2023 Kia Sportage Review

Kia's little crossover gets bigger and better for 2023.

We first drove the 2023 Kia Sportage in Palm Springs, CA. Now, we're driving it in New England, and in winter. This compact crossover competes in the hottest segment around; it faces the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5... and that's just a small section of Kia's rivals. Our X-Pro trim Sportage has plenty of bells and whistles (but not wireless Apple CarPlay)--does it have the guts to lead the pack?

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Presenter: Matt Smith, Deputy Editor
Cinematography: Elliot Haney, Senior Video Producer

#kia #sportage #review
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0:00 The 2023 Kia Sportage
0:50 Exterior Styling
2:33 Inside the Sportage
3:50 Infotainment
5:30 Driving Impressions
8:00 Safety Features
9:06 Kia's Crossover Lineup
9:38 Rear Seat and Cargo
10:15 Pricing and Final Thoughts

[Dash]

I just put a deposit down today on a Hybrid EX coming in next week. MSRP. I just got lucky with allocation I think. I definitely wanted the Hybrid. Mostly for the increase in power and torque. I don't like the center console as much, but I can live with small things like that. I definitely prefer the hybrid of this car.

[jordanbailey]

Big fan of the new Kia logo. Clean modern design

[Joshua-xqrl]

If you hold the AC/Nav button down it will keep going back to that setting in the future, just nobody knows about that feature. So you always know which one it's on.

[inspector]

My wife and I loved the new look, even the new logo. We wanted a hybrid model, but all the dealers we looked at were charging $3-5k OVER msrp, and you still had to wait weeks/months for it to come in. That was a non-starter. We paid msrp for a Honda CRV that was had a higher msrp, but was cheaper after dealer markups. Kia/Hyunai dealerships may have made more money in the short term, but they've lost my business in the future.

[AntonioMartinez-mzxx]

I agree with your assessment on the Kia Sportage. I test drove the hybrid and the base model. The hybrid has a ten year 100k mile warranty but I'd reach the 100k miles way before the ten years (which covers the battery, $5, 000 replacement). I went with the base model (which looks and performs amazing). The hybrid also has a turbo, another expensive cost after the warranty expires. I'd like to note that I'm 6'3" and i have plenty of leg room. My new Sportage is beautiful, white with black interior. The base model still has the get up and go when you get to the pedal to the floor, you're not gonna have jackwads tail gating you with their horns. So far I'm happy with my purchase. I only have 50 miles on it so I'm ready to see what's next.

[RH-qjxk]

Kia literally blew those dominating brand names out of water with this 2023 Sportage in same segment SUV. the tech and safety future alone is non-starter for those dominating brands. Ride quality is surprisingly top notch and factory warranty can' be beat by anyone out there. Good job Korean guys !!

[MrRoarkeFI]

We recently bought the X-Line Limited in Canada. Has more than enough power for what we need. I absolutely love it. The ride, the tech, comfort and room are incredible.

[MsBLACKSCREEN]

I will take my 2013 Sportage over the new one ; I have 257 HP, and can go 350 miles on a full tank. There lots of leg room in the front, but not so much in the back. The maintenance had been great, 3 recalls, but other than that, no problems; I take it on long trips and love it, at 257, 000 miles still run great.

[Music-wih]

Are they reliable in the long run compared to a crv ?

[justinbelk]

I love my X-Pro. This is my first Kia, but my daughter is on her 3rd Kia, unfortunately her first two Optimas were totaled, not her fault and she walked away not injured. She had to get a Forte due to the COVID shortages, so Kia has a solid history in my household. So when I decided to shop, I went Toyota first & was happy, then I shopped Kia, they won me over, better styling, features, comfort, price and warranty. Great Job Kia. And time will tell if their reliability meets the others, I’m banking they will.

[borregoimages]

My wife and i just purchased a wolf gray X-Pro Prestige today. I own an EV6 so we're okay on HEV went the ICE direction. We take delivery of it tomorrow!

[arzanpatel]

Just so you know, wireless android and Apple car modes are vastly inferior to wired. They disconnect all the time, for no apparent reason, which is especially frustrating when using navigation software. So the wired option is fine and I wish reviewers would stop treating it like a detriment. I had this as a hire car while my current car was getting repaired for about a week. I liked it so much I bought it . Here's some thoughts
1. The screen icons not being different. Drive it for like 2 days and you'll know where everything is .
2. Dual function button bar . You set maps up when you start your journey, and then leave it on climate control.
3. Lane assist - This is terrible (not unique to this car ). Just turn it off .
4. Performance - Honestly it feels fine . The only time you'd really notice is when you're on a one lane highway and an overtaking lane comes up and you have to get past the car ahead. Sport mode helps .

Highly recommend this car.

[techpappee]

Apparently vehicle review channels can't be bothered to read a manual. You can *set infotainment or HVAC to default* with a simple push of the button! You don't need to look to see which screen you're on. I haven't seen hardly any reviews(er's) that know this information.

Set whichever screen you prefer to default and the system will automatically switch back to it. It won't stay on the last screen but instead 'default' to whichever screen you set ;-0. This is for *all* Kia vehicles with this system BTW.

[justinbelk]

I have The X-Pro, Sport Mode addresses the HP issue, granted it’s Not 100 more HP, but it does make the car more responsive to the throttle. 👍🏾

[Ayygeelow]

I have the Xline AWD in grey wolf, I'm obsessed with this car. Everything they've done with the Sportage is great. New logo is definitely a winner.

[AshyBeccaable]

Also just adding that you can hit the map button more conveniently from the main home page on the main home screen. I can see the dual function climate/navigation button not being used as much as the home screen and keep the bottom on climate.

[kinglad]

Will Kia perhaps upgrade the sportage t a 7 seater.

[nafizimtiaz]

Between this one and Nissan Rogue 2023, which one is a better option? I know it varies for each individual but any suggestions are welcome

[PaulHo]

Always have to shout out the Patagonia jacket and Fjällräven Raven bag.

[willsherman]

We got the Hybrid Ex. Wonderful 😊 It does 0-60 around 7.25