Kia’s SUV lineup has become one of the strongest in the automotive landscape, and that’s true not only because of larger vehicles like the Telluride, but also its smaller crossover options.

The compact Kia Sportage SUV is one of those offerings, slotting between Kia’s Seltos and Sorento in terms of size, and competes against some heavy hitters such as Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.

I recently spent some time behind the wheel of a 2024 Kia Sportage X-Pro Prestige AWD, a more off-road friendly version of the Sportage, and I’m back with a full report on how it holds up in the compact SUV battlefield.

Among the most interesting conversations in the automotive world right now is that EV demand appears to be down, yet buyers still seek strong fuel economy.

For those buyers, there’s no better option than a hybrid vehicle. Buying a hybrid allows them to achieve their goal of saving on fuel expenses, while also not relying on the electric grid to power their vehicle. Get a hybrid now, and you can wait until EV prices go down and become more realistic for the average buyer to afford.

And since you’ll visit the gas station much less than with a traditional ICE vehicle, hybrids are still a green offering.

Kia expanded its hybrid offerings for the 2023 model year with the introduction of the Kia Sportage hybrid in the popular compact crossover segment. The Sportage was completely redesigned for 2023, and the 2023 hybrid carries over to 2024 without any major changes.

The Sportage is now offering a diverse lineup, with everything from an ICE version, to the hybrid powertrain, to a plug-in hybrid offering.

The latest version of the Sportage has grown in size from the previous generation model, and has upgraded its technology features. In terms of Kia’s hybrid lineup, it fits in size between the Kia Niro and the Kia Sorento, and it’s a close relative of the Hyundai Tucson hybrid. 

Read on for a full breakdown of how it measures up against other leading compact crossover hybrid offerings.