2016 Kia Sportage Review

Not a lot has changed for this year’s compact CUV the Kia Sportage – the exterior design still has a sporty, modern feel to it while inside it’s a nicely laid out quality interior. For 2016 there are a couple of new packages available and a few more standard and optional features.  Drivers who like a little extra punch to their vehicle will want to check out the 2.0L turbo engine.

Available Models
There are three trim levels for the 2016 Kia Sportage – the LX (MSRP $ 22,150), EX (MSRP $23,350) which come with a 2.4L I-4 engine and the SX (MSRP $31,490) which runs off of a 2.0L Turbo I-4 engine.

The LX adds 18” wheels, chrome belt-line molding and door handles, leather seats the driver and front passenger are heated, leather wrapped steering wheel  and gear shift knob, dual-zone, fully automatic temperature control plus several options.

The SX adds 18” sport allow wheels, LED lighting all around taillight, running light and fog lights, a unique front radiator grille, dual chrome tipped exhaust, power folding, heated mirrors, cooling glove box, UVO eServices telematics with navigation and Electric Chromic Mirror Homelink.

Interior Features
The interior of the 2016 Kia Sportage is well thought out with all the controls easy to reach. There is a lot of hard plastics used throughout the dashboard and console which may make some wish they used more soft-touch materials.

The LX trim comes with cloth seats while the EX and SX are leather with the front seats being heated. While the LX comes with air conditioning the SX has dual-zone automatic temperature control. For music the Sportage comes with an AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo system with six speakers, Bluetooth wireless technology and USB/auxiliary input jacks are standard across all trims. A neat feature for the SX (available on the EX) is the cooling glove box that uses the air-conditioning to help keep bottles or cans cool.

A touchscreen display with rear camera display is available for the LX and standard on the other trims while UVO eServices telematics with navigation is standard on the SX and available for the EX

The rear quarters are a bit tight while headroom and shoulder room are fine the legroom at 37.9 inches might be a bit low for taller passengers. At 26.1 cubic feet the cargo space behind the rear seats is a bit on the smaller size and is lower than many of its competition such as the Honda CR-V which has 37.2 cu ft.

See all Sportage interior specifications.

Exterior Features
The 2016 Kia Sportage definitely has style and looks like a vehicle that would cost much more than it does. From the front of the car with its grille, head lamps and fog lights down the sides with sleek lines and smaller windows to the back with the rear spoiler the Sportage has an aggressive, sporty look.

There are a lot of standard or optional equipment such as rear side and tailgate privacy glass, LED positioning lights, rear spoiler and roof rails, power folding mirrors, fog lights and LED daytime running lights and taillights that adds more personality to the Sportage. A panoramic sunroof is standard on the SX trim and optional on the EX.

The EX and SX get a bit more chrome highlights such as chrome belt-line molding and door handles with the SX also featuring chrome dual tip exhaust.

While the shape and size of the side windows adds to the style of the Sportage they do impede on exterior vision from the driver’s seat.

More Kia Sportage exterior specs.

Performance
There are two engines available for the 2016 Kia Sportage a 2.4L Gasoline Direct Injection engine that powers the LX and EX models it puts out 181 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 175 lb.-ft. torque @ 4,000 rpm. The SX trim has a sporty 2.0L Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection engine that cranks out 240 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 260 lb-ft. torque @ 1,450-3,500 rpm. A 6-speed automatic transmission is paired with both engines.

While the turbo engine is great giving the CUV a lot of get up and go one of the biggest criticisms when it comes to performance has been the handling – while some feel the handling is fine others might find that the steering dampens the overall driving experience.

The LX sits on 17” machine-finish alloy wheels, the EX and SX both sit atop 18” wheels – the EX being machine-finish alloy while the SX gets a distinct sport alloy wheel.

Safety and Security
The 2016 Kia Sportage received a 5-star crash test result from the NHTSA in the frontal crash and side crash categories and received an overall rating of 4-stars.

Like all Kia’s it comes loaded with safety features – lots of front and side mounted airbags, anti-whiplash front headrests, ABS brakes, Downhill Brake Control (DBC), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), impact sensing auto door unlock and tire pressure monitor system.

The Sportage also comes with Kia’s amazing warranty.

Get a Free Price Quote on a 2016 Kia Sportage.