How the '26 Kia Sportage PHEV Felt After 900 MilesMark VaughnI remember the first Sportage I ever saw. It was a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show way back in 1991. It was stylish, with soft lines and rounded edges. It looked cute. I thought it would sell well at a time when SUVs were still square and rugged. I told some random Kia executive they should make it. The random executive grinned as if to say, "We're already two years into development!"Since that debut and its launch on the global market in 1993, Kia has sold well over seven million Sportages, becoming the brand's best-selling model worldwide. (Global carmakers: Follow me for free advice!)Then, I banged and bounced over Baja in a race-prepped Sportage in the 1995 Baja 1000. We didn't win, but we finished, after a rollover that was all my fault (thank you, Mexican amigos who pulled us back up!). And I've had several borrowed Sportages over the many years since.The stylish 19-inch wheels are very good at spraying dirt everywhere.KiaSo I can tell you that the Sportage has certainly gone way upscale in the last 35 years.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe one I just borrowed for a week was the top-of-the-line Prestige model, and it was aptly named. Inside, it had features that would have made that 1995 Baja 1000 downright comfortable: heated and ventilated seats, for instance, satellite radio, blind-spot 360-degree surround view monitor, 12.3-in. dual panoramic displays with navigation, a total of 25 inches of curved glass displays if you throw in the gauge cluster, and a Harman Kardon Premium Audio System with eight speakers.The overall sense from inside is of a premium vehicle, right down to the stitched SynTex seat trim and leather-wrapped squircle steering wheel. The rotary shift knob for the six-speed automatic was a little gimmicky, but those things haven't had mechanical connections to anything in decades.I didn't like the automatic sliding seats that encroached on and then withdrew from rear-seat legroom every time you open the door, but those are in a lot of competitors, too. The massive sunroof that was on my Prestige trim level will be popular for those who like hats, but I couldn't get the sunshade to open without also opening the glass roof. (Must keep trying.)kiaThe rear seats are heated, too, and offer room for real adults. Behind them is 40 cubic feet of cargo space, which I had fully filled up on a week's trip to the mountains.AdvertisementAdvertisementYes, I drove it 900 miles up and back into the mighty Sierra Nevada, including some off-roading when we went out looking for obsidian and pumice. I was a bit concerned going off road since my Prestige model had the oh-so-stylish 19-inch wheels and Michelin Primacy A/S tires. If I was buying this, I'd definitely get the X-Pro Sportage, because it comes with more offroadable 17-inch wheels with BFGoodrich all-terrain tires. As it was, I didn't get any flats—good thing, because there's no spare, but I was tiptoeing around the sharper-looking rocks. Never did anything that resulted in wheelspin, so the Terrain drive modes never really came into play.Back on pavement, potential buyers will want to consider Kia's Highway Driving Assist 2, which now includes lane-changing capability. I must say I appreciate driving a Cadillac, Hummer, GMC, or anything that watches your eyeballs and doesn't require hands-on driving.I averaged right around 30 mpg over the long hauls, with the Sportage fully loaded on each stretch of highway. If you plug in the plug-in hybrid, you can go as many as 34 miles on electricity alone. So when you get back to the city you could do all your driving in cheap, abundant EV mode.KiaOne thing going against the Sportage is the transparent size of the market in which it competes. Look anywhere, up or down from the Kia, and you'll see a strong competitor that does its own crossover thing well. Consider the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Mazda CX-5/CX-50, to name just some frontrunners.AdvertisementAdvertisementYou can get into a Sportage starting at $30,285 including destination. My loaded 2026 Sportage PHEV Prestige was $48,885, but if you do without some of those luxo-add-ons like the panoramic sunroof, LED interior lighting, and a power liftgate, you can save. The X-Pro Prestige model is the one to get if you're going to go off road, starting at $41,185.And do go off road. What's the point of having 8.3 inches of ground clearance if all you're ever going to do is go to Trader Joe's?