesigned air vents. Kia has redesigned the infotainment controls, which no longer surround the infotainment screen but instead rest underneath. The shifter has been given an update as well, with the housing no longer a large circle in front of the center console. It now has been downsized to the front left of the lower stack, and cup holders have been added to the right of it. The center of the steering wheel has been rounded out, and the mounted controls have been given an update. The instrument cluster features a digital display in the center of the gauges, giving the 2017 Sportage a more modern feel.

Thanks to these updates, the Sportage better sets itself up to stay a worthy competitor in its segment. But will it come out on top? Let us know in the comments below.

Last week we discussed the 2017 Maserati Quattroporte, and although many appreciated the updates, some thought the new design was too close to the previous model.

“Refreshing. It looks better than any BMW, Audi, and Mercedes on the road,” said DesertMike680.

“Much better than the old one. I would still never buy it over the S-Class though,” said Didsomeonesaycars?

“Looks exactly the same as every Maserati made over the past 20 years: revolting,” said elove77.

“Refreshing, a classy design. At least it looks like it’s worth its money,” said curiosity.

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