If you didn’t already know it, Kia is a brand on the move. Over the past decade, they’ve completely transformed their products from what might have been considered bland, entry level cars to stylish, sporting, and even premium.
Enter the 2017 Kia Sportage compact SUV, which will compete with the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue. It’ has been completely redesigned from the ground up with a style that’s arguably more daring and expressive in class.
The new front end is what most people will be talking about with its highly detailed headlights that give it bit of resemblance in silhouette to a Porsche Macan. Low in the fascia are Kia’s ice cube LED driving lights, and on the top-level SX we have here, headlights are HID with LED daytime running lights.
Kia’s trademark tiger nose grille is dressy here with sculpted nubules that add a lot of detail and upscale vibe. Of note, the all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive each get a unique front fascia.
The all-wheel drive has a larger lower opening and a rake to offer better approach angles. You can see the difference in the front-wheel drive model by its additional air inlet across the face, which isn’t as gracefully conceived I don’t think.
At the rear a standard roof spoiler element is integrated well into the design, playing on its sporty window lines that evolve from last year’s model. New wrap-around LED tail lamps accentuate its width, now the widest in class.
Overall it grew in size just slightly with a 1.2-inch stretch in wheelbase and a 1.6-inch increase in length, yet it is still smaller than some in class. That extra room goes to the interior which has slight dimensional improvements in every direction.
Interior design gets more premium with soft touch materials across the top of the dash and door panels, and here with our fully loaded SX has heated leather seats up front, heated steering wheel, and additional stitched trim details. Overhead is now one of the largest panoramic roofs in class, with an opening front panel.
The dash is laid out much like a cockpit how with the center stack angled toward the driver slightly, and the design elements arranged to create a sense of zone more than some. I found it to be well laid out for reach of controls and quality of switch gear to be top notch.
Kia’s new infotainment offerings feature a number of touchscreen systems, in the top level SX their UVO3 8-inch display audio and navigation unit with Harman-Kardon sound. The touch screen is clear and easy to navigate as I have come to expect with Kia, and will offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionalities.
My two quick takeaways on the system are first awesome audio quality from its 8-speaker 320 watt Harman-Kardon hardware. The other is its simple menus and ease of use with most used functions remaining in knobs and buttons below the screen.
Other quick notes on the new interior are a rear cargo floor is 2-inches lower for lifting things in easier, and has an adjustable deck that can be set down lower for additional height inside. Rear seats offer a nice range of rake adjustment too.
For 2017 the Kia Sportage offers something driving enthusiasts may very will like. That is two of the most powerful engines in its competitive set. The base engine is a 2.4 liter four-cylinder with 181 horsepower, the optional 2.0 liter turbocharged four with 240 horsepower. Both come with a six-speed automatic transmission and both can be had with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
They had for our testing the 2.0-liter turbo which like in the Kia Optima SX I recently tested offers a smooth and refined character while at the same time providing a nice kick in the back. The transmission shifts crisply in auto mode, and manually with either the shift lever or steering wheel paddles.
Its new all-wheel drive system has some high-feature capabilities like manual locking for the center drive line. Even in auto mode, a computer controlled clutch is always tapping power to the rear wheels up to a 50/50 split for better driving dynamics.
While we didn’t get to do much serious off-roading, the system does provide a noticeable feel during spirited driving in the way of power balance between the front and rear wheels. And that gets me to handling, which is quite sporting in the way you might expect from a Mazda CX-5.
And comparing those two, the difference here is the Kia seems to pull it off with more refinement and less chassis harshness on rougher roads. This is due in part to a much stronger body structure this year which uses over 50% high strength steels for increased rigidity.
High scrength steels are stronger and lighter, but it still feels heavy on the road because it is. While base models are around 3,300 pounds, the SX all-wheel drive I tested rings in at about 4,000 pounds. This makes turn in a little softer of windy roads, but still sharp enough to be satisfying.
While we didn’t get to test for observed fuel economy, the EPA rates the SX turbo all-wheel drive we tested at 20 mpg city, 23 highway, 21 combined. Unlike Ford who sells their turbos on fuel economy, the base non-turbo engine with the Sportage is the leader here with up to 30 mpg highway.
First impressions are simply this, the 2017 Kia Sportage is vastly improved over last year’s model. It looks and feels more upscale, yet it remains value priced starting at $22,290. You can option it up into the premium levels where few competitors reach, at $34,000, but the good news there that it feels every bit its price.
Regardless of where you sit in the trim grades, the 2017 Kia Sportage offers something more than the bland appliance like character of some competitors in not only styling and character but in the overall driving and performance experience.
