2017 Kia Sportage - Review and Road Test

The fourth generation Kia Sportage boasts loads of technology, safety and comfort amenities, and continues to offer one of the best warranties in the business. But will its polarizing looks have an impact on the Sportage’s once universal appeal?

For the latest Kia Sportage pricing and information:

[_BAD_MERC_]

My mom bought one of these slightly used a little over a year ago. It was to replace her 2004 Sorento that was hit. She got the Sportage EX in Hyper Red/Black leather. She could not be more happy with the drivers position, heated seats/wheel and what crashed the party was the panoramic sunroof, SHE LOVES THAT!. At 71 years of age, she gets giddy when she drives it. I am critical and I helped her car shop. Seems to be a vehicle with very few things to fault.

[melonbarmonster]

Got the ex awd. The engine isn't as silent as luxury brands but this thing is comfortable and cabin is nice.

[mikeybally]

My 2011 Sportage 6speed 225000miles. And I just changed my clutch for the first time. Sure my AC died and heated seat and the window goes down slowly now but other than that, this car has been an angel. Still idles well, kicks Canadian winters, and I rip it on the hiway all the time. Would buy a Kia again

[swanblake]

I love the look. Kudos to Kia for being bold and not doing a cookie cutter suv

[D______]

Here is my Kia experience. Anyone in my position has encountered the same thing from Kia. If you cannot supply them with up to date maintenance records on your vehicle they will not cover it. So for instance, if you change your own oil you're screwed. Might work if you saved all your receipts but very few people are in the habit of saving receipts of them doing their own oil changes. This ploy Kia uses is well documented if you want to look it up, I have, and it’s out there. Also my car would be covered under the SC147 recall as the symptoms of my engine seizing up (engine needs replaced) followed the exact same symptomology as those the manufacturing defect notes in the recall. The recall notice even appears on my Carfax report. Again you can find all the recall information online. The reason my car isn't part of the SC147 recall according to Kia is because it is MPI instead of GDI. All the rest of the engine is the exact same, 2.4L theta II. Kia says that because my car uses a different kind of fuel injection method that it cannot be affected by the metal filings left in the engine block which is what the SC147 recall is all about. That's totally absurd on its face but that's Kia's position. The vehicles Kia did recall was done after many government threats as well as numerous lawsuits brought by disgruntled Kia owners for which there are many. Kia's mother company, Hyundai actually recalled their vehicles for the same problem immediately when the issue was discovered. It took Kia several years later to admit to the problem and issue a recall even though they were well aware of the problem. Where was Kia's concern for people being killed due to this manufacturing defect? A car having its engine seize up on the interstate would be something that would concern most companies immediately but not Kia. Unless Kia completely changes the way it does business they will continue to cost consumers thousands of dollars for defective cars and probably end up killing people due to their own negligence. I had to argue, write emails, file complaints with various entities, etc just to get Kia to actually LOOK at my engine at no cost to me to determine the how and why of the engine failure. Kia refused to cover my car even though it is under warranty and furthermore refused to even LOOK at my car to see what caused the failure. I'm still waiting for a callback from Kia with their assessment. Kia actually agreed to take my valve cover off to take a look at my car once I complained as high up as I could to Kia. This was after several months of my car sitting dead on the Auffenberg Kia lot in Metro east St Louis. Kia actually told me I'd have to pay $1500 up front to have my engine failure looked into initially. My constant pressure on Kia finally got them to say they would take my valve cover off for no fee which costs Kia less than $50 in labor. Kia had no desire whatsoever to know what caused my engine to seize up. Their ONLY concern was to avoid any acknowledgement of any responsibility or liability. Kia already knew what caused the engine to fail. The same thing that happened to hundreds of thousands of the same engines made by Kia and Hyundai. It was the exact same problem as the Kia SC147 recall. Taking the valve cover off will not help. There was no oil leak. No oil smell. Never any indication of any problem with the valve cover. It's simply a ploy for Kia to say we looked at your engine and it's your fault. Who would trust their assessment at this point anyway? I'm out thousands of dollars I still owe on a car without a working engine. Don't you think any car maker worth a darn would want to know why one of their vehicles engines just seized up on the highway? Kia's been super lucky so far no one has died due to their negligence. Additionally a co-worker of mine had a problem with his Kia and will not buy one again either. For his Kia the car required a specific oil filter made and installed by Kia and if that was not used the engine fails. He was never told this when he purchased the vehicle. His insurance successfully sued Kia for over $7, 000 for his engine failure. Unfortunately my insurance doesn't cover mechanical issues. Ever wonder why your Kia never quite gets the gas mileage it was rated to get? Kia has also paid out for a class action lawsuit because they lied about the MPG of many of their models. The very MPG rating that many people base a large percentage of their purchase decision on. Yeah, Kia lied about that too but kept it hush hush. You can find the information online if you look for it. I had my car into the dealership (Auffenberg) several times before the engine failure telling them something is bad wrong with the car. The Kia service department ran every kind of computer diagnostic and could find no reason for the problems which included knocking, major loss of power, major loss of fuel economy and car dying at both idle and speed. Check engine light was always on and every sensor it said was malfunctioning was replaced and it didn't help. Unfortunately I could not leave my car with Kia. Kia wouldn't supply me with a free rental. They said it was against company policy. My step daughter was dying needing a second liver transplant as all this was going on and I couldn't be without that vehicle. With only one vehicle (other than the Kia) I wouldn't be able to get to work or my step daughter wouldn't be able to be cared for properly. I told Kia this and still they refused to get me a rental while they actually got to the root of my car problem and addressed it. Instead they said sorry to hear that, we can't find any problem with your car. They actually let me leave with a car they KNEW was dangerous and about to fail. They didn't care that my family was going through a serious medical situation with my step daughter and the car behaving as it was only increased the stress on my entire family during this time. Fortunately my step daughter got her transplant just in time and is doing ok now. Not only did Kia sell me a defective product but all this happened as our family is going through the stress of a child being deathly ill, lots of additional costs for medical related expenses and Kia was told this and didn't care. Kia added thousands of dollars to my already stressed finances by selling me a defective vehicle. But it gets even better. The Kia rep in Arizona named Steve that handles my case and many others actually told me on the phone that some of Kia's cars die early and that's just the way it is. He insisted all other car manufacturers have the same problem and also refuse to repair the vehicles leaving their customers screwed too. That's certainly not my experience nor that of anyone I know. Steve at Kia flat out told me Kia isn't going to pay and I'm out of luck because I got a bad Kia and have to eat it. That's what he said. That's Kia’s customer service that said that to me. I have to shake my head and laugh every time I call Kia and their recording says "Rated #1 in initial quality 2 years in a row!" Yeah, and dies in 78, 000 miles and Kia refuses to make a full recall or honor it's warranty. You won't see Kia winning any customer service awards or vehicle longevity awards. My advice to anyone that has a Kia (ESPECIALLY if it's a 2.4L) is to trade it in and get something other than a Kia before it dies and your left paying off a car that doesn't run. I liked Kia at one time or I wouldn't have bought one. What I've found out since has opened my eyes to the quality of their vehicles and their denials of their own manufacturing defects even if it could cost lives or severely screw consumers over financially. Buying a Kia might make you think you're getting more quality for less money but it's all based upon lies and cover-ups. That is my Kia experience and it's the WORST experience I've had with any company on any level at any time in my 31 (47 - 16) years of driving cars.

