Sportage is bigger, more gas efficient
If you've been sleeping on Kia, it's time to pay attention.
Though the brand has been improving in leaps and bounds over the past few years, its product lineup has been closebut-not-quite-perfect for Canada. Pickup trucks and compact SUVs rule here in the Great White North, and Kia's not a truck company, so that makes smaller SUVs extremely important to the brand's success.
Sportage is Kia's compact SUV, and the previous-generation version was certainly compact. It was a tighter squeeze in both passenger room and cargo relative to its competitors.
The fifth-generation 2023 Kia Sportage solves this problem and a few others: it's more attractive, more fuel-efficient, and there are hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions being offered for the first time. The hybrids are arriving now, while the PHEVs are due in later this summer. Pricing and packaging information for the gas and hybrid versions of the Sportage — pricing for the hybrid starts at $35,995.
Our test drive of the internal combustion engine (ICE) version of the Sportage took place on a damp spring day on Vancouver Island in the top-tier X-Line Limited trim, one of two new X-Line trims being offered with the gas-only powertrain. These trims add more rugged-looking exterior elements such as skid-plate shaped mouldings on the front and rear, a unique front fascia and ladder-style roof rails.
All gas-only models are powered by a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine producing 187 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque peaking at 4,000 r.p.m., fed through an 8-speed automatic. The ability to select drive modes is standard equipment. The only grade available with front-wheel drive is the base LX, with which fuel consumption comes in at 9.3 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 7.4 on the highway, and 8.4 combined. Kia says this represents a seven per cent improvement in fuel efficiency versus the outgoing model. With allwheel drive — which costs $2,000 extra on LX and is standard on all other trims — fuel consumption measures at 10.4 L/100 km city, 8.5 highway, and 9.5 combined, representing a five per cent improvement.
For a driver who appreciates energetic acceleration, the 2.5-litre's output won't feel like enough. Even with sport mode engaged, which does help a little by quickening the shift patterns, this engine feels like it could use a push getting up hills or onto highways. This will be a better choice for someone who values fuel efficiency over drive feel. The hybrid is bound to be much more enjoyable to drive.
The Sportage's hybrid powertrain is a known quantity, given that it's shared with the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid we've reviewed extensively here at Driving.ca. It uses a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a 44 kW electric motor powered by a 1.49 kWh battery, routed through a sixspeed automatic. Total system output for this setup is 227 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Both the engine and the motor produce a peak of 195 lb-ft each, the former peaking from 1,500 to 4,000 r.p.m. and the latter from zero to 2,100 rpm. That means that the 1,500 to 2,100 r.p.m. range is where it hits the sweet spot, which is perfect for driving around the city or on winding back roads.
The hybrid also delivers stellar fuel consumption figures at 6.1 L/100 km in the city, 6.3 on the highway, and 6.2 combined. The pricing is also very reasonable. Kia has opted to package the Sportage Hybrid in grades that match the mid and top grades of the ICE powertrain, making the entire lineup more accessible budget-wise.
Little information is available about the PHEV at this point. We know it gets the same 1.6-litre engine and transmission as the hybrid, joined with a 66.9 kW motor and a 13.8 kWh battery. This creates a total system output of 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.
The new Sportage is a pleasure to drive. Its MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear provide tight and controlled handling that's an ideal balance of smooth and steady. Steering is pointed and predictable.
All-wheel drive versions of the Sportage come with 21 cm of ground clearance. (The entry-level LX FWD clears 18.1 cm) While the standard towing capacity is 1,653 pounds, up to 2,500 pounds of towing is possible with additional equipment (or up to 2,000 pounds on the hybrid).
Design-wise, if you like everything about the Hyundai Tucson except its exterior, you're in luck: the Sportage has the same underpinnings, and it looks sharp. Dimensions grow by 18 cm in length, 5.3 cm in height, and 1 cm in width.
This update is a big one for Kia. By getting key things right like design and fuel efficiency, it takes the Sportage from being a niche vehicle for smaller families to one that's likely to appeal to a whole lot of Canadians.