Dinamikjaya Motors, the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, has officially announced the start of order taking for the Kia Sportage. It has been a long wait for the C-segment SUV, and as previously reported, it will arrive as a locally-assembled (CKD) model from the Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah.
Set to make its public debut at the upcoming Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS) in December, we’re getting the fifth-generation (NQ5) Sportage in pre-facelift form, which was first unveiled back in June 2021. Why? According to Dinamikjaya Motors, the new facelifted model, which made its debut earlier this month, has been launched exclusively in South Korea for now.
“We anticipate that its (the facelifted Sportage) introduction to our local market may take approximately two more years. Additionally, a potential price increase may accompany the facelift release, affecting not only Malaysia but other markets as well,” the company said in a FAQ issued to the media. On the mention of other markets, neighbouring Thailand and Indonesia have yet to welcome the NQ5 Sportage.
In terms of specifications, the Sportage will be offered with two petrol powertrains in Malaysia. The first is a 2.0 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four unit that produces 156 hp and 192 of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
The alternative is a 1.6 litre turbocharged inline-four engine making 177 hp and 265 Nm that is linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It isn’t clear how many variants will be made available and which ones will come with front- or all-wheel drive.
As for features, the Sportage will be available with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA; autonomous emergency braking), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance (BCA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance (RCCA) and more.
Other items on the kit list include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an infotainment system that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Higher-spec variants will come with creature comforts such as ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control as well as a Harman Kardon sound system.
We’re not getting any pricing details for now, but like the also-CKD Sorento, the Sportage will come with a five-year, 100,000-km warranty and service package. The Sportage will compete in a segment that has no shortage of options, including popular nameplates such as the Honda CR-V, Proton X70 and Mazda CX-5, plus those from Chinese brands. Would you pick the Sportage over other C-segment SUVs available here?
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I will give it a try
Does it rival the Honda HR-V or CR-V?
CR-V
I just dont get with the design,,,,
One also gotta love Kia still dumping their engine of 10 years ago without any updates apart from their price. (and hopefully they dont have issues like those getting sued)
If priced lower than Japs and higher a bit than China, might consider.
Dead on arrival especially when compare with stiff competition from china made suv/cuv and other ev offerings.
If it price competitively against cx5 it would be nice,but if they price it let say 180k and above,might as well not ckd here..knowing bermaz and lack of promotion and mediocre warranty on mileage,if it price wrongly this wil be DOA..
What took em so long just to bring this car with a face only a designer could love lol
Do not blame on Korean-exclusive facelift pace. You, dinamikjaya is just lazy and dumb just like bermaz and tan chong.
No USB ports for rear pax?
bermaz going to pivot to Kia now? kereta mazda semua takde keluar model baru. CX-5 dengan CX-8 punya design dah ketinggalan zaman. Nak tunggu EV dari jepun memang tak sampai-sampai la. CX-5 makin bosan, interior terlalu ketinggalan zaman. Kia Sportage nampak lebih moden. The most important thing is pricing. Macam mana nak lawan brand china kalau harga terlampau tinggi (Kia ev6, ev9, niro, dan carnival).
Kia patut bawak masuk kereta sedan macam cerrator atau kia k4. lagi cantik dari kereta mazda
Who in their right mind would buy a car that will be outdated in two years? You are two years behind… Crazy…
Can’t sell below 140k don’t bother
D.O.A outdated & definitely gonna be over 180k. I’m done with he Japs & Korean.
Aiyo. Di korea sudah pakai sportage generasi baru