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Caraganza Review 2023 Kia Sportage: Living in the friend-zone

When I was in high school in the late 1970s (yes, I’m that old) I had a female friend. Back then the term “friend-zone” wasn’t a thing, but I knew even that with her I was so far in the “friend-zone” that I had no hope of ever escaping, which was fine by me. She was cool, funny, smart, and engaging, but not all that good to look at. She was what became to be known as a “nerd” more into science and stuff, and less about looks. In other words, had it been around at the time she would have cared less about being “Insta-famous”.

During our high school years though we were pretty close, and I was grateful to call her my friend. We graduated, I went into the military, and eventually lost touch.

Fast forward to 1994 and I’m sitting in an airport somewhere in Florida going where I don’t remember. My eye catches a very attractive woman sitting across from me. She looked at me, and I at her. It took a few minutes but we both seemed to have the same revelation at the same time: It was my friend from high school, and my how she had changed. The one time “nerd”, a once ugly duckling, had grown into a beautiful swan. She had also become an engineer with NASA, married, and their first child had just turned four.

We kept in touch, eventually connecting on Facebook where I finally saw her husband, who looked like a movie star, and by then her other three kids. The last time I saw her in person was in 2011 when I was covering one the last Shuttle launches at Cape Kennedy, and she was present as one of the engineers working on the program.

It still irritates me to this day that while we’ve both aged, I’ve gotten fatter, uglier, and well, old, while she still looks as beautiful as ever, in fact in some ways even better. And don’t get me started on how her kids look.

So, what does this have to do with a car for god’s sakes?

Well, Kia, which has sent me a lot of cars in the lest few months, sent me a 2023 Sportage for a recent week. The last time I had a week with one the year was 2017; the “before times” prior to all the pandemic junk. I generally liked the Sportage, which for that 2017 model year Kia had refreshed the fourth generation that was introduced in 2015. The 2017 was a bit bigger, and a bit roomier. The week with it was a good one. The only issue I had was the exterior look of it. That 2017 refresh had Kia putting a “tiger-nose” grill in the front with the headlights moved higher, and the bottom fascia larger and lower. To me, the front looked more like a tiger snout.

If I had to be honest, I wasn’t a fan of that “new” look, but otherwise liked the Sportage.

Then comes November 2022, and Kia delivers me the 2023. When I first saw it, suddenly I was back in that airport in 1994.

The 2017 “snout” and the 2023 re-design

 

For 2023, Kia redesigned the Sportage, and my how the once ugly duckling has grown. The 2023 marks the debut of the fifth generation. That “tiger-nose” grill has grown from a snout into one that runs nearly the entire width, and the rest of the design uses Kia’s new “opposites unite” design philosophy which blends smoothness with hard angles and gives the Sportage a great new look overall.

The 2026 Sportage is available in LX, EX, X-Line AWD, SX, SX Prestige, X-Pro and X-Pro Prestige trim (the 2017 has only LX, EX and SX Turbo). The base LX comes standard with such things as LED headlights with automatic high-beam operation and LED taillights, dark tinted rear privacy glass, remote keyless entry, a 12.2-inch instrumentation display with an 8-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, all riding on 17-inch alloy wheels.

The base model also has “nanny” tech standard: Driver attention warning, forward collision mitigation, lane departure mitigation and a lane keeping system.

Moving up to the EX adds heated exterior mirrors, a dual-level cargo floor, hands free keyless entry with push-button engine start, remote engine start, power-adjustable driver’s seat, and heated front seats. There’s also a 12.3-inch touchscreen system with Kia Connect connected services, dual-zone automatic climate control, satnav, a wireless smartphone charger, rear USB ports, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, and safe exit assist that warns occupants if it is unsafe to open a door and exit the vehicle, all atop 18-inch machined-finish alloy wheels.

The X-Line All-Wheel drive is more of an off-road version adds a center locking differential, more ground clearance, roof rails, and X-Line exterior styling with gloss black trim, all riding on 19-inch gloss black alloy wheels.

The SX has the EX equipment and adds satin chrome and gloss black exterior trim, chrome and gloss black exterior trim, low-profile roof rails, hands-free liftgate, a panoramic sunroof, a LED interior lighting, driver’s settings memory, an upgraded digital instrumentation display, and a premium sound system with eight speakers. There’s also forward cross-path detection and braking, and adaptive cruise control, Highway Driving Assist (from Hyundai), on 18-inch matte gray alloy wheels.

