Over the next few weeks, we’re getting to know the 2026 Kia Sportage HEV. Here is the third chapter of our long-term test of the compact SUV with hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive.
In today’s episode of our longish test drive of the 2026 Kia Sportage HEV (in SX trim), we focus on its look (thumbs up) and its road manners (thumbs up also).
Wherever it ventures, the Kia Sportage promotes the latest design language concocted by its designers. They’ve dubbed their latest language “Opposites United”. In practical terms, what does that mean when you look closely at this Korean compact SUV? What are these opposites that the bodywork creators have deliberately fused?
See also: 2026 Kia Sportage HEV Long-Term Review, Part 1: A Best-Seller, in Three Formats
See also: 2026 Kia Sportage HEV, Long-Term Review, Part 2: Plenty of Heart
First, it’s the marriage of curves and angles. We’ll get into this further down, but the Sportage offers a very spacious cabin, for both humans and their gear. But, a vehicle aimed at maximizing storage capacity needs to avoid overly arched rooflines or truncated tailgates. This doesn’t stop the Sportage’s roof from curving nicely — it does so just enough — and where it meets the rear window, the glass remains high. All of this gives the vehicle square shoulders and, consequently, storage space in spades.
At the same time, the Sportage projects angles: in the pattern of its new wheels (17 to 19 inches, depending on the trim), in the design of the side windows that arrow toward the rear, and particularly in the front fascia.
Iconic signature
The designers once again played with the LED daytime running lights that frame the headlights. Without distorting Kia’s emblematic "Tiger Nose," they broke the boomerang shape: first, to create a family resemblance with other recent Kia models like the Sorento and EV5; and second, to modernize the visuals.
When you see the lights, which evoke fangs to some, shining like a Jedi’s lightsaber, you know immediately which brand you’re dealing with.
The full bumpers at both ends and the respectable ground clearance contribute to the rugged good looks of the Sportage, softened just enough by the sophisticated embossing on the flanks. I should add that my SX test model wore the new "Heritage Blue" hue, and my informal survey of whoever would indulge me with their minute of attention gave it a – yes – thumbs up.
Zen power
Just before I took possession of the hybrid Sportage, a colleague warned me that it felt “too soft” for them. His being a judgment I generally respect, I expected a trampoline-like experience. I was pleasantly surprised.
Basically, what my expert colleague qualified as soft became "comfortable" in my personal lexicon.
It would be an exaggeration to claim that driving the Sportage brings out your inner Gilles Villeneuve. Or Jacques. Or even Lance Stroll for that matter. Which, by the way, must have influenced my colleague’s judgment since he happens to be a race car driver in his spare time.
While this SUV doesn’t put sportiness center stage, ride comfort stands out as its primary quality. I’d even say its smoothness. For a utility vehicle with ideas of projecting macho vibes, it’s amusing to see how well the engineers managed to make its handling so composed and solid, almost neutral.
But this impression of solidity (correction: it’s not an impression, it’s a fact) really plays in the Sportage’s favour. At one point, I parked the Sportage and took off on a three-day, 1,000-km road trip in the Soul, which Kia actually stopped producing last October). Plonking back into the Sportage, I was happy to renew with the sense of confidence it distills.
To each their own
The MacPherson struts up front and the multi-link setup at the rear work in unison to handle our hardy Canadian potholes that can morph into otherworldly craters. The electric power steering isn't the most surgical, but it remains engaging, in tune with the muscular suppleness of the suspension components.
The braking (ventilated discs at the front, solid at the rear) operates in the same register: the sensitivity to foot pressure isn’t hair-trigger, but the result is safe and effective.
The cabin gets noisy with winter tires on dry pavement or when accelerating hard onto a highway ramp. But since the hybrid is faster than the gas-only Sportage (delivering 232 hp vs 187), we won't complain. Many will also appreciate the "normality" of the 6-speed transmission—both traditional and modern—while many other hybrids have to put up with CVTs.
Recently, I noticed some air infiltration in the upper corner of the driver’s side window. A minor annoyance that a quick fix of the weatherstripping should eliminate.
Finally, I could almost hear the Sportage SX HEV and its all-wheel drive laughing at the intense cold, ice and snow we’ve been experiencing in recent weeks. When the chips were down and frozen solid, the SUV was able to weave between overturned tractor-trailers and stranded cars like a polar bear on a holiday across the ice floe.