Kia has given its popular Sportage lineup a host of updates to keep it competitive within its highly competitive segment. Although not a wholesale overhaul of the Sportage, the revisions, both inside and out, are numerous and include an expansion of new trims across the hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants.
Evolutionary Styling Change
The new Sportage dives deeper into Kia’s current “Opposites United” design language that blends smooth surfaces with sharper-edged accents. Even still, the profile remains essentially unchanged, and from the rear, it takes a keen eye to spot the subtle differences to the bumper design and rear lighting.
Up front, the Sportage sees its biggest change with a new grille shape and lighting that closely resembles its larger Sorento sibling, while incorporating the distinctive amber daytime running lights seen on other recent Kia models.
There are new 17, 18, and 19-inch wheel designs, each with a four-spoke design recalling the EV9’s wheels.
Updated Interior Style
The Sportage’s cabin receives a similarly modest appearance refresh with a more streamlined dashboard thanks to better-integrated climate vents, and a two-spoke steering wheel design from the outgoing EV6 models. Kia has also moved away from high-gloss trim finishes in the interest of reducing fingerprint smudges. The Sportage retains its traditional gear selector for gas-powered models, while the electrified units feature a gear selector dial. The unloved controls that toggle between audio and climate systems are also retained, although Kia claims to have modified them to operate more intuitively than before.
More Tech
Kia has been utilizing a pair of widescreen displays in many of its models for years, but now all Sportage trims receive the latest version of dual 12.3-inch displays that receive over-the-air updates, plus adds an available 10-inch head-up display (HUD) on hybrid and PHEV models. The HUD is a slick unit that not only displays the typical speed information, but also displays Android Auto and Apple CarPlay turn-by-turn directions.
Smartphone mirroring is now finally available with wireless connectivity across all trims, and the Sportage also makes phone-as-a-key functionality available to lock, unlock, and start the Sportage without needing to carry the key fob.
Kia Connect – the brand’s connectivity service – offers real-time, optimized route mapping with the navigation system, smart speaker integration for use with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, a subscription-based 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, and an app that lets a user remotely access functions like pre-conditioning climate control from a phone or smartwatch.
The safety technology also improves with the addition of advanced forward collision detection and automated braking with available collision avoidance functionality. This latter system also incorporates advanced driver assistance for lane changes that can be summoned with a tap of the turn signal in certain highway conditions.
Powertrain Options
One of the Sportage’s hallmarks is its availability of three different powertrains. The Sportage 2.5L normally-aspirated inline four-cylinder engine is a carryover unit delivering 187 hp via an eight-speed automatic transmission to either the front or all four wheels.
The Sportage Hybrid adds a revised 47.7-kW motor to the 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission. It sees a slight power bump to 231 hp, while the PHEV’s output rises by 7 hp to 268. All Canadian Sportage PHEV and Hybrid models carry on in all-wheel-drive format only. The gas Sportage is rated to tow up to 3,500 lbs, while the electrified variants are limited to 2,000 lbs.
More Trim Choice
Following the popularity of crossovers with a more rugged appearance, Kia continues with its X-Line and X-Pro trims on the gas-only Sportage. The latter package most notably includes a two-tone roof, Snow, Mud, and Sand terrain modes, plus 17-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires. Both X-Line and X-Pro wear a more substantial set of roof rails to handle racks for various accessory carriers or roof tents.
For 2026, the Sportage Hybrid and PHEV also gain the X-Line trim to give them a slightly more aggressive appearance than before.
Final Thoughts
With the addition of significant new technology and features, Kia is continuing its tradition of offering a lot of content and choice within the segment and positioning the 2026 Sportage to remain its top-selling model.
Pricing is expected to be released closer to the 2026 Kia Sportage’s arrival in the second quarter of 2025.
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