Kia Sportage Facelift First Look: New Face, 4.54 Metres And Two 12.3-Inch Screens

The Sportage facelift on Kia’s stand at AUTO/MOBIL Basel 2025, photographed on 5 September 2025.

Kia’s Sportage facelift changes the face and keeps the body. The European car grows 2.5 cm to 4.54 metres, wears a new light signature and moves to a panoramic display of two 12.3-inch screens, according to Kia’s launch material as reported by automobile.at.

We filmed a grey Sportage on the Kia stand at AUTO/MOBIL Basel on the show days, 5 and 6 September 2025. The organiser’s list of premieres carries it as a “Schweizer Premiere”. Our AUTO/MOBIL Basel 2025 report covers the other cars at the show.

Star Map Lights And A Longer Nose

The AUTO TV walkaround begins with the headlights. The old boomerang-shaped units are gone, replaced by a lighting signature it calls Star Map, and the grille is wider and taller. In the photographs the light strips sit vertically at the outer edge of each headlight.

The daytime running lights use the graphic of Kia’s latest models, and both bumpers are new. The extra length comes from a longer front overhang, and the alloy wheels are new in 17, 18 and 19 inches.

Two Screens And 996 mm For The Rear Seat

Inside, the steering wheel has two spokes instead of three and the dashboard has vents built into its face. On some versions the touchscreen and the digital instrument display, 12.3 inches each, sit in one panoramic unit. A 10-inch head-up display is optional, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included.

Kia quotes up to 587 litres of boot space and 996 mm of rear legroom. The walkaround covers the two screens, the flat-edged steering wheel and the head-up display. It calls the rear legroom class-leading, and Kia’s 996 mm supports that.

From CHF 29,950 On The Premiere List

The organiser’s premiere list, in an archive copy of 25 September 2025, shows the “New Sportage” at CHF 29,950 with 160 PS. Blick’s test gives CHF 34,450 for the base car with 150 PS, front-wheel drive and a manual gearbox. It gives CHF 39,700 for the 180 PS all-wheel-drive version with the dual-clutch gearbox.

Kia Switzerland’s website, on 15 October 2026, listed a Sportage Black Edition hybrid at CHF 46,950, which it says is CHF 5,890 below the normal price. Across these sources, Swiss prices run from CHF 29,950 to CHF 46,950.

Petrol First For Switzerland

For Switzerland, autosprint reported on 13 August 2025 that petrol versions arrive first, with hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions later. There is no diesel and no mild hybrid for the Swiss market.

The walkaround quotes the European 1.6-litre turbo petrol with 180 hp and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Blick’s test, published on 27 February 2026, drove that car with 132 kW (180 PS), 265 Nm and all-wheel drive.

The Drivetrain Is The Weak Point

Blick liked the design, the finish, the infotainment and the 562-litre boot of the car it tested. It rated the drivetrain as the weakest point, and called the engine weak under load and noisy when pushed.

Blick lists the 239 PS hybrid and the 288 PS plug-in hybrid as alternatives, and recommends the hybrids for economy and pace.

More Videos From The Shows

We filmed it at Passion Auto Show Martigny 2026.

We filmed it at Passion Auto Show Martigny 2026.

We filmed it at Tiroler Autosalon 2026.

More of our videos of this car on AUTO TV:

• NEW 2023 KIA Sportage – FIRST LOOK Exterior&Interior (Auto Expo Brussels) (Brussels Motor Show 2023)

Our Take: A Face For A Wider Audience

Our view is that Kia listened to the criticism of the old front end and built a face for a wider audience. We expect the new styling to age better, and call the screens and equipment genuinely useful and the rear legroom generous.

Our advice is that the Sportage suits a young professional buying a first SUV or a family that wants a reliable car.

Independent editorial. No brand or organiser paid for or reviewed this article.