2024 Kia Sportage

2024 is a carry-over year of the fifth generation, which launched for MY2023; the facelift did not arrive until MY2026. The gas trims keep the 187-hp 2.5L, which is low for the segment.

178 lb-ft from a naturally aspirated four sits at the low end of compact SUVs, many of which now use turbo engines.

The 2.5L AWD is one of the slower compact SUVs. Every instrumented test puts it at 9 seconds or more.

The 2.5L is adequate around town but strained and noisy when merging or passing. Consumer Reports singles it out as weak and unrefined.

A conventional 8-speed automatic (not a CVT) shifts smoothly and avoids drone. It can be slow to kick down, which makes the weak engine feel weaker.

2,500 lbs is typical for a compact SUV: enough for a small trailer, well short of mid-size SUVs.

AWD is offered across the gas trim walk and is standard on X-Line/X-Pro, with a center-coupling lock and terrain modes. There is no low range or torque vectoring.

The X-Pro adds all-terrain tires, AWD lock and terrain modes, enough for light trails. There are no lockers or low range, and ordinary trims are pavement-oriented.

The 2024 range covers a gas 2.5L (FWD/AWD), a 1.6T hybrid (FWD/AWD) and a 1.6T plug-in hybrid, which is broader than most compact rivals.

The gas AWD Sportage is about average for a non-hybrid compact SUV and trails the best gas rivals by a few MPG.

23 MPG city is typical of a non-hybrid compact SUV with AWD.

26 MPG highway for the AWD model is weak for the class. FWD does much better at 33.

A small 14.3-gallon tank at 25 MPG gives only modest range for the segment.

The EPA cost estimate for the AWD gas model sits mid-pack among gas SUVs.

Every gas Sportage runs on regular unleaded, so there is no premium-fuel cost.

NHTSA rates the 2024 Sportage FWD and AWD 5 stars overall, with 5-star frontal and side results and a 4-star rollover rating.

The 2024 Sportage earns an IIHS 2024 Top Safety Pick (not plus), with Good small-overlap, Good original moderate-overlap and Good updated-side results. The side result reflects the B-pillar and door-beam reinforcement and rear side thorax airbag added for 2024. What keeps it from TSP+ is the Marginal vehicle-to-vehicle crash-prevention rating and Acceptable headlights.

Every trim gets Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Lane Keeping Assist, driver attention warning and high-beam assist. On the base LX, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance and Smart Cruise Control are optional; they come standard from the EX volume trim up.

The standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist rates only Marginal in IIHS's tougher vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 test, failing to stop at 43 mph and against the off-center motorcycle at 37 mph. Its pedestrian result is Acceptable, avoiding the crossing tests day and night and reducing impact speed at 37 mph.

Blind-Spot and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist actively brake rather than just warn, and they are standard from the EX volume trim, though optional on the LX. Safe Exit Assist and the Blind-Spot View Monitor camera feed are limited to the top Prestige trims.

Lane Keeping Assist is standard on every trim, and Lane Following Assist provides centering. Reviewers find it competent on marked highways, with mild wander on curves and faded lines.

Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Highway Driving Assist are standard from the EX volume trim; the LX lacks adaptive cruise. The system follows smoothly across the full speed range, and HDA2 lane-change assist is limited to the top trims.

No trim of the 2024 Sportage offers hands-free highway driving. Highway Driving Assist 2 is a hands-on lane-centering aid.

One LED projector setup is used on every trim, and IIHS rates it Acceptable, not Good. Low beams light the right side of the road only fairly and fall short on gradual left curves; standard high-beam assist earns credit.

The upright, boxy NQ5 body gives a large glass area, a tall side window line and a near-vertical rear window, so sightlines beat the sloped-roof norm. Moderately thick rear pillars are the compromise, and the surround-view and blind-spot cameras are only on the top trims.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use only Acceptable, but rear legroom leads the class and the rear doors open wide, which makes loading and buckling child seats easy.

Two-row, five-passenger compact SUV across the 2024 lineup; 2024 is a carry-over year of the fifth generation (launched MY2023, facelifted for MY2026).

Class-typical front headroom; the panoramic roof costs 1.8 in. Unchanged body from 2023 to 2025.

Front legroom is merely adequate for the segment.

Generous rear headroom for a compact SUV.

Class-leading rear legroom, in mid-size-SUV territory.

No third row is offered on the 2024 Sportage in any configuration.

Best in the compact class, though the SUV band stretches up to three-row SUVs.

Large for a compact SUV.

The dual-level cargo floor and seatback USB-C ports are thoughtful touches. Console storage is ordinary and there is no onboard AC power.

