The Kia Sportage competes in the extremely competitive CUV market, it competes with the biggest players in this market, the Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V, although it is smaller than those two. The Sportage has been on sale in North America since 2010, however, in other markets it has been available for longer. The first Kia Sportage was available in 1993.
The current model is the 4th generation of the Sportage, it was first sold in North America as a 2017 model, it was available in other markets a year earlier.
Check out our review of the Kia Soul GT-Line.
The 2020 Sportage is offered with two engine choices. All trims except the top trim get the 2.4-liter GDI 4-cylinder engine, producing 181 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 175 pound-feet of torque. The top trim gets the turbocharged 2.0-liter GDI 4-cylinder engine, which produces 237 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and an impressive 260 pound-feet of torque between 1,450 – 3,500 rpm. Power is sent to the front wheels on the base trim and all four wheels on all other trims, via a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The 2.4L engine equipped FWD trim is rated at 10.1/7.6 L/100 km in highway/city driving. Adding in the AWD system, the fuel consumption is 10.8/9.1 L/100 km. The 2.0L engine equipped Sportage consumes 12.1/9.6 L/100 km.
Our review car was the 2020 Kia Sportage EX Tech, which comes with the 2.4-liter engine. This engine is just about adequate for this size of a vehicle and should be more than enough for most people’s daily regular needs. It gets you from point A to B in comfort with a suspension that is soft enough for daily driving with a hint of sportiness. Driving over rough roads, the suspension soaks up all the bumps and you end up with a compliant ride and happy kids in the back seats.
The Sportage performs well on the highway, there is enough power to pass slower cars quite easily. The transmission is smooth and switches gears quick enough for this segment of cars. The steering feel is pretty soft, which works fine for a vehicle like this.
The exterior design on the Sportage is a very non-offensive design, I could go as far as calling it kind of bland. It looks more like a tall hatchback than an outright SUV. The older generations had more of that traditional SUV look.
The front is a bit distinctive with its placement of headlights, which are placed really high on the bumper, closer to the hood. Other than the front, there’s nothing really distinctive about the looks of the Sportage, which is what some people look for in a vehicle; a vehicle that does what it’s supposed to do, get you from one place to another.
The interior is also quite comfortable, with supportive seats that should keep you fresh even during long stretches of driving. The materials used on the interior are mostly hard touch plastics, which is the norm in this segment of vehicles. There’s a good amount of leg, head, and shoulder room for the front passengers. Even occupants 6’ tall should find it to be a comfortable space. The back seats are also comfortable and I found there to be plenty of leg and head room. The back seats do recline, making life a bit more comfortable for the rear passengers. The trunk has 30.7 cubic feet (868 liters) of space with the 2nd row seats up, that area increases to 60.1 cubic feet (1,703 liters) with the seats folded down.
The interior is laid out well, with easy-to-understand buttons and knobs. The dashboard features a standard infotainment system, which is responsive and has crisp graphics. Below, on the center stack, there are physical buttons and knobs for the climate control system, which are easy to reach without the need to take your eyes off the road.
Our review car came with the usual suite of tech, safety, and convenience features. Features like blind spot monitoring, navigation system, heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, power liftgate, panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, and rear-cross-traffic alert.
Final Thoughts On the 2020 Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage is a pretty good compact CUV, it competes in quite a crowded segment with a lot of great options. But it can hold its own by offering good value for money, a lot of tech gadgetry that other manufacturers charge much more for.
The Sportage a comfortable vehicle for families with small children or large dogs. There’s more than enough room to house two child seats in the back and it features a decent amount of space in the trunk. Overall, I was quite happy with the Sportage for the week I had and you should definitely check it out if you’re in the market for a compact CUV.
