Kia Sportage Hybrid Ranks First in German Automotive Magazine Evaluation

Highest Scores in 3 of 7 Categories Including Body, Safety, Convenience, and Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Kia's Sportage Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) has been recognized for its excellence in evaluations by leading German automotive media.

According to Kia on the 19th, the Sportage PHEV recently ranked first in a PHEV vehicle comparison test conducted by the German automotive magazines 'Auto Motor und Sport' and 'Auto Bild.'

Following the EV6, which was honored as the '2022 European Car of the Year,' Kia has once again demonstrated its high competitiveness in eco-friendly vehicle technology with the Sportage PHEV receiving rave reviews.

The recent comparison published in Auto Motor und Sport evaluated four fiercely competing PHEV vehicles in Europe ? Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4, Opel Grandland, and Volvo XC40 ? across seven categories: body, safety, convenience, powertrain, driving, eco-friendliness, and economy.

The Sportage took first place in three of the seven categories ? convenience, driving, and economy ? achieving a total score of 649 points, surpassing the RAV4's 615 points to claim overall first place. The Grandland followed with 603 points, and the XC40 with 566 points.

The convenience category, where the Sportage earned the highest score, was assessed through eight detailed subcategories: suspension comfort, front seat comfort, rear seat comfort, multimedia, climate control system, and interior noise, among others.

Additionally, the Sportage proved its competitiveness by receiving the highest scores in the driving evaluation category, which consists of seven subcategories including driving dynamics, handling, steering, and turning radius, as well as in the economy evaluation category, which includes eight subcategories such as sales price, residual value, repair costs, and fuel costs.

Auto Motor und Sport commented, "The spacious rear seat area is comfortable and the seats can be divided in various ways, making it convenient for loading cargo," and noted, "The inclusion of premium features such as LED headlamps and a panoramic curved display is also remarkable."

Another German automotive magazine, Auto Bild, also conducted evaluations on seven categories ? body, convenience, powertrain, driving, connectivity, eco-friendliness, and economy ? for two plug-in hybrid models: Kia Sportage and Opel Grandland.

Among these, the Sportage received the highest scores in five categories including body, driving, and economy, achieving a total score of 559 points, surpassing the Grandland's 533 points.

Auto Bild praised, "The Sportage PHEV offers spacious interior space providing comfort to passengers and convenience for loading luggage," and added, "The interaction between the gasoline engine and electric motor is smooth, and the steering feel is soft."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.