Used 2019 Kia Sportage EX SUV Review

There's a lot to like about the 2019 Kia Sportage. First and foremost, it's a strong value proposition. It comes with a lot of features for the money, and its warranty coverage is among the longest you'll find. On the road, we give it high marks for its comfortable ride quality, spacious interior and quiet cabin. It's also one of the few small crossover SUVs to offer a powerful optional engine upgrade. On the Sportage SX, you get a turbocharged engine good for 240 horsepower.

Unfortunately, the Sportage is handicapped by its small cargo capacity and less-than-ideal fuel economy. You'll probably like the Honda CR-V more if utility and saving money at the pump are priorities. You might also want to take a look at the stylish Mazda CX-5 or versatile Subaru Forester during your search for a small crossover SUV. Overall, though, Kia's Sportage easily holds its own in this class, and we think it's a solid pick for most shoppers.

The 2019 Kia Sportage is a five-passenger compact crossover SUV available in LX, EX and SX Turbo trim levels. The LX has a decent amount of standard features, while the EX adds a few more and offers the most choice for optional packages. The sporty SX comes with nearly all of the Sportage's features as standard.

Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is an option on all versions. The LX and the EX have a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (181 horsepower, 175 pound-feet of torque). The SX Turbo has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder (240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque). Adding all-wheel drive drops output slightly to 237 hp.

Standard equipment on the LX includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, rear privacy glass, a height-adjustable driver seat, a 60/40-split folding and reclining back seat, a rearview camera, a 5-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth, and a six-speaker sound system with satellite radio, a CD player and one USB port.

We suggest getting the LX with the Popular package. It adds roof rails, UV-reducing glass for the front windows and windshield, a windshield wiper de-icer, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, upgraded seat fabric, and Kia's 7-inch Uvo touchscreen interface that includes Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Kia's eServices remote and emergency services.

The EX includes all of the above items plus 18-inch wheels, foglights, power-folding and heated mirrors, upgraded exterior and interior trim, keyless ignition and entry, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, leather upholstery and a rear USB charging port.

Kia offers three main option packages for the EX. The EX Premium package adds a panoramic sunroof, a heated steering wheel, a universal garage door opener and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. On top of that, you can get the EX Premium package for its forward collision warning and automatic braking, lane departure warning, automatic high-beams, a hands-free liftgate, front and rear parking sensors, a spare tire, a power-adjustable passenger seat, an 8-inch touchscreen, a navigation system and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. There's also the EX Sport Appearance package. It adds LED exterior lighting, special exterior and interior trim, paddle shifters and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Topping the Sportage range is the SX. It gets the more powerful engine plus a sport-tuned suspension, 19-inch wheels, xenon headlights, LED foglights, an electronic parking brake with auto hold, special exterior trim, the flat-bottom steering wheel, a larger gauge display, and the contents of the EX Technology and Premium packages.