Kia will mark the 30th anniversary of its compact Sportage SUV with a 2024 special edition.
It is one of 2024’s most appealing, sitting comfortably in third place on our Best Affordable Compact SUVs list. Once an awkward-looking rebadge of the Mazda Bongo (not sold in the U.S.) with an even stranger name than “Bongo,” the Sportage has become an all-around competitor worth your attention if you’re shopping for a small crossover.
The 2024 Sportage Is Appealing
Our expert test drivers love its handsome design, upscale interior, and fantastic space for its class. It’s available with a pleasant 187-horsepower 4-cylinder engine, a 226-horsepower hybrid setup good for up to 44 mpg, or a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system good for 261 horsepower and up to 34 miles on electric power alone.
For 2024, Kia will mark the Sportage’s 30th year with a special edition. There’s nothing unusual about that. Automakers love any excuse to offer unique color and feature combinations. But Kia’s 30th-birthday Sportage has something remarkable in this class – a dramatically-colored interior.
It’s green, and it looks great.
Kia hasn’t announced pricing. The 2023 Sportage starts at $26,290, though a fully-equipped PHEV version can fetch nearly $45,000. Kia hasn’t formally said the 30th-anniversary edition will come to the U.S. Kia’s global PR team has announced the car, but Kia America’s team hasn’t confirmed it will come here. We expect to see it here, though – America’s appetite for special editions is endless.
Green Leather, Acoustic Glass
The standout feature is those seats, in quilted green leather and black suede with anniversary badging. Outside, it gets gloss black trim in place of chrome. Kia says it also gets acoustic laminated glass to reduce road and wind noise.
Kia says the model “will be gradually released in select markets.” We’ll let you know if the U.S. is selected.
