2023 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Part of the newly redesigned 2023 Sportage lineup, the Sportage Plug-in Hybrid is affordable compared to the alternatives in the segment. But the Sportage PHEV is not cheap compared to a standard Sportage or the Sportage Hybrid variants.

The Sportage PHEV sits at the top of the model lineup, and in Canada it comes in PHEV EX Premium ($45,895) and SX ($49,295) trim levels. Our test vehicle arrived in the U.S. equivalent of the SX trim with Vesta Blue paint ($250 extra in Canada). Expect to pay an additional $2,549 in mandatory destination charges plus other fees.

Kia calls the 2023 Sportage’s design language “Opposites United,” saying it “blends nature and rugged design elements.” Sure. OK. We think the new Sportage looks good, especially with the PHEV’s standard 19-inch wheels. It might be the best-looking Sportage ever.

However, those boomerang-shaped front running lights bleeding into the shut line between the hood and front fenders are obnoxious. That motif didn’t work for Nissan a decade ago, it’s not working on the Hyundai Sonata today, and it doesn’t work on this Kia. Stop it already.

Our top-of-the-line test vehicle looked high-tech inside. A curved instrumentation display dominates the dashboard, housing a 12.3-inch digital gauge panel and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system beneath its glass. Under the infotainment screen, a strip of touch-sensing primary function controls alternates between climate and infotainment menus. That control strip’s user experience is fussy and distracting, but the design saves space and contributes to a sense of modern minimalism.

Bathed in natural light from a panoramic sunroof, the interior looks upscale, and the electronic transmission shifter dial is intuitive. In addition, the fake wood looks pretty good, and we like all the polished aluminum accents. However, considering the price tag, there are too many instances of inexpensive-looking plastic. At a minimum, Kia should try to lower gloss levels.

The hard plastic underneath the power window control pod is particularly troublesome because that’s where a driver’s left leg may rest while driving. It’s painful. But it matches the pain caused by the centre console plastic on the driver’s right leg. So, padding or reshaping these surfaces is necessary.

The Sportage PHEV has an impressive powertrain. Kia pairs a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission with a 66.9-kilowatt electric motor and a 13.8-kilowatt-hour lithium polymer battery pack. Because this drivetrain description includes a turbo and not a droning continuously variable transmission (CVT), Kia’s approach makes the Sportage Plug-in Hybrid more rewarding to drive.

Kia says the Sportage PHEV generates combined power specs of 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, which is adequate for a compact SUV that weighs a minimum of 1,910 kilograms (4,211 pounds). The electric motor saves the day, supplying 224 lb-ft of torque from 0 to 2,100 rpm and ensuring the Sportage feels lively from a stop. In addition, Kia says the Sportage Plug-in can tow up to 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds).

All-wheel drive (AWD) is standard, and at low speeds, the driver can lock the power delivery evenly to the front and rear wheels. With 21 centimetres of ground clearance and standard Downhill Brake Control, the Sportage PHEV could be more capable in the dirt than expected. Also, in addition to Normal, Smart, and Sport driving modes, there is a Snow mode for enhanced traction in the white stuff.

Unfortunately, rain-drenched weather made exploring any of the local mountain trails we typically use unsafe. So, we spent all our time on the pavement, discovering that the suspension had difficulty managing the Sportage PHEV’s added weight. The short story is that on anything but a smooth surface, the Sportage PHEV bounces and wallows and throws its weight around like you’re sitting inside of a water balloon on a roller skate. For example, over local neighborhood speed humps, the Sportage had trouble taking them at 30 km/h, let alone the posted limit of 40 km/h. Driving over sharper speed bumps at the local shopping centre sent reverberating shudders through the Sportage’s structure, an entirely unexpected result in a vehicle that just got a redesign and, presumably, a more robust underlying architecture.

On smooth suburban streets and highways, the Sportage’s ride was fine. However, uneven surfaces, especially bridge transitions, caused problems. Every dip or hump in the road produced excess vertical motion, lateral rocking, and fore-to-aft weight transfer. For instance, we exited a highway with a green light at the end of the ramp. Bending left onto the surface street, the uneven transition from ramp to road caused such excess body motion and wallow that the stability control system engaged. That was a new experience.

The Sportage’s leaden and numb steering doesn’t help matters, and while the steering wheel feels good in your hands, the steering itself feels artificial. Happily, the brake pedal feels natural underfoot, and the P235/55R19 Michelin Primacy all-season tires offer good grip without squealing in corners.

We suspect the Sportage PHEV’s added weight is partly to blame for the SUV’s sloppy ride and handling traits. Perhaps the Kia Sportage Hybrid is the best version of this SUV to drive?

Considering how long it takes to recharge the Sportage PHEV using a standard household wall outlet, not to mention the plug-in’s added cost, you might be inclined to go with the hybrid model anyway. Kia says you can recharge the Sportage Plug-in Hybrid in two hours using a 240-volt Level 2 charger. However, we plugged the PHEV into a standard household-style wall outlet, and the digital instrumentation said it would take 28 hours to recharge the battery from 17 percent. Sure enough, the next day, after 20 hours of charging, the battery had reached a 75-percent charge and showed 37 kilometres of electric driving range. Only eight more hours to go! Unfortunately, we couldn’t wait. Yet another storm was moving in, so we departed without a full battery to take advantage of dry roads.

Ultimately, we traveled 40 kilometres on electricity, the gas engine turning on twice to assist with acceleration. We had the Sportage in Smart mode and drove on city streets, highways, and a mountain road. At the end of the 126-kilometre evaluation drive, we averaged fuel economy of 5.8 L/100 km. Natural Resources Canada provides a combined rating of 2.8 Le/100 km with the battery charged, or 6.7 L/100 km on the engine alone.

