Scary-looking all-new 2022 Kia Sportage opened for pre-orders in Korea

Hide your children, dear parents, because the all-new 2022 Kia Sportage is here to be a menace to its rival SUVs. Well, by here, I mean Korea as Kia has just opened pre-orders for the fifth-generation Sportage over there.

The all-new Sportage was first unveiled last month and it sports a brand-new Tiger Nose grille that is shoutier than the Kia EV6, Kia’s first dedicated EV.

Also read: The all-new 2022 Kia Sportage debuts, looks too scary for children

However, powertrains for the all-new Sportage remains fossil-fuel-powered with two engines available for pre-order – a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine (180 PS/265 Nm) and a 2.0-litre diesel engine (186 PS/417 Nm).

These engines are paired to a 7-speed DCT and an 8-speed automatic transmission respectively. All variants of the Korean-spec Sportage come with 4WD.

A hybrid variant of the all-new Sportage would be launched later in the year.

If you’ve seen the images and thought the all-new Sportage is longer than the previous-generation, you’re right on the money. It is overall bigger and taller than its predecessor.

Kia also claimed that the fifth-gen Sportage has better handling and braking performance, as well as being quieter than the previous generation. The Korean carmaker has also claimed that the Sportage offers best-in-class safety.

There are 6 variants available for the Korean-spec Sportage and prices start from KRW 24.42 million (~RM 90,000). The highest-spec variant of the Sportage is called Gravity and featured additional accessories like a curved roof rack, redesigned front and rear bumpers and 19-inch alloy wheels.

What about Malaysia?

Recall that Kia is under a new distributor in Malaysia called Dinamikjaya Motors Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Bermaz Auto. Despite being free from the clutches of Naza, Kia’s situation in Malaysia is still in limbo.

Also read: Bermaz: CKD Kia Seltos and Carnival not until 2022, priority is to rebuild after-sales

This isn’t the fault of Kia’s new local distributors, mind you. Whatever plans they have, including bringing in new models would be on hold given the current situation of the country.

Also read: If you own a Kia, new distributor Dinamikjaya wants to contact you

That being said, we know that the Kia Seltos and Kia Carnival are planned to be launched in CKD form with more models to come. These include the all-new Sportage and Sorento.

Also read: Malaysia to launch CKD Kia Carnival in Q1 2022, Seltos in Q4, target 2,000 unit sales

So, for those Kia fans awaiting the arrival of the new-generations of these SUVs, have patience that more good news will come when the lockdown is lifted.