In a nutshell:
- Stylish new ‘JBL Black Edition’ added to the Kia Sportage range
- Pretty much everything is blacked-out, from the logos and lettering on the back to the interior
- Features a panoramic sunroof and comes fully-loaded with equipment as standard
- Meanwhile it also boasts a premium sound-system from US tech giants JBL ric-only driving range of 39 miles and fuel consumption expected to be upwards of 250 mpg
The best looking Kia unveils new Sportage in JBL Black Edition, and it has arguably never looked better
The Sportage - recently crowned Best Medium SUV’ prize at the Business Motoring Awards 2020 - isn’t exactly ugly in the first place.
With a powerful 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol engine, as well ecokia-nomical mild-hybrid diesel powertrains, they’re also massively popular with lease customers.
Now the new JBL Black Edition, priced from £28,545 and available to order now, dials up the bling both inside and out.
Exclusive to the model, there’s a freshly-designed front grille surround and mesh, skid plates, roof rails and a ‘Phantom Black’ premium metallic paint job. The metallic flashes across the front and down the side sills are now also finished in gloss black. The Kia emblems and ‘Sportage’ lettering have been blacked-out front and rear,
And the exterior look is rounded-out by some striking new 17 inch black alloys with darkened Kia logo centre caps - doing away with the chrome you get on other models.
Step inside the cabin and, again, it looks as if Batman has been drafted in as stylist and given carte blanche with the colour palette.
There’s black leather upholstery, black leather-trimmed steering wheel, and black gearshift and door armrests.
‘But’, we hear you ask, ‘why is it called JBL?’. Well, top billing goes to the eight-speaker premium audio system from American tech giants JBL, with subwoofer, external amplifier and front centre speaker that comes as standard.
The equipment you can expect with the JBL Black Edition is on a par with the ‘Sportage 3’, which sits in the middle of the trim range behind GT-Line and GT-Line S.
It includes a 360-degree ‘Around View Monitor’, front and rear parking sensors, a panoramic sunroof and LED bi-function headlights and LED rear taillights.
There’s also heated front and outer rear seats as well as a heated steering wheel.
The infotainment system features Kia’s latest 8.0-inch touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. And the system is very much ‘connected’, showing you everything from the fuel prices at nearby petrol stations to the nearest available parking space.
Like other Kias, the JBL Sportage should be extremely safe, too, coming with lane keep assist, speed limit information function, driver attention warning, hill start assist, and a forward collision-avoidance system with pedestrian detection.
A spokesperson for the Korean firm says: “The ‘JBL Black Edition’ retains the sleek crossover design of the Sportage, enhanced with exclusive gloss black accents around the car for a striking, assertive new look.”
Enjoyed this? Read our latest news:
- New SEAT Tarraco e-HYBRID joins PHEV range in 2021
- ID.3 best selling car in Europe, Enyaq SUV on the way, Mini Electric levels up
- 2021 Mercedes eVito is available on sale now
- 2021 Jaguar F-Pace SVR: Prices, specs and release date
- 2021 Dacia Sandero & Sandero Stepway revealed: Prices, specs & release date
- 2021 Honda CR-V becomes hybrid-only
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to our newsletter here.
