2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Status AWD

December 20, 2025

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Nice Seems to be Plus Efficiency and Effectivity

With a beginning value at $31,735, Kia is telling consumers to take a protracted onerous have a look at the 2026 Sportage Hybrid. Together with the vacation spot charges, the 2026 Sportage Hybrid is priced decrease than rivals just like the Honda CR-V Hybrid ($37,080 FWD), Subaru Forester Hybrid ($36,415 AWD) and Mazda CX-50 Hybrid ($36,245 AWD.)

The Sportage is the best-selling Kia and its longest-running mannequin. When it was redesigned in 2023, because the fifth era, they’d one objective—to make it higher.

The 2026 Sportage has gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid propulsion choices, however right here we’re concentrating on the hybrid (HEV). It comes with the bottom front-wheel drive (FWD) and elective all-wheel drive (AWD), powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 232 horsepower (hp) and 271 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque. The EPA charges the Hybrid AWD’s gas financial system at 35 mpg metropolis and mixed and 36 mpg on the freeway. Observe: The EPA freeway quantity climbs to 44 mpg with FWD Sportage HEV.

In 361 miles driving by Southern California we averaged 38.4 mpg, a couple of instances surpassing the magic 40 mpg. Gas financial system numbers reported by Clear Fleet Report are non-scientific and signify the reviewer’s driving expertise utilizing the sprint gauge pc. Your numbers might differ.

Sportage Hybrid: On-Highway Driving Enjoyment

It’s no shock the 2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid was a superb expertise on the highway, as all Kia hybrids Clear Fleet Report has examined have been praise-worthy. Within the case of the Sportage Hybrid, that efficiency was simply noticeable because it delivered easy, seamless energy.

The dealing with was optimistic and direct with the middle of gravity dropped because the batteries are tucked low beneath the seats. We have been completely glad with its dealing with and cornering skills understanding Kia didn’t design nor are advertising the Sportage Hybrid as a sports activities compact crossover.

Cornering is simply nearly as good because the brakes, and the regenerative system on the Sportage Hybrid was close to excellent. Regenerative braking makes use of the electrical motor to transform kinetic vitality into electrical vitality when making use of the brakes or coasting and shops it within the battery.

The Sportage Hybrid has a welcome characteristic that might be good to see on all hybrid automobiles—paddles to set the regeneration degree. Mounted on the bottom of the steering wheel, the paddles give the choice of three regen ranges. This isn’t a one-pedal driving system, however setting the regen paddle to highest degree, the Sportage Hybrid will come nearly to a whole cease. At that time, faucet the brake pedal and the Auto Maintain characteristic will preserve the automobile stationary till resuming acceleration.

Hybrid Clean Operator

The 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine is paired with a 44 kWh electrical motor that’s powered by a 1.49 kWh lithium-ion battery. There are driver-selectable drive modes—Eco, My Drive and Sport. There additionally Terrain Modes—Snow, Sand and Mud—on the AWD fashions. Eco is the default setting for one of the best gas financial system within the hybrid system with Sport mode producing a faster transmission response and essentially the most spirited driving, which is nice for 0-60 mph instances round 7.65 seconds.

**Energy and distinctive gas financial system**

Kia’s hybrid system’s effectivity is enjoyable to play with when driving. We have been in a position to journey as much as 60 mph with the tachometer pegged at zero, that means the gasoline a part of the hybrid system was not working, and we have been cruising on full electrical energy. When on the freeway, a light-weight comes on the digital sprint gauge when sliding seamlessly into electrical mode, which turns into each a problem and sport to see how effectively and easily you’ll be able to drive.

The 6-speed computerized transmission is invisible with its shifts making us suppose we have been driving a CVT. We took benefit of this quiet drive, opening the panoramic sunroof and revel in close to silent cruising. There are a lot of causes proudly owning a automobile with some form of electrification, not listening to an engine working is one among them.

Revised Design

The Kia Sportage, utterly redesigned in 2023, advantages from upgrades to the 2026 mannequin.

The 5 trims—LX, S, EX, X-Line, and SX-Status—all retain the model’s signature Tiger Nostril grille with boomerang daytime working lights as a key design characteristic. New for 2026 are the entrance and rear bumpers, stacked LED headlight with elective cube-style projection, LED fog lights, amber LED “Star Map” daytime working lights and LED “Star Map” taillights that run throughout the facility carry gate. Search for energy and heated exterior mirrors, roof rails, a rear spoiler and 19-inch alloy wheels. Notably good was the rear window wiper being tucked beneath the spoiler, making for a clear and upscale look.

