First drive: Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid

The Sportage occupies a significant footnote in Kia’s history. For the South Korean brand, its first-generation version was a calling card seen the world over, proving that the marque, best known for its small cars, was highly capable of producing rugged crossovers that could roll with giants such as the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. 

Fast forward to 2026, and Kia Philippines has brought back the Sportage in its fifth-generation (NQ5) guise. 

It is no longer the straightforward 2.0-liter-powered rumbler of the 1990s. Instead, it has donned a more sophisticated suit and a highly advanced hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powertrain that promises a good combo of power and efficiency in one package. 

But how does the vehicle drive? Zigwheels Philippines found the answer to this question through a two-day media drive up to Tagaytay. 

Powertrain, driving

Both variants of the Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid, the EX and SX, utilize the same electrified powertrain. Specifically, it is the 1.6-liter turbocharged Gamma II that’s paired with a 1.49-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery and a single permanent magnet synchronous motor. 

The Sportage in the Philippine market is a front-wheel-drive vehicle with a six-speed automatic transmission. 

Output-wise, it can produce up to 231 horsepower (hp) and 367 Newton-meters of torque, making it one of the peppier compact crossovers in the market. On paper, that’s better than the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i and just about on the level with the Toyota RAV4 HEV. 

On the one hand, it doesn’t have all-wheel drive like some of its competitors, but its performance on the drive up to Tagaytay showed that its FWD layout was capable of handling very poor road conditions. 

Notably, the route that the media drive took wasn’t the easy way up to the Southern Luzon destination. Instead, we took a circuitous route that passed through the Manila-Cavite Expressway, Kaybiang, and what is dubbed the “East-West” road. 

Most of the said road was still under construction, yet the Sportage Turbo Hybrid handled the muddy sections with sufficient stability and poise. Mind you, it was also raining hard when we took this route. 

On the one hand, the Kia-made crossover presented good stability on curvy roads. It didn’t show too much body roll, nor did it squat or dive during hard acceleration or braking. 

The highway sections went smoothly as well, with overtaking maneuvers done quickly and cleanly due to the vehicle’s abundance of power and torque output. 

As one would expect, steering didn’t give too much feedback, but this is par for the course when it comes to modern crossovers. The model’s sport mode, however, was interesting, as it made the turbocharged mill sing by holding the vehicle's powertrain at high RPMs for significantly longer than in other modes.  

And yes, we didn’t baby the crossover at all, save for evading or slowing down at large potholes. In fact, we drove at a brisk pace at all of the media drive’s stages. Regardless, it managed to return somewhere around 16 kilometers per liter (provincial, city traffic, and highway run combined) - not bad for a route that is mostly uphill. 

Interior

Apart from its excellent drivability, the Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid’s interior is well-designed, with a key quality that really impresses: space. 

From what the author understands, the model was designed for American sizes. This, of course, came in handy as two of the three occupants aboard Sportage Turbo Hybrid unit number eight were tall dudes who naturally demanded a lot of legroom to be comfortable. 

Even with the author’s five-foot-eleven-inch height, he found no issues with regard to seat width as well. Even with the front seat adjusted backward to the maximum, there was also room left in the back seat for legs. 

Notably, finding one’s preferred driving position on the SX trim is easy, as it has a power-adjustable seat and a tilt-and-telescope steering column. This column, however, has one of the widest ranges we’ve seen on a crossover, offering ample adjustability for hip (and belly) clearance and reach. 

Concerning controls, everything seems to be within easy reach for the driver. Plus, the dual-knob setup for its dual-zone automatic climate control system is very intuitive to use, and the fact that it is a real physical knob does wonders in keeping the driver's eyes on the road even when adjusting the temperature. 

The deep wireless smartphone charging tray is also deep so the phone doesn’t just slide around even during spirited driving. Plus, the steering wheel controls are a high point, since the Sportage is one of the few in its segment with a dedicated drive mode button on the wheel itself. 

For its screens, the Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid uses a dual-screen setup consisting of a 12.3-inch infotainment system and a similarly-sized digital gauge cluster. The user interfaces for these are easy to understand, and the screen itself, we’ve found, is very responsive to inputs. In-cabin sound also came from an eight-piece Harman Kardon speaker set, resulting in a crisp, clear quality. We didn’t get to experience the full range of this speaker, but we are quite certain that it is capable of doing more since it does have an equalizer setting. 

Other features aboard the Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid include the following: 

• USB Type-C ports
• Ambient lighting
• 60:40 split-folding rear seats
• Push-to-start button
• Electro-chromic rearview mirror
• Front cabin armrest
• Power tailgate
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

If there’s anything to complain about its interior, it's probably the more plasticky doors of its rear cabin. This, however, will be quickly ignored, as the rear cabin, as already mentioned, offers tons of comfort even for very heavyset passengers. 

The author also doesn’t like the rotary shifter much, but that's a matter of personal taste. Most people will not mind this, and we are confident that some traditionalists will get used to it after months of driving the model. 

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Exterior

Design-wise, the next-generation Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid has ditched the muscular appearance of its previous iteration in favor of a sharper, more sophisticated design that better fits the company’s current overarching style direction. 

Up front, it gets a pair of rectangular LED headlamp clusters that are outlined by hook-shaped LED daytime running lamps. These flank a square grille, which in turn is capped at the bottom by a silver-colored bumper. 

From the side, the Sportage Turbo Hybrid departs from the usual matte-black plastic bits in favor of shiny black plastic trim. This extends to the vehicle’s rear section, where a shiny black plastic panel dominates most of the space below the tailgate. 

These shiny black parts look pretty, but we are wondering whether they can withstand the rigors of everyday use. 

The overall stance of the model, however, can be described as balanced eye-candy. It is a subtle mix of sport-utility-vehicle-inspired verticality and the somewhat elegant roof and window line of smaller cars. 

For reference, the Sportage Turbo Hybrid is one of the larger compact crossover models in the market right now, with its length of 4,660 millimeters (mm), width of 1,865 mm, and height of 1,665 mm. These are coupled with its 181 mm ground clearance. 

Notably, the model comes with plenty of exterior amenities. Apart from what was already mentioned, it has automatic headlamps, front fog lamps, power-folding/adjustable side mirrors, and roof rails. 

Safety

For safety, the Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid offers plenty. This, of course, makes it a suitable ride for those carrying precious cargo like one’s family. 

On the passive side, it has dual front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, anti-lock braking, an electronic parking brake, electronic stability control, downhill brake control, hill-start assist, ISOFIX, tire pressure monitoring, and a rearview camera. 

Extra confidence on the road is handled by the Kia Drivewise suite of advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) consisting of: 

• Forward collision avoidance assist
• Advanced smart cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Lane departure warning
• Lane following assist
• Lane keep assist
• Blind-spot monitoring and collision avoidance

Price

As of this publication, the Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid EX retails at P1.978 million, while the top-spec SX is priced at P2.098 million. 

Final thoughts

The Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid does a lot of good things that are often missing from other crossovers. As mentioned above, it has something to do with attention to detail in terms of space, control layouts, and nifty features that simply matter. 

Combined with its very punchy powertrain and relatively accessible price tag, it has a lot to offer prospective buyers. We especially stress that its prices are highly competitive, especially compared to Japanese-branded HEV crossovers in the same category. 

Also read:

Kia PH, Unionbank team up for flexible payment solutions

Kia PH opens Bohol dealership

Kia PH reaches 10K-unit sales milestone for Sonet

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