Kia Sportage: A Practical and Stylish SUV for the Whole Family

Staff

It is hard to deny the practicality of the SUV since most of us don’t live off a fire road deep in the forest, our SUVs are likely to spend more time in the drive-through than driving the trails. That is where the 2023 Kia Sportage stands out from the crowd thanks to its dynamic styling and surprisingly off-road capabilities, in a package you can drive every day. We had a chance to drive the new Kia Sportage at the Texas Motor Press Association Off-Road Invitational.

The styling is bold, with the aggressive grill and headlamp design being the first thing you notice when you see the new Sportage, under the hood things are a bit more conventional. With an option of a 187-hp four-cylinder, a 226-hp hybrid powertrain, or a plug-in-hybrid with an estimated electric range of 34 miles. The range of options and trim levels can get confusing with the 12 different trim packages ranging from the base LX to the X-Pro Prestige Hybrid.

The one I am driving is the X-Pro, in Jungle Green and Black, it has a panoramic sunroof, quilted SynTex seating, and 8.3 inches of ground clearance. The last one is important because I am at an off-road ranch with the Texas Motor Press Association, and it is time to see just how sporty the Sportage really is.

The Sportage as equipped is just under $39,000 but it includes Kia’s latest active all-wheel drive system with multi-terrain drive mode and center locking differential. The X-Pro trim level is Kia’s dedicated off-road package, not only does it get the additional ground clearance, it gets some faux skid plates that might or might not help, and 17-inch wheels with all-season tires by BF Goodrich.

With the push of a button, the locking center differential locks torque 50/50 between the axles for more traction, letting the Sportage climb a serious hill with ease. When not locked the AWD system sends torque to the axles based on wheel speed and throttle input. But having the option to lock the differential means the Sportage can take on steeper climbs and more complicated obstacles than many other compact SUVs. I tried my best, but on dirt, sand, grass, and a short obstacle course, the Kia never got stuck and didn’t even struggle.

With Kia’s hill descent control, while it is not the most sophisticated hill decent system on the market, it does the job well and will give novice off-roaders more confidence on the trail. Kia has aimed the X-Pro squarely at Subaru buyers, people who need good off-road capability but don’t want to drive Bronco or Wrangler every day. It's capable of a lot more than just dirt roads, without giving up the civility you want in a daily driver for you and the family.

Regarding infotainment, the Sportage comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 12.3 infotainment display is standard on this model, and the exterior cameras also come in handy when you are traversing off-road thanks to bird’s eye views. Gridlines help guide the way and the tire view is helpful when working around more difficult obstacles.

Overall, the new Kia Sportage X-Pro took all the trials and tests I could throw at it like a champ and still was ready to drive to work the next day, making it the perfect weekend warrior and daily driver.