Kia Sportage Hybrid vs Toyota Grand Highlander

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).

If you have more than a couple of kids, chances are good that a regular Toyota Highlander won’t be big enough for all your needs. For many shoppers like you, the Kia Telluride and its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Palisade, have become the obvious choices. Those three-row crossovers are newer, bigger, and incredibly nice to drive.

But now there’s a new Highlander. A bigger Highlander. A Grand Highlander. This all-new midsize SUV takes a popular nameplate (which, don't worry, isn’t going anywhere) and adds a little extra space. But what separates the Grand Highlander from the field is the availability of not one, but two different hybrid powertrains. This all-new model offers plenty of space, good fuel efficiency, and the automaker’s sterling reputation for reliability. So, is the 2024 Grand Highlander an immediate three-row SUV threat to the hot-selling Kia Telluride?