The sub-$40,000 pseudo-off-roader crossover-SUV-hatch segment is ludicrously competitive and popular. Any brand that makes cars at this price point has its entrant in the segment, from the Toyota RAV4 TRD to the Subaru Forester Wilderness and dozens in between. But Kia now wants a piece of the pie and dropped off the new Sportage X-Pro on our doorstep for a week of judgment.
Having spent some time in the RAV4 TRD Off-Road before, we know the gold standard in the segment is just that - golden - so the Kia had an uphill battle ahead of it to prove it has what it takes to battle the best. In this instance, a proper test was needed, so we set our sights on a few off-road trails to test its tires and all-wheel drive.
Exterior Design: Defined By Color
Kia doesn't do anything groundbreaking with the new Sportage's design, though it is a handsome car. Some effort is made to distinguish the X-Pro as the most rugged of the lineup, like the black wheels with all-terrain tires and black badging.
Unlike the Forester Wilderness, this doesn't make an effort to tell you it's the off-road one; there are no flashy accents or extraneous badges, and some people will surely like that. That said, the X-Pro is a looker, and we think the off-road looks bring the Sportage's design to life.
The unique headlight look helps with that, and we even drew a few compliments on the color during our time with the car. It's called Jungle Green, and for $395, it's totally worth it. We're suckers for stand-out paintwork, and this one suits the Sportage's character to a tee and got us more attention than anything else.
Performance: A Litte Off-Base
We've got some complaints about the Sportage's performance. Mostly, these complaints are centered around two things: the 2.5-liter four cylinder's output and the transmission attached to it. The former means the X-Pro produces 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque, which is simply not enough. To the detriment of our fuel bill, we were constantly wringing the engine's neck to merge with traffic. The result was 20 mpg throughout our loan - five more than the EPA's combined estimate.
The transmission is an eight-speed auto, which did help with highway fuel economy. But the lack of power and heavy throttle inputs counter the transmission's default tuning to ride in a higher gear and it was routinely found hunting for gears. 30 or 40 lb-ft extra torque from a turbocharged setup would work a treat, both on-road and off.
Driving Impressions: An Off-Road Hero In Disguise
The X-Pro's on-road driving mannerisms are primarily shared with other models in the lineup. It's quiet enough, despite the louder tires, and the ride is smooth. For that reason, we won't waste your precious time on onr-oad impressions, but will focus on our time spent off-road in the Sportage X-Pro.
We picked a trail and tried to see if we could break the X-Pro. We could not.
The X-Pro gets standard AWD and four drive modes- Normal, Smart, Sport, and Snow. Weirdly, we found Sport worked best off-road, letting us hold gears without shifting ourselves, and with the traction control off, the Sportage didn't flinch at most obstacles. That said, we wanted supreme control, but the X-Pro can also be left to its own devices and the Smart and Snow modes have specific AWD tuning to maximize grip and minimize slip.
However, the Sportage is a unibody crossover at heart, which limits things like wheel articulation. The all-terrain tires give you grip, sure, but that traction means nothing when tires don't contact the ground, and on several occasions, we found ourselves in an axle twister with a wheel off the ground. It manages to pull off some impressive angles, but we fear on anything but dry ground in the situations it might struggle. The extra 1.5 inches of ground clearance helped tremendously.
Interior: Kia's Time To Shine
While others in this segment, like the RAV4 TRD and Forester, have interiors that feel more utilitarian than luxe, the Sportage feels decidedly upmarket, even with the cloth seating on the standard X-Pro. The win is further cemented in Kia's favor by the infotainment, which works beautifully and is laid out far better than the competition's. We encountered a glitch whilst off-roading that left the screen blank for 30 mins, but it seemingly self-righted and we had no further issues during the week we spent with it.
Other than that, Kia doesn't miss a beat with its interiors. The seats are supremely comfortable and deserving of a much more expensive car. Heating and cooling functions work beautifully, and we're huge fans of all the physical controls.
Clever charging solutions can be found throughout the interior as well, with loads of USB outlets scattered throughout.
The Sportage's cargo area is cavernous at 39.6 cubic feet, which may not be class leading, but is plentiful. The Sportage is set apart by its infotainment, but the interior is by no means defined by it. We'd happily spend all day here.
Verdict: Competent All-Rounder
The Kia Sportage X-Pro is a top all-rounder that is now equally as capable off the beaten track as most of its rivals. Sure, A Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk will be be better on the rough stuff, but on the road, the Kia is worlds apart. Its interior is arguably the best in the segment, combined with class-leading space, and its on-road manners are impeccable. Our Sportage X-Pro came to $37,600 including options which places it at a competitive advantage against several rivals, but even those against which it's more expensive fall short in other areas, and it the Kia is worth every cent.
We have our gripes, still, like too few poff-road drive modes and poor approach angles that could be helped by a new bumper. But these are items that'll also drive up the price.
The X-Pro's sub-$40k pricing is what makes it so attractive. Short of some luxury features offered in top-tier Sportage, this model seems to be the Goldilocks of the lineup if you intend to do some light adventuring in your new crossover.