Yahoo Autos 2023 Kia Sportage First Drive Review | Bigger, greener, off-roadier
The Kia Sportage has always been one of the smallest compact SUVs, and for the last two generations, has been a value-packed, style-conscious alternative to the bigger, more family-friendly CR-Vs of the world. The trouble is, there’s now a boatload of similarly small alternatives we call midcompacts. Kia even makes one of them, the Seltos. That frees the 2023 Kia Sportage to move up in the world.
Literally. The Sportage is now just about the biggest in the compact segment. It’s 7.1 inches longer overall with an extra 3.4 inches of wheelbase. Cargo capacity, which was previously sacrificed to provide surprisingly generous rear legroom, is now a segment-best 39.6 cubic-feet. Backseat legroom expands even further to be a class leader itself with 41.3 inches. These aren’t just incremental generation-to-generation differences, they are complete game-changers. The Sportage goes from a choice best suited to single folks, DINKs or empty nesters to one that’s family-friendly.
It's also a difference you can absolutely tell just by looking at the thing. Compared to its two immediate predecessors’ athletic, wheels-to-the-corners profiles, the new Sportage’s added length makes it a tad gawky and reminiscent of the even larger Sorento. This is countered by far more expressive styling. The expansive grille bordered by huge boomerang LED headlights is striking, and possibly off-putting, since it prevents the 2023 Sportage from having the “face” we expect cars to have. The rear is similarly bolder than the Sorento, with a concave liftgate and full-width taillights that evoke the EV6.
There’s not just one new look, though. Like Kia’s other SUVs, the Sportage gains a new X-Line trim level with different bumpers, gloss black trim, exclusive wheels, raised roof rails and a tread-like stitching pattern in the SynTex upholstery. Unlike the Sorento X-Line, though, ground clearance remains the same as every other all-wheel-drive Sportage at a reasonably lofty 8.3 inches (that’s 1.5 inches higher than the last Sportage, and 0.1 better than the Sorento X-Line). Should that sound too much like an appearance package to you, there’s also the new X-Pro (pictured above right), which goes a bit further by adding B.F. Goodrich all-terrain tires, 17-inch matte black wheels and recalibrated drive mode settings for reduced traction conditions. Oh, and a black roof.
While the tires no doubt improve the Sportage’s off-road capability, and a quick trek around a prepared off-road course showed the lockable all-wheel-drive system capable of dealing with various wheel-off-the-ground scenarios, this is at most a minor step beyond a Mazda CX-50 rather than a match for the Subaru Forester Wilderness or Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. You also have to deal with a firmer and jigglier ride, more road noise and a degradation of road holding due to those admittedly cool tires. The steering at least remains commendably precise, which is good, since it’s generally a strong suit of the new Sportage along with commendable body control.
Perhaps a greater folly is that you’re stuck with the base engine, which, to be fair, is the same situation as the Forester Wilderness and Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road. The Sportage comes standard with a new 2.5-liter inline-four that produces 187 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque – pretty average for the segment. It’s attached to an eight-speed automatic, which is a good thing considering so many competitors have a CVT. Together, they offer sufficient acceleration and response (especially in the well-tuned Sport mode), and a slightly gravelly soundtrack. Basically, if you told us this was the RAV4 engine, we wouldn’t be surprised.
There is an exceptional alternative, however. While other compact SUVs offer you the option of either a hybrid or performance upgrade, the Sportage puts forth a two-for-one deal. The new Sportage Hybrid, much like the mechanically related Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, features a pairing of 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four, electric motor, six-speed automatic and either front- or all-wheel drive. The latter is the same mechanical system found in the gas-only Sportage, unlike the RAV4 Hybrid that achieves all-wheel drive by powering the rear wheels with an added electric motor. Total output is 227 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, which falls well short of a Mazda CX-5 and CX-50’s turbo-only engine upgrade, but still represents a solid jolt of thrust.
