Kia Sportage X Pro Subtitles
At the 2023 Sportage press event in Palm Springs, CA, Kia gave us the opportunity to drive both the
hybrid powertrain, that’s available in both front and all-wheel drive, plus the gas only
model. My first video focused more on the hybrid that’s much more fuel efficient. The 2.5-liter
gas-only engines were in X-Pro models, the only way to get an X-Pro.. for now anyways.
I had extra video so I’m fleshing out my thoughts on the X-Pro that strictly AWD.
A little confusing, there’s also an X-Line, but it doesn’t get the BF Goodrich All Terrain tires
and drive modes that are tuned for rugged duty. It can be outfitted with gear like this though.
Let’s face it, a lot of people just want to look the part. Automotive fashion.
If you’re really gonna go off-roading you might consider
the X-Pro because it has more capable off-road tires and we all know that tires are really
important, plus it has extra ground clearance. About an inch and a half so this is more capable.
Let’s hit the course.
We’re going to have to stop up here so no need to hurry. He’s talking to me I’m
always the last person because I’m setting up GoPro’s and all that kind of stuff
Before I go further, let’s cover the powertrain. It’s a naturally aspirated
2.5-liter inline 4 cylinder that puts out 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque.
Cog swaps are done with 8-speed automatic. Manual shifts are done here.
There are no steering wheel paddles like the ones found on the hybrid.
One physical difference inside the cabin between the Hybrid and the gas only?
The transmission gets a lever in the gas only models.
Both Sportage engines use an AWD system with electrohydraulic
coupling. There’s a center-locking differential
This is a decent off-road course. A Wrangler or Bronco would hardly break a sweat here but,
neither of them would be as comfortable on road or take on family duty as well.
The right tool for the job.
The first test is a hill assent.
We’re told to go about half way up, and stop. The hill holder keeps Sportage in place. And
starting back up, no wheel spin whatsoever. Modern electronics are amazing. And tires are important.
I’ve said this a million times but it bears repeating, cameras never show
how steep and cockeyed these courses are. Not that this is extreme Moab territory.
So we’re at kind of an angle here it’s handling it just fine and here’s a spot where
it looks like ground clearance is really important… no problem
I honestly don’t see people driving their Sportage on terrain like this. But… so far so good.
OK, this is really quite a downhill section and I really don’t think anybody’s gonna take their
Sportage on anything like this but… wow, wow. That really handles it very nicely.
Hopefully the roads to your grocery store are in better condition.
The stretch we’re on right now is like a typical dirt road and the suspension
soaks up the bumps this is pretty comfortable Both the hybrid and gas powertrains can tow up
to 2,000 pounds, so neither have an advantage. But the hybrid is significantly more fuel efficient
with an EPA average of 38 miles per gallon with AWD. It’s 25 MPG for the X-Line here.
This exercise is showing how useful the cameras are there’s a whole bunch of different views
these work well what did we do without cameras before they’re very very helpful
Let’s take a break and check out the interior which looks different than the more urban EX
and SX Prestige Sportages. Yes, it has the dual 12 inch screens that look like one
but It’s more rustic in here with faux matte wood trim and synthetic leather,
which I have to say is good stuff that’s easier to maintain than cow hide. Kia claims best in class
rear legroom, it is spacious. And so you don’t have to call up my other video for trunk space,
it’s nearly 40 cubic feet with seats up, there’s up to 74 cubic feet with them dropped. Sportage
goes from smallest in class to one of the largest. Okay, back to the off-road course…
The closest competitors are Subaru Forester Wilderness and Toyota RAV4 TRD Off Road.
Is this as capable as a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk? No probably not. But how many people really
use that capability? This tackle some fairly tough stuff. You just have to know your needs.
Americans tend to overbuy. Have to believe most Jeeps don’t see true off-road action
until they’re old and on the second and third owner.
We’re going to bomb around this… I literally cannot see wow very dusty
Interesting, the DRL headlight design looks like an arrow plowing through this
This is a breakover test,
8.3 inches of ground clearance. Again, that’s an inch and a half more than standard Sportages.
Kia said that they can do this with four people in the car and not bottom out.
The hybrid is significantly more efficient than gasoline model. Problem is,
you can’t get the hybrid in the more off-road capable models like X-Line
or X-Pro so you’re gonna have to make a choice
These were the gas prices on the way to this course. Fortunately
all Sportage models run on standard grade fuel.
Truth be told, the X-Pro is probably all the off-road machine that most people need. Only
issue is it’s not available with a hybrid powertrain so it’s not going
to be as fuel efficient and it’s not going be as powerful. You have choices to make.
I don’t have video of it but I drove the X-Pro on-road for a bit,
and was pleasantly surprised with the lack of road noise from the all-terrain treads.
You won’t be suffering everyday by choosing the more rugged Sportage. But there’s noticeably
less power than the hybrid and you’ll feel the 8-speed transmission doing it’s work more too.
This is just a bonus video. No Red Light Green Light or fun fact this time,
just thought I’d share more of the X-Pro. For buyers that are honest with themselves,
this is a solid machine that should have no problems on forest service roads and
getting to the good hiking trails. I’d love to see it with the hybrid powertrain or the
plug-in hybrid with 32 miles of electric range. For now this is a decent package.
A reminder to subscribe and click notification and follow me on Twitter. And check out the
other Sportage video I did. It’s a pretty nice rig. That’s driven, I’m Tom Voelk.