- The Sportage offers something for everyone: space, practicality, and performance
- The 2025 Kia Sportage price starts from $28,785 | Price it your way
- On sale now | See Kia Sportage models for sale near you
It’s hard for a compact SUV to stand out. Americans buy scores of small SUVs annually, and manufacturers offer them dozens of choices. The Kia Sportage ensures there is at least one well-equipped, stylish choice among the crowd. Continuing on from a complete redesign for the 2023 model year, the 2025 Sportage is more than just a roomy, tech-forward compact SUV; it can also be had as a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), which we tackle separately.
The gas-powered model comes equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 187 horsepower and nets a very respectable 28 mpg combined. While that does trail top performers in the class, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, it’s still competitive within the segment. It can be had in one of seven different trim levels, ranging from the base LX to the off-road-ready X-Pro Prestige — and still costs less than $40,000.
Passenger Room and Comfort
The Sportage offers a spacious setup for five passengers, starting with comfortable seats accentuated with plenty of leg, head, and shoulder room in the cabin. Front-seat passengers enjoy a chance to set up their seats just how they like them, with standard 6-way adjustable seats for the driver and a 4-way version for the front passenger. If you upgrade, those adjustments expand to 10-way power adjustable seats for drivers and 8-way models for front passengers.
The 5-passenger Sportage ensures second-row occupants are comfortable as well, providing a class-leading 41.3 inches of legroom in the second row. The seats feel all-day comfortable, and every model above the base LX gets heated front seats as standard equipment. Once you move to upper trim levels, heated and cooled front buckets are available.
Features and Tech
Cabin tech, though, is where Kia really differentiates the Sportage. It’s immediately obvious once you slide into the vehicle. A wide, curved screen takes up more than half the dashboard’s width and most of your attention on first glance. It’s actually two screens — a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel for the driver and a 12.3-inch central touchscreen that handles climate and entertainment functions. Angular air vents lend the dash a cool, high-tech look. The setup is standard on all but the base LX model, which uses an 8-inch touchscreen for infotainment.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard equipment, as is an integrated Wi-Fi hot spot. A wireless charging pad is standard equipment on every trim, except the base LX. Kia’s Drive Wise suite of safety tech covers all Sportages. The package includes driver attention warning, forward collision avoidance assist, lane-following assist, lane-keeping assist, and rear parking sensors. Additional driver assistance technologies become available as you move into more expensive trim levels.
The controls for the climate control system double as the controls for the audio system, flipping from one setup to the other at the push of a button. Once you get into the EX and higher levels, the audio system becomes a Harman Kardon premium system.
Materials and Design
As good as it looks from the outside, it’s more handsome inside. That big curved display screen looks futuristic. The seats, in either SynTex vegan leather, are two-tone as well, with a chevron stitching pattern that looks pricier than it is. With an optional panoramic sunroof, the cabin seemingly becomes larger and more spacious.
The design team also sought innovation in simple ways, such as the center console. When not used to hold drinks, the center console’s cup holder area can be converted to store larger items.
Cargo Room and Flexibility
The Sportage has grown to almost encroach on midsize SUV territory. Behind the front seats is 39.6 cubic feet of cargo space — more than what’s found in a Toyota RAV4. Fold them down, and you’ll get a class-leading 74.1 cubic feet. That’s nearly on par with the Sorento, the Sportage’s bigger brother. With a 60/40-split rear seat, you can still haul longer objects and bring an extra person or two with you. And accessing the cargo area becomes a bit easier on the EX model and above with a standard powered liftgate, which can open to programmed heights when it detects the key fob nearby.
Build and price your own 2025 Kia Sportage to see this week’s Fair Purchase Price, or see the Sportage models for sale near you.
