2026 Kia Sportage Up Close: Nothing Broken, No Fixing Required
We saw the latest generation of the Kia Sportage, the brand’s longest-serving nameplate in the U.S. and its bestselling model, introduced for the 2023 model year, so it was time for an update — but what’s arrived for 2026 isn’t all that different from what it’s replacing. And that’s OK because the last Sportage was very good, clicked a lot of buttons for a lot of people and didn’t really need much in the way of anything being fixed. So in that vein, Kia didn’t try to change much. There are mild styling updates and some new equipment, including a new tablet display that seems to be de rigeur for all automakers these days. Is it enough to keep the Sportage on top at the Kia showroom? Probably, yes.
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That Grille Is Growing …
From a looks standpoint, only the front and rear end get updates, but they’re significant enough to make the Sportage clearly different from the outgoing model. A new daytime running lamp configuration as well as new headlight and foglight appearances are present, and the grille seems meshier than before; it’s bigger, at any rate. It’s the same story out back, where the taillights get a little redo, but it’s still very clearly a Kia. If you’re not terribly familiar with the Kia lineup, however, you might mistake the Sportage for the bigger Sorento given that their styling now looks rather similar. It’s not like it is over at Hyundai, where absolutely nobody would confuse the smaller Tucson for the larger Santa Fe. Kia might want to consider some more differentiation between models soon.
The bigger story on the Sportage is the proliferation of trim levels, option packages and features. Korean brands tend to associate options with trim levels, and there’s more of those than there ever have been. There are now no fewer than 13 different trim levels over three different powertrains — a gas model, hybrid and plug-in hybrid. You can have an inexpensive on-road version, an off-road-oriented hybrid, a luxurious plug-in hybrid or anything in between. The options, trims, content and variety of powertrain is significant and guarantees that there’s probably a Sportage at the price and content level that works for a wide variety of customers.
Still Very Nice Inside
The interior of the latest Sportage remains one of its high points. The materials feel great, the design is top notch, and the visibility afforded by Kia’s design ethos of keeping the dashboard and cowl low while keeping the seating position high is outstanding. Pop out of a competitor like the Volkswagen Tiguan, which has a fairly high dash and massive new touchscreen up high, and the Sportage feels low and swoopy by comparison. It extends into the backseat, as well, with tons of legroom and a great seating position that keeps the backseat passengers comfortable. The only potential issue with the new Sportage is that it, too, has now gone to the huge rectangular display panel atop the dash that combines the gauge cluster and multimedia screen, making it look like just about every other new car on the road these days — and most of the rest of the Kia showroom.
Nothing on the prior Sportage was particularly in need of changing, so Kia decided not to. That’s a formula for keeping an already-excellent product in top form for the next few years.
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