The Prestige version of the SX adds a bit more class to the Sportage with upgraded LED headlights and taillights, LED foglights, premium synthetic leather, a heated steering wheel, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, and ventilated front seats. The safety tech added here is parking sensors, a surround-view camera system, and automatic low-speed braking. Prestige rides on 19-inch gloss black alloy wheels.

The Sportage X-Pro combines X-Line AWD and SX stuff and adds all-terrain tires (on 17-inch matte black alloy wheels), multi-terrain driving modes, a heated windshield, and alloy pedal covers.

The top-of-the-line X-Pro Prestige is loaded with all the X-Pro and SX Prestige goodness and was my tester for the week.

What’s not to like about this fifth generation Sportage? It’s a bit bigger (a wheelbase of 108.5 inches versus 105.1), a little longer (183.5 versus 176.4), a little higher (66.9 inches versus 64.8), and with a little more ground clearance (8.3 inches to 6.4). Inside there is a wee bit less passenger room, not much, but enough to add some more cargo space, which in my opinion was much needed.

And did I mention that the new styling is way better than the old? Oh, I guess I did.

There is one change I’m not too fond of, however.

Back in 2017, the fourth generation Sportage was powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged inline-4 cylinder, delivering 240 horsepower and 260 ft-lbs. torque. For the fifth generation, Kia opted to put a non-turbo charged 2.5 liter with 187 horsepower and 178 lb.-ft of torque. For the new for 2023 hybrid models there is a turbocharged 1.6-liter four with a single electric motor that generates a combined 226 horses. It is about a $1-2000 upgrade depending on the trim but should keep Mother Earth a little happier. It replaces the turbocharged 2.5-liter ICE on the previous models.

With the new hybrid models, it’s almost as if Kia is adding an incentive to opt in for a hybrid. And actually, I’m sort of okay with that.

The hybrid tech has improved a bit since 2017, and since I have yet to find a hybrid that didn’t drive like an all-ICE vehicle, I bet the hybrid versions of the Sportage are just fine.

During my week with the 2.0 non-hybrid, I didn’t notice a real lack of power, though I suspect that I might have had I taken any sort of off-road excursions, but I didn’t so I’ll never know. Early in 2023, Kia sent me the hybrid version, and it was just fine, as I knew it would be.

No matter what’s under the hood, the 2023 Kia Sportage would be a great mid-sized SUV for everyday use. It’s well equipped, affordable, and most importantly now looks great.

My friend from high school now works on NASA’s SLS system (the next generation of moon rocket) and we run into each other from time to time. Her four kids are grown and thriving, and her husband still looks like a movie star. I have no regrets at all, can’t change the past; I’m just grateful she is now in my own friend-zone.

The 2023 Kia Sportage X-Pro Prestige AWD
MSRP: $ 37,340
MSRP (as tested): $38,555
Engine: 2.5 liter I-4 187 horsepower @ 6100 rpm, 178 lb.-ft torque @ 4000 rpm
Transmission:8-speed shiftable automatic
Fuel Mileage (EPA): 23 city, 28 highway, 25 combined
Fuel Mileage (as tested, mixed conditions): 28 mpg
Base Curb Weight: 3543 lbs.

Exterior Dimensions (Inches)
Wheelbase: 108.5
Length: 183.5
Width, without mirrors: 73.4
Height: 66.9
Front Track Width: 63.8
Rear Track Width: 64.1
Minimum Ground Clearance: 8.3

Interior Dimensions (Inches unless otherwise indicated)
Passenger / Seating Capacity: 5
Front Head Room: 37.8
Front Leg Room: 41.4
Front Shoulder Room: 57.5
Front Hip Room: 54.8
Second Row Head Room: 38
Second Row Leg Room: 41.3
Second Row Shoulder Room: 55.6
Second Row Hip Room: 53.4
Cargo Volume to Seat 1: 60.1
Cargo Volume to Seat 2: 30.7
Cargo Volume to Seat 3: 30.7)
Cargo Space/Area Behind Front Row (cubic feet): 74.1
Cargo Space/Area Behind Second Row (cubic feet): 39.6
Cargo Space/Area Behind Third Row (cubic feet): 39.6

Warranty
5 Basic Years / 60,000 Basic Miles
10 Drivetrain Years / 100,000 Drivetrain Miles
5 Corrosion Years / 100,000 Corrosion Miles
5 Roadside Assistance Years / 100,000 Roadside Assistance Miles

Greg Engle
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