2026 Kia Sportage
It has been around since 1993 and is now in its fifth generation from 2021, always as a compact SUV. We are reporting here on the 2025 facelift, in the summer as a pure combustion engine model, in the fall as a hybrid,
and now very soon as a plug-in in an improved version of the one that has been around for three years.
There is also a platform sibling from Hyundai, the Tucson. Kia offers a smaller model, the Niro, and a larger one, the Sorento. Otherwise, we can classify it as similar to the VW Tiguan. It is also available with a diesel
and gasoline engine. Only Kia offers the option of a manual transmission, whereas VW does not.
If you've narrowed your choice down to the diesel engine, you have an easy decision to make, as it is only available as a 48V mild hybrid, with the automatic version offering more torque than the manual transmission. The
only thing that can be said about the gasoline engines is that they are up to date in terms of development.
It is available in two power and torque levels, but in the higher level only with a dual-clutch transmission. You can then have this with either hybrid or all-wheel drive, or both. The battery is powerful at 250 Nm, but only has
1.49 kWh.
All that is known about the PHEV so far is that it will be available from €43,100 as a 2WD and also as an all-wheel drive with 212 kW (288 hp). However, since the range is only specified as up to 72 km, we assume
that the capacity will be the same as in the previous PHEV, namely 13.8 kWh gross.
Apart from the grill and the dashboard, not much has changed visually on the 26 model (see video). At the bottom, you can see a video of a disappointed Kia customer who reports on the somewhat horrendous inspection
costs.
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