The Kia Sportage first debuted in 1993 as a compact SUV. From 1993 to date, Kia has built five generations of the Sportage. The first generation Sportage featured a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder DOHC engine, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, and a 5-speed manual transmission. Kia's vehicle was built with off-road features, a convertible body, and a fair price. This generation lasted from 1993-2005.
However, in 2004, the South Korean manufacturer started classifying the Sportage as a compact crossover SUV. In 2006 (2nd generation), Kia built their first compact crossover SUV after their semi-merger with Hyundai. It's been 28 years of Kia Sportage, and Kia recently unveiled a new fifth-generation Sportage. It's the 2023 Kia Sportage. Kia has not put out much information about the new Sportage (NQ5), but it's expected to be both front-wheel and all-wheel drive. In case you missed it, here is what we know about the 2023 Kia Sportage.
10 Exterior Design
From the teaser images Kia released, the design of the 2023 Kia Sportage features an exaggerated version of Kia's tiger-nose grille. It's a unique design. The tiger-nose grille was first unveiled in 2007, and the 2023 Kia Sportage might be the most prominent, unlike the Kia EV6 that has a subdued tiger-nose grille (digital tiger face).
The 2023 Sportage also features the new Kia logo. The same can not be said for the 2022 Kia Sportage SX Turbo AWD.
9 Cargo Area
The 2023 Kia Sportage (NQ5) is expected to offer passenger space of 108 cu ft (3,058L), cargo of 39 cu ft (1,104L), and 80 cu ft (2,265L) when the second row is folded. That's more space than the Kia EV6's passenger space of 102 cu ft (2,888L), cargo of 27.7 cu ft (784L), and 46 cu ft (1,300L) when the second row gets folded.
It's also more spacious than the Hyundai Tucson, which offers cargo of 31 cu ft and 61.9 cu ft when you fold the 2nd row. The Sportage also offers more cargo space than the 2021 Nissan Rogue.
8 Interior Design
Kia did a good job in designing the interior of the fifth-generation Sportage. Everything looks luxe, and the finishing is neat. It has a sleek, heated steering wheel and console, although there are lots of buttons on the console. The Sportage X-Line model comes with black metal wood trim and either sage green or black quilted seats.
The front seats of the Sportage are both heated and ventilated. The interior styling of the 2023 Kia Sportage is similar to the Kia EV6 and the Kia Sorento. The Sportage also beats the 2021 Honda CR-V in the interior game.
7 Release Date
The newly unveiled 2023 Kia Sportage is expected to debut globally in July. Kia announced this with some pictures of the new Sportage ahead of its official launch. Not long after the release of its platform-sharing car– the Hyundai Tucson. They didn't share much about the specifications of the new car.
The crossover compact SUV will most likely arrive in the Korean market in 2022. It will also arrive in the American market in 2022 as a 2023 model.
6 Infotainment System
Behind the steering wheel, the 2023 Kia Sportage (NQ5) has a large, curved liquid crystal display (LCD) screen that integrates the driver cluster and infotainment system. While Kia hasn't revealed much about the new Sportage, it's expected to share some features with its platform-sharing car– the Hyundai Tucson.
The Hyundai Tucson has a very impressive infotainment system, and it will be interesting to see what features they share. A huge upgrade from the 2022 Kia Sportage infotainment system is also expected.
5 Rotary Gear Shift
The new Sportage has a rotary gear shift dial that is located at the center of the console. The rotary gear shift dial allows you to control the gears by a simple turn of the shift. It also consumes less space than the traditional gear shift and makes the car look more upscale.
This leaves more space for other features the manufacturers might want to add. The 2021 Kia Sorento and the 2021 Ford Escape S SUV also have rotary gear shift dials.
4 LED Lights And Wheels
The lights of the Kia Sportage (NQ5) are shaped like a boomerang. The headlamps are similar to that of the new Kia Sonata. The rear lamp design features a lower character line that meets up the rear tail lamp. It's not the first time we've seen this design in a Kia.
In fact, this design is seen in the new Kia K8 Sedan. The wheelbase of the Sportage is 108.5-inches / 2,756-mm, while the wheelbase of the Kia EV6 114.0-inches / 2,900-mm.
3 Off-Road Features
Right from the first generation of the Sportage, Kia has been offering off-road features. Past Kia Sportages have been offering competitive off-roading technology like the Hill Accent Control (HAC), Down Hill Brake Control (DBC), and Electronic Stability Control. Older Sportages have also featured safety features like automatic braking, blind-spot detector, front collision warning, rollover sensor, and some more.
Of course, there are expectations of more innovative off-roading technology in this new Sportage. The 2023 Kia Sportage also has a lot of space and a roof rack.
2 Engine And Speed
Kia didn't say what engines the Sportage will be fitted with, but since the Sportage is expected to share some features with the Hyundai Tucson, it might be a state of art hybrid and plug-in hybrid engine. Kia can also decide to use a 2.5-Liter inline-4 engine with an 8-speed automatic that can produce 190 hp and a torque of 187 lb-ft.
Most likely, there will be multiple options. There are also speculations that Kia might offer an electric version of this Sportage as well, but there's no telling until further notice.
1 Price
Kia is an affordable brand, and one of the reasons Kia is inexpensive is because they're headquartered in South Korea, and they don't have to pay taxes to other countries when they export their cars. Their previous cars have also been inexpensive compared to other cars.
The 2021 Kia Sportage mid-level S and EX start from $26,590, while the SX Turbo trim starts from $33,750. It's expected that the 2023 Kia Sportage prices range from $25,000-$40,000.