If you’re looking for a car to keep you on the straight and narrow while navigating slippery winter roads, then you need to take a look at the new Kia Sportage.
While the Sportage is available as a regular two-wheel drive model, at the top end of the range there’s also an all-wheel drive variant up for grabs.
There are actually three different powertrains available with the 4x4 Sportage - a 1.6 litre petrol mild-hybrid engine, a powerful ‘1.6T GDi HEV’ self-charging hybrid, or a frugal plug-in hybrid.
What’s also great about the AWD models is that something called ‘Terrain Mode’ is fitted as standard.
It essentially automatically adjusts the Sportage’s settings so you get optimal grip no matter the road condition or environment.
On ice, the Terrain Mode can limit the torque output from the engine to stop you slipping. When it encounters mud, the system will deliver a ‘smoother application of engine torque throughout the AWD system’, as well as giving you stronger braking force applied via the Traction Control System.
And when you take the AWD Sportage on sand, Terrain Mode will stop you getting bogged down by ‘matching higher levels of engine torque output with delayed up-shifts’ in the gears.
Now Kia is boasting about just how capable that Terrain Mode system really is by showcasing three rugged new ‘models’ - ‘Snow Mode’, ‘Mud Mode’, and ‘Sand Mode’.
None of these variants are actually available to lease or buy, but you can build them yourself by perusing the Kia accessories catalogue.
The ‘Snow Mode’ Sportage is designed for ‘drivers who enjoy getting outdoors in the mountains in the winter’.
It gets winter tyres, a ski and snowboard carrier and steel crossbars on the roof, as well as side steps.
The ‘Mud Mode’ Sportage is for those ‘active pursuits in the British countryside, for rural drivers, or for visitors to rain-soaked festival fields and county shows’.
There’s a ‘pro bike carrier’, mudflaps and all-weather mats for inside the cabin. It also features a bumper flap which sits over the flat boot lip, giving owners a seat at the back of the car – or a shield against muddy pawprints.
Meanwhile the ‘Sand Mode’ car is built for either the beach or desert, coming with a roof rack for a surfboard or bodyboard, a trunk liner and all-weather mats to help keep sand from becoming ingrained in the carpets.
You can lease a hybrid, AWD Sportage with Select from around £380 for the plug-in hybrid 4x4 model.
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