[Broba_Fett]

I actually like the design. It's something different from the rest so you definitely stand out. I just wish Kia could do something about their fuel economy.

[starman]

I know most people would most likely say, "ugh, it's so ugly!", but I actually like the design.Whenever I see one on the road, I realize it is so much greater than everyone thinks.

[MeshachMacwes]

Most hilarious, entertaining, and content filled car review, double thumbs up

[eve]

This guy have a great voice for reviews, news and commentaries!

[Barobran]

I really like the design of these, I will however say the front end does look better when you get the AWD version, instead of going straight down it curves under at the bottom.

[carlosvalentino]

You never mentioned the big ass sunroof, that was the biggest selling point when i bought mine. The entire roof is all glass. It makes you feel like you are driving a convertible suv with so much view-ability.

[denault]

Ha, ha...very funny. Ok you may not be a fanboy of the Kia but the Honda and Toyota SUV's are simply old school and out of date. For under $24K, I bought the EX (standard version) and sure got a lot for the money especially compared to the RAV4 (ugly cheap interior at $30k).

[dougn]

I think it looks like a mini Porsche Cayenne.

[Roxienessbabe]

Loved Micah's commentary in this video... extremely helpful! Thank you!

[bruss]

They have NO replacement windshields for the 2017 Sportage in the US.

[ausspace]

The way Americans pronounce 'Sportage' is fantastic. In Australia, we have been taught by KIA to pronounce it 'Spor-TAHGE'

[rondail]

I am very surprised at the 2019 Kia Sportage. I took my father-in-law out to look at buying a new car. We went to Courtesy Kia in MA and were very surprised at the Sportage. He bought it for $28.8k, a fully loaded EX AWD. They took $5500 off the MSRP. I am thinking about getting the SX Turbo. Hell of a AWD vehicle for cheap money, great warranty, and the interior is great.

[stevewise]

The SX version looks much better, however the steering is to light and they are apparently planning on switching out the engine to be more in line with class mileage standards. Otherwise, it's a heck of a fun car to drive and the interior is best in class.

[megaming]

I actually love the look. i think it's less polarizing juke. And not as out there as the soul.

[TheLonerGaming]

It does look like a pufferfish but, the juke still looks 100% worse.