Well-bolstered front seats and a genuinely comfortable, roomy rear bench. The EX adds a power driver's seat with lumbar support.

Smooth and composed at highway cruise. The gas model lets sharper impacts through on rough pavement, and the front-axle damping upgrade only came with the 2026 facelift.

Wind and road noise are well suppressed at a cruise, but the 2.5L gets buzzy and downshifts often on the highway.

The volume EX has heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate, but for 2024 Kia dropped the heated steering wheel from the EX AWD. Ventilated seats and heated rear seats are Prestige-only.

2024 is the second US model year of the fifth-generation (NQ5) Sportage, a carry-over year before the 2026 facelift. The LX FWD entry price is among the lowest in the compact-SUV class.

The EX is the volume gas trim and most buyers take AWD, which puts a typically equipped 2024 Sportage near $32.4K delivered.

KBB projects about $6K in maintenance and repairs, around average for the class. Repairs stay low because the long warranty covers most failures, but Kia includes no free scheduled maintenance.

Depreciation is the Sportage's weakest cost figure and trails the CR-V and RAV4 by a wide margin. KBB's current used-market data shows about 16% lost in the first two years, which is in line with that projection.

Kia's basic warranty ties the Hyundai Tucson for longest in the mainstream compact-SUV class. Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Mazda and Nissan all stop at 3 years / 36,000 miles.

This is the best powertrain coverage in the segment, twice what the Japanese rivals offer. It applies to the original owner only.

Kia includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance in the US. The package is 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plus a Kia Connect trial. That beats a roadside-only offer but falls short of ToyotaCare or Hyundai's 3-year/36,000-mile free service.

$32,365 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (42% retained, or about $13,593) leaves about $18,772 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,958 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $24,730 in total.

2024 is the second US model year of the fifth-generation (NQ5) Sportage, a carry-over from the 2023 launch year. Consumer Reports owner data puts the gas 2024 at 59, an improvement on the launch-year 2023's 50 but still only around average. J.D. Power's consumer rating for the 2024 is 83/100, which is stronger. The two sources disagree, so the score sits in the middle of the average band.

Kia does consistently well on initial quality among mainstream brands and lands around or slightly better than industry average on three-year dependability. Consumer Reports ranks the brand mid-pack, and Hyundai-Kia still carries the reputational drag of the Theta II engine campaigns, so it stays out of the top band.

Three NHTSA campaigns cover the 2024 Sportage. The only broad one is a roof molding that can detach, a body-trim defect. The other two are narrow: a power-steering circuit board that can cut steering assist (about 1,075 units), and a cluster-software issue affecting only cars with the 4.2-inch screen and Kia's tow-hitch harness. That is typical recall activity with nothing systemic in the powertrain. It scores a little below the 2025, which has only one small campaign.

The volume gas powertrain is the 2.5L Smartstream GDI four-cylinder with a conventional 8-speed torque-converter automatic, which avoids CVT and DCT risk. That engine family replaced the troubled Theta II and has no systemic failure pattern so far. It is still young, and direct injection is a known long-term watch item, so it sits mid-band.

This is the pre-facelift NQ5 cabin: panoramic dual screens, a shared touch toggle bar for climate and media, and design ambition above the class median. The lower zones and the volume LX/EX trims use hard plastics, as expected at this price.

Kia is strong on initial quality, and the NQ5 has no widespread rattle or panel-gap complaints. The 2024 is still covered by the assembly-related roof-molding recall, which puts it a couple of points below the 2025.

Kia's roughly 780 US dealers cover metro and suburban markets adequately but are much thinner than Toyota's, Honda's or the Detroit brands', which matters in rural areas. Service satisfaction is around the mainstream average.

The Sportage is a high-volume US compact SUV and shares its platform, 2.5L engine and 8-speed with the Hyundai Tucson and other group models, so parts are widely stocked and independent shops know the hardware. Repair costs are around the segment average. The aftermarket is narrower than the RAV4's or CR-V's.

The volume EX gets the 12.3-inch navigation screen in the panoramic dual-display dash.

The 12.3-in screen is crisp and quick, but the shared touch-capacitive climate/audio panel sits low and is awkward to use while driving.

Oddly inverted: the base LX's 8-in unit has wireless projection, but the 12.3-in navigation system on the volume EX and up needs a cable in 2024.

Native navigation with Kia Connect telematics on EX and up, plus Amazon Alexa integration. Voice commands work, but most owners use phone projection instead.

The six-speaker base audio is adequate. A Harman Kardon system with center speaker and subwoofer is available on upper trims.

EX and above pair a 12.3-in digital cluster with the touchscreen in one panoramic panel. The LX gets a smaller digital display.

