2023 Kia Sportage Pros and Cons: What To Know When Weighing Your Decision

in Car Comparisons
2023 Kia Sportage with a bike rack

Source: Flickr

The 2023 Kia Sportage is an exciting addition to the lineup, offering unique styling amongst a crowd of vehicles that tend to blend in with each other. It’s bold, massive, and an improvement on versions from the past. If you’re interested in purchasing this vehicle for your life, you might want to consider the 2023 Kia Sportage pros and cons.

Pros and cons make a difference in any purchase. Those unaware of these before buying a car might find they run into issues during ownership that they didn’t expect, which can feel like a waste of money. Keep reading to learn more about what we love in the 2023 Sportage and what we aren’t fans of in the machine.

2023 Kia Sportage Pros: What We Love

From the forgiving ride experience to the appearance, there are many items to enjoy in the 2023 Kia Sportage. Let’s dissect a few of the most prominent in the 2023 Kia Sportage pros and cons.

Forgiving Ride Experience

The ride in the 2023 Kia Sportage is shockingly smooth, which means you get some forgiveness when driving over rough terrain. Those in the back of the vehicle don’t have to worry as much about massaging sore muscles at the end of a long ride. Instead, the 2023 Sportage helps absorb the blows.

A longer wheelbase is to thank for this comfortable experience. It helps the car travel more smoothly than previous generations. The 2023 Kia Sportage X-Pro even offers some equipment for tackling the dirt road, such as all-terrain tires, 17-inch rims, and multiple drive modes.


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Optional and Standard Tech Features

There are some pleasing technology features in the 2023 Kia Sportage, some standard and many optional additions. Of course, it would be ideal if all were standard, but Kia does a decent job spacing everything out, so it feels like you get enough in the base model of the Sportage.

Standard features include an 8-inch infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and touch-sensitive controls as the core of the entire thing. Optional upgrades include a subscription-based Wi-Fi system, a Harman/Kardon unit, and even a wireless phone charger for simple technology access.

Generous Standard and Optional Safety Features

Along with technology features, there are abundant safety selections in the 2023 Kia Sportage. All of the technology is designed to assist the driver, reducing the chance of a crash, and increasing the amount of time the driver has to react before they make a mistake while traveling at high speeds.

Optional features include a navigation-based adaptive cruise control and remote parking. There’s also the option to add blind-spot monitors and rear-traffic alerts. Standard safety additions include classics like forward-collision warnings, automatic braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and more.


HOW LONG DO KIA SPORTAGES LAST?

It’s comfortable, spacious, and offers plenty of room for cargo - but what does its lifespan look like? The time a car can survive will impact how much money you have to spend. So - how long do Kia Sportages last?


Unique Appearance

Finally, we did enjoy the unique appearance of the 2023 Sportage. This is perhaps the area where the car shines the most for those who want something that stands out. Rather than a traditional appearance, the vehicle chooses to adopt something almost alien with its headlights and grille placement.

The grille expands and juts out over the side, providing striking linework on the face of the vehicle. The headlights seem to sit right inside this unique design but very far to the right and left, offering a diamond structure instead of a more traditional shape. People will have to do a double-take to see what car you’re driving with this one.

2023 Kia Sportage Cons: What We Hate

Unfortunately, items like a boring driving experience and strange styles can be downsides for the vehicle. Let’s examine the worst of the 2023 Kia Sportage pros and cons.

Boring Driving Experience

Unfortunately, many drivers report feeling bored with their experience behind the wheel in the 2023 Kia Sportage. The default selection in the base model is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which doesn’t offer much in terms of performance. You’ll need to floor it to get anywhere with any amount of kick.

The dynamics of the car are comfortable, but they don’t have much pep in their step. Drivers will feel almost too in control of the 2023 Kia Sportage while taking on curvy roads. Turns tend to be stiff, and you might find yourself missing some adventure.


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Lacking Power in the Four-Cylinder

As mentioned before, the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine isn’t exactly the most powerful thing in the world. It provides a maximum of 187 horsepower and takes an astounding 8.6 seconds to go from 0-60 miles per hour in the nonhybrid version of the vehicle.

The hybrid option is a little more encouraging - it only takes 7.4 seconds to hit this number. Still, both aren’t very fast and will be a struggle for those who want speed.

Style Isn’t for Everyone 

We mentioned the appearance of the 2023 Kia Sportage as a pro earlier, but it also happens to be a con. Some might long for the more traditional Sportage design of the past. Unfortunately, Kia has done away with that in this iteration.

Drivers who want to blend in won’t be able to with the front of the 2023 Sportage. It’s a one-of-a-kind look.

Is the 2023 Kia Sportage Worth It?

We’ve looked at many 2023 Kia Sportage pros and cons. Now, it’s time to answer one final question - is it worth it to pick the 2023 Sportage? If you love the unique design, access to optional and standard features, and want a comfy ride, this Sportage could be right for you. However, if you need an exciting drive and don’t want unique styling, stay away.

We hope this information was helpful! The process of landing a new car can feel like too much sometimes, but examining the pros and cons often reveals something about the vehicle you never saw before to make it much easier to decide. Ultimately, it’s up to you to land the car that best fits your lifestyle - but our knowledge should make it a little easier.



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