KIA Sportage X-Line

Radical redesign

One thing that can be said about the all-new 2023 Kia Sportage is its spaceage styling is far from conservative. The reimagined compact crossover emerges appearing like a completely different beast and for the first time introduces a slightly more rugged (looking) X-Line model. Here’s how the latest offering stacks up.

“The Sportage is entering its most exciting generation yet,” says Kia Canada COO Elias El-Achhab in a press release. “We can’t wait for Canadians to experience this completely redesigned SUV that is not only a cut above when it comes to design, innovation and technology, but it is also an absolute thrill to drive.”

Gone is the traditional headlamp and tiger nose grille. The setup is replaced by a cluster of LEDS nestled inside boomerang-shaped signature daytime running lights, flanking a dominating 3-D mesh grille spanning the width of the front fascia. Bold sheet metal creases run down the side continuing around the back where a pair of “notch” taillights remain connected via a thin black bar running across the tailgate.

Visibly larger measuring over 180 millimetres longer than the outgoing vehicle and nearly 13 millimetres taller and wider, the X-Line is particularly attractive with the exclusive chunky lower bumper garnishes, dark gloss side mirrors, ladder-style roof rails and two-tone 19-inch wheels. The Jungle Green paint colour on our media loaner suited the utility-focused accoutrements quite nicely.

The Sportage, particularly in the Limited grade is more premium than expected for the segment featuring hydro-dipped wood dash trim and quilt-

By

Highlights

MSRP: $40,995

Motor: 2.5-litre four cylinder

Horsepower: 187 @ 6,100 rpm

Torque (lb-ft): 178 @ 4,000 rpm

Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic

Layout: All-wheel drive

Fuel economy: 11.9 L/100 km mixed city/highway (observed) nomic T-shaped shift lever is a nice touch amid a sea of rotary and button-type transmission selectors.

Climate control is integrated into the dual 12.3-inch instrument gauge and infotainment display, the latter which is beautiful and responsive however navigating radio stations is a bit of a pain especially with the absence of a physical volume or tuning knob.

While both hybrid and plugin hybrid options are available on the platform, the X-Line utilizes the 2.5-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. All-wheel drive is standard. Producing 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque there is no pretense of high performance here and fuel economy, at an observed 11.9 L/100 km in mixed city and highway driving, is pretty decent for AWD.

Speaking of which the intelligent AWD is proficient at detecting wheel slippage, sending the proper amount of torque to the rear axle as necessary. Even in rainy Vancouver the SUV remained stable at relatively high speeds, and though the system may very well be proficient on low traction trails, the ride height is no different from the other variants making off-roading a potentially risky venture.

Safety-wise the vehicle is fully loaded and equipped with a plethora of driver assistance equipment including Forward Collision Avoidance, Driver Attention Warning, Lane Follow Assist and the excellent Blind View Monitor that shows a live video feed of activity beside the car whenever the turn signal is activated.

The 2023 Kia Sportage X-Line starts at $40,995 MSRP.

Gagan Rai

Product Advisor (604) 644-4716

Inderbir Bedi Assistant Sales Manager (778) 888-5862

Aly Jiwani

Aly Jiwani

Vice President, Regional Operations (604) 659-3200

Vice President, Regional Operations (604) 659-3200

Ryan Muir General Manager (604) 525-4667

Ryan Muir General Manager (604) 525-4667

Amarjeet Singh Product Advisor (604) 767-9554

OpenRoad Honda Burnaby,

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OpenRoad Honda Burnaby is honored to be the recipient of the Honda President’s Circle Award, and the only Honda Driving Excellence High Achiever Award in BC, ranking #1 in Canada for 2021.

OpenRoad Honda Burnaby is honored to be the recipient of the Honda President’s Circle Award, and the only Honda Driving Excellence High Achiever Award in BC, ranking #1 in Canada for 2021.

With over 40 years of Honda product knowledge and experience, our team serves each one of our guests with the utmost level of care, and we look forward to sharing our Honda passion with you.

With over 30 years of Honda product knowledge and experience, our team serves each one of our guests with the utmost level of care, and we look forward to sharing our Honda passion with you.

OpenRoad Honda Burnaby

OpenRoad Honda Burnaby

6984 Kingsway, Burnaby BC, V5E 1E6 (10-minute drive from Metrotown) (604) 525-4667 | OpenRoadHonda.ca

6984 Kingsway, Burnaby BC, V5E 1E6 (10-minute drive from Metrotown) (604) 525-4667

We are Moving to our New Location soon! 5723 Marine Way Burnaby, BC, V5J 0A6 (10-minute drive from the current location)

We are Moving to our New Location soon! 5723 Marine Way Burnaby, BC, V5J 0A6 (10-minute drive from the current location)

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been setting the benchmark in the entry-level luxury compact car segment for quite some time. And it continues to do so with the introduction of the fifth-gen C 300 showcasing new styling and technology, some of which is borrowed from the fullsize S-Class. Read on.

Designers have made several changes to give the vehicle an even sportier look than previously, for example introducing the so-called “cab-backward” language where the windshield and rest of the greenhouse are moved backward so the hood appears longer. The former grill shape is flipped 180 degrees into an appealing thinner A-shape, housing a large emblem flanked by a single chrome blade slicing through the diamond openstar pattern.

Adding to the aggressive profile are raised bumps, or power domes, on the hood, two-piece horizontal LED taillights (a first on the model), higher shoulder line and 18-inch AMG split five-spoke alloy wheels on our Night Package equipped loaner. Five different paint colours join the palette bringing the total to 12 — the sedan looks particularly attractive in a neutral colour like Opalith White Metallic helping highlight the contrasting black trim and door pillars.

By Benjamin Yong

One of the items the C 300 borrows from its bigger sibling is the large 11.9-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen, mounted right below the aeronautic-inspired central air vents and slightly tilted towards the driver. Whether you’re a fan of all the digitization happening in the auto industry or not, the setup here is stunning and is fairly intuitive to operate. Directly adjacent is a free-standing 12.3-inch electronic instrument panel displaying gauges and vehicle info.

Like in the S-Class, the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User eXperience) infotainment packs more processing power, is learning-capable and includes advanced Voice Control. Occupants simply have to say, “Hey Mercedes,” and follow-up with a request to raise the climate control temperature, or load up a playlist using natural language. There’s a large amount of personalization available as well and individual users can save their profiles and load them up any time after pressing on the fingerprint reader located next to the hazard lights button.

This car is the first in the lineup to debut a four-cylinder version of the brand’s mild hybrid mill: the turbocharged 2.0-litre unit features an integrated starter generator utilizing a 48-volt on-board electrical system — enabling a temporary acceleration boost, zero-emissions “gliding” at low speeds and smoothened start/stop engine functionality similar to the inline-six variant found in the GLE — producing 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque.

Performance feels quicker than what the output numbers indicate, no doubt aided by the extra 20 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque as mentioned above kicking in during initial throttle application. Handling is as sharp as expected from the German marque, the sedan sitting on a four-link front and multilink rear suspension that at the same time yields a pretty comfortable while just cruising city streets.

A lot of driver assistance tech is offered such as Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC, Active Steering Assist and Active Lane Change Assist allowing the car to automatically maintain speed and spacing on the freeway. Active Stop-andGo Assist is new, providing semi-autonomous support in traffic jams when travelling up to 60 km/h.

The 2023 Mercedes-Benz C 300 is in dealerships now.