The navigation head unit supports over-the-air map and infotainment updates, but there is no whole-vehicle, feature-adding OTA on the pre-facelift car.

Kia Connect gives remote start/climate, lock and locate on navigation-equipped trims after a free trial. The Wi-Fi hotspot is subscription-based.

Front USB plus seatback USB-C charging for the rear row, and an available wireless charging pad. No household outlet.

The EX has push-button start and remote start. The smart power liftgate comes only with the EX Premium Package or higher trims, and there is no phone-as-key on the pre-facelift car.

A rear camera is standard. Surround View and Blind-Spot View Monitors plus Remote Smart Parking Assist are reserved for Prestige trims.

No head-up display is offered on any trim of the US-market 2024 Sportage.

Class-best rear legroom, easy ingress and a big cargo hold make car seats and strollers simple. IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Acceptable.

NHTSA 5-star overall, IIHS Top Safety Pick, and second-row side airbags newly standard for 2024. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic braking are still optional on the base LX.

Excellent rear space, seatback USB-C ports and 39.6 cu ft with seats up. Gas-engine drone and heated rear seats only on Prestige trims hold it back.

Easy to see out of and get in and out of, but the slow 2.5L and busy eight-speed make merging and highway passing a chore.

Average compact-SUV fuel costs on regular fuel. The gas AWD model trails rivals' hybrids badly.

Moderate footprint and good visibility, but a 38.6-ft turning circle, with surround-view only on Prestige trims.

Light-duty at best: a 2,500-lb tow rating for the gas model, and the 187-hp engine is strained under load.

A naturally aspirated 2.5L and conventional automatic backed by a 10-yr/100k powertrain warranty, but no fleet-duty track record.

Dual-level cargo floor, tie-downs and roof rails, but no onboard AC power and a modest accessory ecosystem.

Quiet, composed highway ride and comfortable seats, with Highway Driving Assist on upper trims. The EPA range of about 358 miles (AWD) and engine drone under load limit it.

The X-Pro adds all-terrain tires, 8.6 in of ground clearance and AWD with a lock and terrain modes. The volume EX is a competent gravel-road AWD crossover.

One of the largest cargo holds in the class, with a two-level floor and 60/40 fold, plus roof rails on X trims.

Secure and stable, and more nimble than the hybrid. It posts 0.81 g on all-terrain tires, but a CX-50 or Escape feels crisper.

Easy and natural, but light and short on feedback.

182 ft from 70 mph on all-terrain tires is competitive, and the gas model stops shorter than the hybrid.

Abrupt initial tip-in, then lackluster pull. The eight-speed is slow to kick down and hunts on the highway.

The 2.5L gets buzzy when worked, which is often. It is audible but not coarse at a cruise.

Middling turning circle for a compact SUV.

Good visibility and easy ingress, but the mode-switching capacitive climate/audio panel sits low and is distracting to use.

Competent but uninspiring. Testers call the gas model boring and slow and point buyers to the hybrid.

The base LX comes with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, LED headlights and Kia's Drive Wise driver-assist suite (forward collision avoidance, lane keeping and following assist, blind-spot warning) for about $28.6K. That is competitive with the CR-V and RAV4 rather than dramatically richer.

Class-leading rear space and cargo room plus the best warranty in the segment come in below the price of the segment leaders. The slow 187-hp 2.5L and weak resale hold it back from standout value, and Consumer Reports does not recommend it.

The gas lineup has seven trims (LX, EX, X-Line, SX, SX-Prestige, X-Pro, X-Pro Prestige), most with a FWD or AWD choice, and separate hybrid and PHEV ranges add more. Prices run from about $28.6K to $39.4K, a wide and well-spaced spread.

The Sportage sold 161,917 units in 2024, up 15%, an all-time record for the nameplate at the time and Kia's best-selling model. The trend is strong, though volume is still well behind the RAV4 and CR-V.

Kia's image kept improving on design (Telluride, EV9) and a second straight record sales year in 2024. Resale value and default-choice status still trail Toyota and Honda.

Through 2024, as post-pandemic inventory recovered, Kia routinely ran low-APR financing and lease cash on the Sportage, and sold it below MSRP. The exact month-by-month offers for the 2024 model were not verified.

2024 is year two of the fifth generation (US launch for 2023), a current platform with modern tech. The facelift did not arrive until 2026, so a 2024 buyer was not facing an imminent redesign.

Reviewers consistently praise the space, design and value, and it earned an IIHS safety award, but the gas model's slow 2.5L keeps it from winning comparison tests. Consumer Reports declines to recommend it.