The 2023 Kia Sportage Leads the Way with Bold Style

UPDATE 1/12/23: This story has been updated with test results.

Given the huge success of the Kia Telluride, it was probably smart for Kia’s designers to simply tone down the three-row SUV’s checkered look when it came time for the brand’s smaller crossover redesign. But the latest generation mid-size Sorento doesn’t follow that template, and neither does the new 2023 Sportage, which brings a signature look to the compact segment.

Whether you’re going to be a fan of the Sportage’s design or not is another story. We wouldn’t call it ugly, but her face is a bit polarizing. With boomerang-shaped accent lights, low-mounted headlights and a wide-mouthed grille, the front end makes a powerful statement. What exactly is that statement, we will leave it to you. The rear is a bit more cohesive, with smooth surfaces and taillights reminiscent of the handsome unit in the Kia EV6. The Sportage certainly isn’t to be confused with its corporate sister, the Hyundai Tucson, which also looks flashy for a mainstream crossover.

The Sportage isn’t all about form. Significantly larger than its predecessor in terms of length, wheelbase and many other dimensions, this new model sits at the big end of the compact SUV spectrum. It doesn’t offer a third row of seats like the Volkswagen Tiguan and Mitsubishi Outlander, but the 3.4-inch wheelbase increase greatly expands the rear seat and cargo space. We love how the rear seats slide and recline, and the Sportage’s 40 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the second row simply outperforms what the Honda CR-V has to offer.

Kia’s interior ornaments are also better than Honda’s. The top trim Sportage model has two 12.3-inch display screens integrated in front of the driver, one for the digital gauge cluster and one for infotainment. Both displays have bright, crisp graphics, and the various dashboard materials are pleasant to the touch where they count (and hard plastic is still grainy where it doesn’t). Another screen in the center stack is flanked by two physical knobs which can display haptic climate control buttons or a row of navigation and audio controls. The function of the two knobs can also change depending on the input, which is a neat feature but not necessarily convenient when you reach down to adjust the volume and realize that the knob is currently set for temperature control.

More knobs and buttons reside on the center console for adjusting everything from the optional heated and ventilated seats—the EX model we rode had a conspicuous blank button for the non-equipped ventilated seats—to various ride modes and off-road settings, such as downhill control. hills and the ability to lock the all-wheel drive system. Like basically every other crossover maker these days, Kia is touting its dirt-vehicle capabilities, and is now offering the Sportage in X-Pro trim with all-terrain tires and some rugged-looking visual tweaks. While the X-Pro does well on fairly aggressive off-road trails (Kia be prepared), all Sportage models equipped with all-wheel drive have a decent 8.3 inches of ground clearance.

On pavement, the Sportage exemplifies a well-sorted balance of ride and handling but, unsurprisingly for an everyday SUV, isn’t what we’d call exciting to drive. Most of the fault comes with steering that loses feedback, the brake pedal without much pre-bite, and a somewhat sluggish throttle response. There may not be as many fans here, but the Sportage is a very enjoyable vehicle for everyday driving, even if it doesn’t turn as sharp as, say, the Mazda CX-5. Even on its BFGoodrich all-terrain tires, the Sportage X-Pro still performed well in our track tests, recording 0.84 g around the skidpad and coming to a stop from 70 mph in 180 feet.

Unfortunately, Kia has abandoned the optional Sportage’s spirited 2.0-liter turbo engine in the new model. Instead, it focuses on hybrid variants to complete the model range. The base naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four, which, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, makes a mediocre 187 horsepower and feels a bit cramped on the road. It can also sound buzzy when you push it above 4000 rpm or so. We measured the sprint to 60 mph in a sluggish 8.6 seconds, which is on the slow end of the segment.

We think a better option is the quieter and smoother hybrid setup, with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four, two electric motors, a 1.5 kWh battery and a six-speed automatic. The combination is more powerful (227 horsepower combined) and responsive than the base engine. It’s also more than a second quicker to 60 mph, hitting the mark in 7.4 seconds in our test, half a second quicker than the Honda CR-V hybrid.

We’re willing to forgive the hybrid’s sometimes patchy power delivery for the increased fuel economy it provides: Its combined EPA estimate of 43 mpg with front-wheel drive and 38 mpg with all-wheel drive is a huge jump over the nonhybrid’s 25. up to 28 mpg combined. However, we’ll point out that the Sportage hybrid we tested delivered disappointing real-world fuel economy: 31 mpg on our 75 mph highway fuel economy test, compared to an EPA highway rating of 38 mpg. Still, it was slightly better than the mechanically similar Tucson hybrid’s 28 mpg in the same test, and it’s the same as the CR-V hybrid’s output. (A 261-hp Sportage plug-in hybrid is also part of the lineup, and we tested that model separately.)

Kia isn’t pricing its vehicles as aggressively as it once was, but the starting point for the new Sportage—$27,245 for the base LX model to $38,045 for the X-Pro Prestige—gets into the competitive range for compact crossovers. We’re reluctant to pay nearly $40,000 for a version like the one we tested—the $38,310 SX Prestige hybrid and $39,075 X-Pro Prestige with the base engine (the X-Pro can’t be had with a hybrid powertrain). But a well-equipped hybrid EX in the mid-$30K range struck us as an attractive proposition, distinctive style and all.

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