2025 Kia Sportage

The 2025 Kia Sportage is slow and it’s unavoidable. Powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine, the Sportage puts out 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque and sends power to the wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

Engine	Naturally Aspirated 2.5-liter Inline-4
Horsepower	187 hp
Torque	178 lb-ft
Efficiency(Combined)	26 MPG

When we tested the Sportage non-hybrid, it took around 9.2 - 9.5 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill, and that’s way slower than its rivals. It's somewhat manageable when you’re driving alone, but once it’s filled up with passengers and luggage, the struggle becomes evident. 

We wish it had a smaller yet turbocharged engine delivering a surge in power. Probably the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine from the Elantra N-Line is more suitable here. 

Anyway, coming back to what we have, the Sportage handles decently. It’s not as pointy as a CX-5 or a CR-V but it does the job. Just like the Tucson, it feels a bit under-confident when you’re going hard on a corner, but that’s what you do with your Golf not this one, right?

The overall ride quality is very gentle and it soaks up the undulations on the road effortlessly. One of the best suspensions in the segment if you’re looking for comfort. 

Moreover, even though the engine is underpowered and struggles, it is very refined. The NVH levels are very low as well. So, as a family SUV, you’ve got everything you need. 

Plus, you have several safety features as standard like Auto High Beams, and Lane Keep Assist standard from the base. Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Drive Assist are also available in the top-end trims.

So, if you’re someone who is okay with a bit slower car than the competition but can’t compromise on comfort, there’s no reason to avoid the Kia Sportage. 

Talking about comfort, let’s talk about the interior, probably the best in the segment!

The 2024 Kia Sportage has a stunning interior. At first, you’ll be greeted with a dual-screen setup with a set of two 12.3-inch displays. One is for the driver information display while the other acts as a touchscreen infotainment display. 

The responsiveness is on point and we loved navigating through the system. Moreover, it has wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay alongside Wireless charging on the center console. We got to test the top-end trim and it had a Harman Kardon sound system with 8 speakers. 

Down below you have the climate control panel, and it comes with Dual Zone Automatic Climate Control. But here’s a cool thing, with the touch of a button it becomes the audio control setup and the temperature knob turns into a volume knob!

The transmission is also a bit quirky, in the shape of a T, it looks quite old-school yet unique in the crowd of normal gear-shifters. 

In terms of material quality, you’ll find soft-touch materials all around, even on the top of the dash and on the door trims. The seats are very plush as well.

Kia offers heated and ventilated seats as well and the steering wheel is also heated if you get the SX Prestige model or higher. 

At the back, we have a decent amount of headroom and legroom. The seats are fairly comfortable and they also recline, increasing the comfort by a huge margin. Unlike general placements, the USB ports are at the back of the front seats which is a bit more practical than usual. 

One issue is that the rear seats are not heated even though its sibling Tucson offers it. 

Apart from that, the cargo space is quite massive at around 39.3 cubic feet; and once you fold down the rear seats, you have one of the largest cargo areas in the segment.

The 2025 Kia Sportage carries an aggressive and futuristic design in its current iteration. The Sportage comes with Kia’s signature tiger-nose grille in front accompanied by the standard LED headlamp setup. 

Talking about lights, the tail lamps are also LED units. However, the lower trims get a combination of LED stripes and halogen bulbs. Also, while a few of its competitors have gotten rid of fog lamps, the 2025 Sportage still comes with proper fog lamps in the bumper. 

Come to the side, and you’ll find 19-inch alloy rims. Even if you choose a lower variant of Sportage, you’ll at least have 17-18” alloy wheels, and they look decent enough. Plus, you have heated side view mirrors and blind spot monitoring as safety equipment. 

The overall tail-lamp design looks really cool at the back, especially in the top-end trims. And you have proper exhaust pipes coming out down below. This just elevates the look by a huge margin.

Overall, we think the exterior looks fantastic, probably the best in the segment. However, looks are subjective, and some people might wish for a subtle presence. For them, a CR-V or an RAV4 might make more sense.

Overall, the 2025 Kia Sportage finds its way into one of the crowded segments right now. And by the crowd of midsize SUVs, I want to mention the names of the CR-V, RAV4, and the Nissan Rogue. These SUVs excel in their purpose but most of them lack quality and attention to detail. And that’s where the 2025 Kia Sportage shines. 

We say, if you are on a hunt for a futuristic family SUV that comes with a ton of features; the Sportage is a perfect piece. Even in lower models, it comes with a decent amount of features, and unless you get inside, it’s hard to understand whether it’s a top-spec one or not. 

Hence, if you need a car that looks cool, and feels cool, then the 2025 Kia Sportage will find your garage suitable.