2026 Kia Sportage facelift Malaysia teaser – 1.6T hybrid

Kia Malaysia has teased the facelifted fifth-gen (NQ5) Sportage on its socials. “What if a hybrid could be more than you imagined. A new chapter is taking shape, where performance and efficiency move as one. Are you ready for what’s next?” goes the caption.

Never mind that the car was globally unveiled all the way back in November 2024 ; South Korea has turbo-petrol and LPG powertrains as well, but the teaser above couldn’t be clearer as to which powertrain we should focus on.

The hybrid, which has been updated with an ‘infant mode’ for more gradual acceleration (so you can do quick overtakes without waking the baby up, we suppose), brings together a 180 PS/270 Nm 1.6 litre turbo four-cylinder engine and a 65 PS/264 Nm electric motor.

There’s no missing those new 7-shaped LED signatures, though to me they look like the crying emoji, for some reason. Length, width, height and wheelbase are respectively 4,685, 1,865, 1,660 and 2,755 mm. That means the facelift is 25 mm longer than before; all other dimensions stay the same.

The revised interior contains a more oblong-shaped two-spoke steering wheel with a Superman logo-shaped boss, and the air-con vents are now in one neat continuous line instead of the quirky shapes previously .

The dual 12.3-inch screens are still there, but now with Kia’s latest ccNC software (OTA updates, fingerprint authentication and, on higher variants, a head-up display). Thoughts?

NQ5 Kia Sportage facelift official images

NQ5 pre-facelift Kia Sportage 1.6T 2WD High in Malaysia

NQ5 pre-facelift Kia Sportage 2.0G 2WD High in Malaysia

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