2022 Kia Sportage vs 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid

The 2022 Kia Sportage is a stylish, sophisticated, safe, and–with its available turbocharged engine–speedy SUV. Kia hasn't redesigned it since 2017, but that doesn't mean you should cross it off of your shopping list. Even the technology is up to date.

Compact in size, the 2022 Sportage comes in LX, LX Nightsky, EX, EX Premium S, and SX trim levels with front- or all-wheel drive. LX Nightsky trim is new, replacing the LX S version for 2022. The Sportage EX gains a standard panoramic sunroof for 2022.

In Canada, MSRP ranges from $25,995 to $40,195, plus a destination charge of $1,850. Our test vehicle for this review was an SX, which comes with the turbocharged engine and standard AWD and was also equipped with a cargo mat and a tow hitch. The sticker price came to $42,746, including destination (Canadian, estimated). (A U.S. model is shown; the exterior colour on the test unit is not available in Canada, where the SX comes only with red, white, grey, or black paint.)

The Kia Sportage is the automaker’s longest-running nameplate in North America. It started out as a no-frills off-roader, but today the Sportage competes in the red-hot small crossover SUV segment against big names like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4, as well as the Hyundai Tucson from Kia’s parent brand. All of those nameplates have added hybrid variants recently, so Kia followed suit as part of a 2023-model-year redesign. This segment slots in size-wise below mid-size SUVs such as the Kia Sorento (also offered as the Sorento Hybrid and PHEV) and Kia Telluride.

The 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid will be offered alongside non-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the new Sportage, which represents the nameplate’s fifth generation. The hybrid model is part of an effort to create more space between the Sportage and the smaller Kia Seltos, which also brought increased interior space, more tech, and radical exterior styling.

The Sportage Hybrid is offered in Canada in EX and SX trim levels. We drove the U.S. equivalent of the SX trim for this review. Note that this isn’t the same lineup as the non-hybrid Sportage, which is offered in Canada in five different trims (LX, X-Line, EX, EX Premium, and X-Line Limited).