The Sportage PHEV has a satisfying powertrain thanks to the turbocharged gas engine, the immediate thrust of the electric motor, and the traditional six-speed automatic transmission. It’s too bad the other driving dynamics don’t complement it.

Open the Sportage Plug-in Hybrid’s door, and the interior looks inviting. From the panoramic glass roof and upscale upholstery to its standard ambient cabin lighting and power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation, there is an implied promise of comfort. In addition, the latest Sportage is larger inside than its predecessors. Expectations were high.

The front chairs deliver on the promise, except for the annoying hard plastic bits that can dig painfully into the sides of your legs. Both the driver and front passenger sit tall, and you’re likely to be comfortable no matter the weather. The test vehicle had a heated steering wheel, too.

Rear seat accommodations look inviting thanks to air conditioning vents, USB ports, and what Kia says is more rear legroom than most rivals. Indeed, the Sportage’s second row is roomy, but that is just one measure of comfort. Unfortunately, the seat cushion is mounted too low and doesn’t provide enough leg support for adults, making it uncomfortable to sit there. The reclining seatbacks do not help.

Storage space is good, but most areas have hard plastic surfaces that allow things to rattle and scrape within them. However, the backs of the front head restraints have handy coat hangers. At least, that’s what they appear to be and what we used them for.

A hands-free power liftgate is standard, and it automatically opens when it detects the key near the rear of the SUV for more than a few seconds. When it powers up, it reveals 977 litres of space behind the back seat, and Kia shapes the area to accommodate full-size suitcases loaded in on their sides. Fold the rear seats down to expand the cargo space to 1,854 litres.

Kia pairs a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, presenting them under a single piece of curved glass. Though such tech is increasingly common, it nevertheless impresses in a mainstream compact crossover SUV.

The infotainment system includes wired Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a navigation system. In addition, you get a three-year complimentary subscription to the Kia Connect services plan, which includes features related to safety, remote vehicle access, navigation, and other functions.

We experienced a disappointing hit-and-miss voice command session during which the tech repeatedly recommended we try searching by points of interest. Unfortunately, that suggestion only worked for a few of our test prompts. However, we could easily adjust the climate control system and turn on the heated steering wheel, reducing interaction with the touch-sensing climate control strip on the dashboard.

With PHEV SX trim, the Sportage Plug-in Hybrid has a Harman Kardon premium audio system with eight speakers. It provides nicely balanced audio quality, with deep, rich bass that doesn’t overwhelm the speakers or the rest of the music. It is excellent for a vehicle in this segment.

Every Sportage PHEV has a standard collection of driving assistance and collision avoidance systems. They include forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, blind-spot assist, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centring assist, automatic high-beam headlights, rear parking sensors, a rear-seat reminder system, and a Safe Exit Warning system.

Whew! And there is more where that came from. Upgrade to the PHEV SX, and the SUV adds collision warning with automatic braking at intersections, front and rear parking sensors, automatic rear braking, and a camera-based Blind-Spot View Monitor. That feature supplements the standard blind-spot monitoring with a live camera view of what’s on either side of the Sportage, shown within the digital instrumentation.

The Sportage PHEV also has adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and technology that automatically slows for upcoming curves based on navigation data. The SX trim’s Highway Driving Assist (HDA) builds on this, combining the adaptive cruise control with a lane-centring assist system to assist the driver during highway driving semi-autonomously.

Kia’s HDA system is excellent. It is a hands-on system but can work for long periods without your hands on the steering wheel, which is concerning. Drivers should not be able to let go of the steering wheel for as long as HDA allows them to. Nevertheless, though you’re aware of the steering activity beneath your palms, the technology does not behave in a way that prompts you to override its inputs. In other words, it does what you would do, leading you to trust the technology.

The HDA is not flawless, though. For example, it sometimes wavers when driving past highway exit and entrance ramps, where the lane markings disappear briefly. Also, it could not navigate through an intersection on a rural farm road where it widened to add left turn lanes. However, it behaved smoothly, accurately, and effectively in thickening afternoon traffic. When you change lanes to pass slower vehicles, the Sportage PHEV quickly accelerates back up to your set speed.

In addition to all of these features, the Sportage PHEV offers a surround-view camera that is very useful. Unfortunately, the Remote Smart Parking Assist system, which only works to move the SUV forward and back in a straight line while you stand outside the SUV, is not as helpful.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says the Sportage performs well in crash tests. However, as we wrote this review, the IIHS had not named the SUV a Top Safety Pick. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had not assessed the new Sportage’s crashworthiness.

The Kia Sportage PHEV costs nearly $10,000 more than a comparable Sportage Hybrid. But for that price premium, you get additional horsepower and torque and 55 kilometres of electric range. Plus, the Sportage PHEV qualifies for the full $5,000 Canadian federal government iZEV rebate program as well as the full value of provincial incentive programs where they exist. This means the value proposition varies dramatically depending on your location within Canada.

The Kia is a killer deal when you compare the Sportage Plug-in Hybrid to other PHEVs in the compact crossover segment. A Ford Escape PHEV starts at $47,499 before destination fees and without AWD. The popular Toyota RAV4 Prime starts at $49,950 before fees, while the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV starts at $46,538.

That still leaves Kia’s cousin, the Hyundai Tucson PHEV, to pose a challenge. Though they share plenty under the skin, the Hyundai starts just shy of $50,000.

Therefore, the Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid is a bargain in the context of its direct rivals. Get one. Just don’t forget to take motion sickness medicine before driving it.

Note: Images show a US model.