Incredibly Hot-Looking Kia Sportage Crossover

The latest in our Kia owner’s interview series takes us further afield than ever before.

We travel to Jakarta, Indonesia to talk to Rockford, the proud owner of a Kia Sportage that is unlike any other model you have seen before.

Rockford is a 22-year old IT student who is very active in the Indonesian Sportage Community, where he is something of a mascot.

He was first drawn to the Kia brand when he saw the unique design of the Kia Soul. Rockford is a design enthusiast, and he was totally taken by the look of the Soul.

The bad news for Rockford was that the Soul was not available in his part of the world. The other vehicle in the line-up that caught his eye was the Sportage, with the tiger nose grille really catching his eye.

Rockford loved the look of the Sportage in its base form, but his love of design led to him wanting to make some changes once he got his hands on his own model.

Once he got a look at the features that came standard with the Sportage, as well as the amazing list of specs available for customization, Rockford knew that this was the perfect vehicle choice for him.

As you can see from the pictures, Rockford had created something truly unique. Read on to hear about the changes he has made, and what plans he has for the future.

• Kia Sportage specs

Kia Sportage Specs

• Engine: 2.0L four-cylinder Theta II
• Model Year: 2010
• Trim: Option (local)
• Color: originally “Clear White”, currently “Brushed Titanium”
• Tire size: 245/40R20 – 20″ rims
• Miles driven so far: 55,300

Sportage owner Q&A

1.Tell us something about your Kia car ownership experience so far?

So far its been an absolute awesomeness!

This is the 2nd Kia Ive owned, my father used to own a Carnival back in 2004 and my how things have changed.

The car runs smooth and the dealer is always superbly responsive to all of my requests and complaints (shout out to Kia Bintaro for being such an awesome community-centric dealer!).

Ive never owned a car that has this much bond between man, machine, dealer, and community.

The term “Family-like Care” runs deep and true, just ask any of my community mates! 🙂

  

2.How long have you owned your ride?

Since January 1st 2012, lovin every moment

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Kia Sportage?

Three years ago I was initially looking for a decent mid size SUV that’s economical, looks great, and simply “stands out”.

Right after a week of searching, the new Sportage was launched. I immediately fell in love with the design and when I checked all of the specs, I couldn’t resist.

4. What do you like the most about the car?

The balance between design and feature is simply stunning, but as a true petrolhead there’s no way Im letting my car off stock.

Now with the added touch of “PROVO’s DNA”, the car stands out even more.

I call my car Kia “ProTage” which stands for “Provo” and “Sportage” and I love how easy it is to spot at the parking lot 😉

5. What do other people say about your car?

Most people be like “wWhat car’s that?”, “Sweet ride man, must’ve cost u a fortune”, “KIA?! No effin way that’s a KIA!”, but most of my friends simply called it “Hotwheels”.

  

6. What is it that makes your ride look unique?

Sportage is already elegant even in stock form, but I wanted to add a bit of butch to my ride without losing its original character.

Thus I designed custom bodykits which consist of custom front bumper, sideskirts, and rear addon inspired by the Kia Provo Concept.

Wheels are a must and my pick goes to 20 inch RAV Predators finished in Gunmetal Polish wrapped in 245/40/R20 Nankang Noble Sport tyres.

To make it stand out even more, I wrapped it all up in 3M Brushed Titanium vinyl coupled with Harley Orange accents on the roof, spoiler, diffuser, and door handles.

And finally to top it all off, I switched the taillights with a Smoked LED Bar taillights i got from Korea. My most recent mod was the LED Foglamp Module courtesy of the Indonesian Sportage Community.

7. What Kia Sportage accessories have you installed so far / do you have any future plans?

Currently installed:

• Kia “K” emblems
• Custom PROVO inspired bodykits
• Roadruns radiator grille
• 20-inch RAV Predator wheels finished in Gunmetal polish
• 245/40/R20 Nankang Noble Sport tyres
• Kspeed rear wing
• Carbon eyelids
• 3M Brushed Titanium vinyl wrap (body)
• Oracal Harley Orange vinyl wrap (accents)
• Smoked LED bar tail lights
• LED arrow foglamps
• F1 Brake lights
• Custom nappa leather interior upholstery
• Custom dual output exhausts

Future plans:

• Still searching for that elusive Coilovers
• Sequential Matrix LED headlight mods

• 2022 Kia Sportage Nightfall Edition Model
• Kia Sportage 2023 Dimensions: What’s The Size?
• 2022 Kia Sportage Exterior Color Range
• “Mia the Kia”, A 200K Mile Kia Sportage
• 2023 Kia Sportage Technical Specifications