2025 Kia Sportage Facelift Gets EV9-Inspired Looks & New Tech

The all-new 2025 Kia Sportage facelift breaks cover in its native South Korean market this week.

Following its subtle yet obvious teaser late last month, Korean automaker Kia has finally unveiled the facelifted 2025 Kia Sportage in its native market. Based on the fifth-gen (codenamed NQ5) Sportage, the facelift treatment sees this C-segment SUV gaining EV9-inspired looks, as well as several tech and mechanical upgrades.

The recent facelift treatment sees the fifth-gen Kia Sportage gaining EV9-inspired looks and tons of new tech.

Starting with the visuals, the facelifted Sportage follows the same design recipe implemented on some of its newly-updated stablemates like the Sorento and Carnival, to name a few. The most obvious change lies in the front face, as the facelifted model adopts the same L-shaped LED DRLs as the EV9 flagship EV SUV, with the actual headlights now stacked vertically.

Also new here is the redesigned front bumper, which includes a new front grille and larger air intakes for a more commanding presence. To complement this, Kia has also tweaked the Sportage’s side profile by giving it wider front fenders and a new set of wheels with sizes ranging from 17 to 19 inches, depending on the trim level. Completing the exterior facelift treatment is the slightly tweaked rear bumper design, while its sharp LED taillights gain new lighting graphics.

Moving inside, the facelifted treatment sees the new Sportage getting an overhauled cabin, featuring tons of new tech and comfort amenities. The biggest highlight is obviously the new 12.3-inch curved dual-display setup primed on the front dash, which is augmented with a multi-colour head-up display (HUD).

Besides the new screens, the cabin also gets a new two-spoke steering wheel, sleeker A/C vents with a physical control panel, as well as a redesigned rotary-style gear switch that makes the central console look less cluttered and cleaner than before.

Beyond the aesthetic changes, the facelifted Sportage also gains some key powertrain and mechanical upgrades that promise to elevate the driving experience over its predecessor. For its native Korean market, the facelifted Sportage lineup starts with the baseline 2.0-litre LPG variant that still makes 144 HP, while the more potent turbocharged 1.6-litre 4-cyl variant rated at 177 HP is now mated to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox instead of the seven-speed DCT unit primed on its predecessor.

Meanwhile, the sole hybrid (HEV) variant still uses the same setup with a 177 HP-rated 1.6-litre turbocharged mill as its core, although its single e-motor unit has received a 5 HP power bump to now make 64 HP. Power bumps aside, the HEV model also benefits from an improved regenerative braking system, where drivers now can change the regen intensity via the steering-mounted paddle shifters.

Notwithstanding the powertrain upgrades, Kia engineers have also tweaked the chassis setup for the facelifted Sportage, with the updated model featuring a new two-way damper at the front axle, which promises to help with comfort and noise level. Speaking of noise, the NVH level for the new Sportage has also been improved, thanks to the extra sound-insulating materials inside the car’s bodywork.

In its native Korean market, pricing for the 2025 Kia Sportage facelift ranges between KRW 28.36 million (RM89,227) and KRW 48.70 million (RM153,222), depending on the powertrain specs and trim levels. With deliveries slated to begin early next year, we can expect this updated SUV to make its way to other international markets some time later in 2025.

Closer to home, official Kia brand importer and distributor Dinamikjaya Motors (Bermaz Auto) is slated to launch the pre-facelift Kia Sportage model later this year, where it will be locally-assembled (CKD) at Inokom’s Kulim plant. Given this circumstance, perhaps it is safe to say that it may take a while before we get to see this facelifted model making its way into our market.