Kia’s designers have added a package of styling and equipment upgrades to The Sportage for 2014.

Ian Mathews, head of product planning at Kia, said: "With the adage ‘if it ain’t broke ’ at the back of our minds we looked carefully at what changes to make to the line-up for the 2014 Sportage to ensure that what customers love about their cars is kept and for enhancements to the line-up to add appeal and diversity.

"We’ve listened to our dealers and customers and by adding more engine options at the entry and top-of-the-range as well as incorporating new technologies such as trailer stability assist across all models we are taking standard specification levels to those expected on premium brands."

The 2014 line up is based on the outgoing model, but the rear light cluster has volved from the previous model, offering enhanced illumination. LED lighting to further enhance night-time presence and premium appearance has been added to top end models. High end grades are now also fitted with a shark-fin antenna mounted on the rear of the roof.

New design 16-inch, 17-inch and 18-inch alloy wheels have been fitted to all grades. The Sportage comes as standard with a full-size spare wheel.

Inside, a new soft ‘nano’ paint finish has been added to the dashboard and centre console and there is now centre console illumination and soft-touch upper door trims.

A heated steering wheel and a 6-way power adjustable driver’s seat have been added to top spec models. New folding keys and, on models with an engine start/stop button, a smart key are further quality improvements to the range.

A 4.2-inch TFT LCD supervision cluster is mounted between the recessed dials of the newly designed dual-bezel instrument display has been added to selected grades. The supervision cluster incorporates trip information, outdoor temperature, information about the chosen Flex Steer modes, a gear shift indicator on manual versions and the Parallel Park Assist functionality on models where it is fitted.

Selected models have a new 4.3-inch TFT LCD colour touch-screen audio system with an integrated rear-view camera display helping owners when reversing or parking. Sat nav versions have a 7-inch colour touch-screen with mapping for 44 European countries, full UK postcode recognition, traffic messaging with a detour function, motorway junction views, lane guidance, speed limit warnings and multi-route planning fitted as standard.

Two new variants at the top and bottom have been added to the 16 car line up to further broaden the appeal to customers – an all-wheel drive 2.0 CRDi entry level and the 1.7 CRDi turbodiesel is an option on the top spec two-wheel drive model.

The 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol unit and 1.7-litre turbodiesel made their debuts in the Sportage and are the mainstays of the range in the UK. They come as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, while with the 2.0-litre engines buyers are offered the choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.  The Dymax intelligent all-wheel-drive system is standard on every 2.0-litre model.

Kia engineers conducted final testing on UK roads to deliver a more appealing feel for UK drivers.