The Kia Sportage has been around longer than most consumers probably realize. The first-generation model, which was a true body-on-frame compact SUV, first entered production way back in 1993. It soldiered on for nearly a decade in the U.S. market without much change, and by any objective measure, it was a sales flop.
A couple of years later, the Kia Sportage was back, this time as a compact crossover utility vehicle built on a car platform. It’s been in continuous production ever since, and today, the model is in its fourth generation, riding on the same Hyundai-Kia J6 platform that underpins Hyundai’s Elantra and Tucson models, as well as the Kia Forte. In 2018, the Sportage posted its highest-ever sales for a single year in the U.S. market, despite an overall downturn for the brand since 2016; clearly, Kia’s done something right.
The fourth-generation Kia Sportage, launched for the 2017 model year in North America, is a bit of a standout in the compact crossover segment, with shorter, squatter proportions and uniquely quirky styling that was reportedly inspired by fighter jets. Drawing upon fighter jet design for inspiration makes a lot of sense if, say, you’re penning the next Corvette. But a budget compact family-hauler? That’s a bit more strange.
As strange as it is, though, it works.
And if the unique styling doesn’t get you, the value proposition just might. The Kia Sportage has one of the lowest starting MSRPs in the compact crossover segment, yet even at the base trim level, you get 17-inch alloy wheels, forward collision prevention with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist, and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
For the U.S. market, the fourth-generation Kia Sportage is built at a plant in Gwangiu, South Korea, Kia does have a U.S. manufacturing plant, in West Point, Georgia, which produces the Optima sedan and Sorento crossover.