Exterior colour choices at no extra value are Fusion Black, Gravity Grey and Heritage Blue. The latter was our check mannequin colour. Wolf Grey and Snow White Pearl are at a $495 premium and Shadow Matte Grey is $595 further.

Welcoming Inside

The Sportage has class-leading rear-seat leg room and rear cargo house. Climbing inside, utilizing the useful A-pillar-mounted seize handles, the Sportage Hybrid SX-Status AWD the cabin is clear, effectively thought-out, trendy and has an ethereal really feel. The tasteful mixture of onerous and delicate plastic supplies, piano black surfaces and brushed aluminum trim properly complemented the Misty Grey seats coated in SynTex, an artificial leather-based materials that’s delicate to the contact and resists spills and is straightforward to scrub. Different inside colour choices embrace Saturn Black and Terracotta Brown.

The low-profile, no-nonsense sprint homes a 24.6-inch sleekly curved thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal show. With no break, this contains the 12.3-inch instrument cluster and the 12.3-inch colour touchscreen with navigation, the rear view digicam and a encompass view monitor. Kia Join permits customers to make hands-free calls on their smartphone, stream music and carry out car diagnostics with using voice instructions. It additionally supplies entry to car methods, together with distant begin.

The nice-sounding 8-speaker, 315-watt Harman Kardon audio system, with a subwoofer, performs AM/FM/Sirius/XM, and contains wi-fi Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel has controls for audio, smartphone integration with Bluetooth and the adaptiv cruise management. Wi-fi cellphone charging and having each normal USB and USB-C ports are handy touches.

Kia has a intelligent design to go between the dual-zone local weather controls and infotainment controls. On the slender horizontal display screen beneath the principle contact display screen, when urgent the capacitive contact factors for the temperature and fan, the radio controls seem, which embrace quantity and channel knobs. This house saver had a brief studying curve, shortly displaying its advantages.

All Sportage Hybrid trims, besides the LX that has handbook changes, have heated and ventilated entrance seats with the motive force getting 10-way energy changes, reminiscence and lumbar, whereas the passenger will get 8-way energy changes. The padded heart console has deep storage.

The 8.3 inches of floor clearance offered a transparent outlook on the highway. Even with the facility panoramic sunroof there may be ample rear seat headroom for 2 six-footers. The rear passengers get a middle armrest with cup holders, HVAC vents and USB-C cost ports. If there are not any passengers out again, drop the 60/40 cut up heated rear seat and the storage space not solely will increase, however is able to load cargo by the massive hatch opening.

The distinctive rear seat legroom, reclining rear seat backs and the useful hooks on the bottom of the entrance seats made for a second-row driving expertise only a bit extra premium.

Security and Warranties

The Kia Sportage comes normal with twin entrance, twin seat-mounted facet, driver’s knee and full-length facet curtain airbags, car stability administration, traction management, hill begin help, tire stress monitoring system and an engine immobilizer. The ten-inch heads-up show (HUD) was configurable with important information akin to pace, navigation instructions and different info.

The intensive record of superior driver security help methods (ADAS) embrace a 360-degree encompass view digicam, blind spot monitor and avoidance, computerized emergency braking, adaptive cruise management, rear cross visitors alert and computerized braking, and the Protected Exit warning alert.

The 2026 Sportage Hybrid comes with these warranties:

Powertrain – 10 years/100,000 miles
Hybrid Battery – 10 years/100,000 miles
Fundamental – 5 years/60,000 miles
Roadside Help – 5 years/60,000 miles
Anti-perforation – 5 years/100,000 miles

Pricing

The 2026 Sportage Hybrid comes with these base costs, together with the $1,445 vacation spot cost.

LX FWD $31,735

S AWD $34,035

EX AWD $35,035

X-Line AWD $36,935

SX-Status AWD $41,835

Observations: 2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid

The 2026 Sportage Hybrid is for you if on the lookout for a compact crossover that will get spectacular gas financial system, provides cargo versatility, has a stable journey, comfy seats, a protracted record of ordinary security tools, an ideal guarantee, is available in entrance and all-wheel drive and is competitively priced in opposition to its hybrid rivals.

This was one I didn’t need to give again after one week. The journey, tight dealing with, spacious inside and refreshed exterior design added as much as a really sensible compact SUV geared up higher than many thought of premium choices.

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Story by John Faulkner. Photographs by John Faulkner and Kia.