The biggest-ever Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid is also its best version yet.

Nearly 30 years ago, Kia was an outlier in the automotive industry — poised and ambitious, yet still unable to fully penetrate the market. The pragmatic route was to slowly permeate relevant segments with vehicles that could compete on specifications while remaining more attainable on price.

The Kia Sportage was born under precisely those circumstances. It debuted as a decently designed, comparatively affordable compact SUV that tried to hold its own against more widely accepted marques such as the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4. Simply put, Kia designed a car that looked somewhat like a station wagon on steroids and made sure it was reasonably capable in every respect, given its humbler price point.

From underdog to design leader

That was five generations ago, and much has changed since. Somewhere along the way, Kia resolved to transform the model from the inside. After hiring one-time Audi designer Peter Schreyer, the Korean automaker's designs embraced a far more fine-tuned language. The third-generation Sportage was the third model to sport the now-familiar Tiger Nose grille, and every line on every Kia since has become more angular, more streamlined, and more refined. Necessarily, interior fit, finish, and comfort have also improved as the years have gone by, as have the drivetrains. In short, Kia transformed the Sportage into a desirable vehicle.

A fifth-generation hybrid arrives

Fast-forward to today, and Kia is embracing the changing needs of the times. The new Sportage — now in its fifth generation — was introduced recently with a 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid drivetrain paired with a 1.49-kWh lithium-ion battery. On paper, the setup sounds more modest (but obviously also more fuel-efficient) than the model's traditional 2.0-liter power plants of the past. Drive it, however, and the vehicle proves it delivers on levels none of its past iterations could reach. Sans headline engine specifications, the car delivers on its promises — a textbook case of growing up. It is also a telling sign of how far the segment has shifted: the once attainable alternative to the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 now fields a hybrid of its own in the very class it spent decades trying to crack.

A rainy media drive to Tagaytay

Local Kia distributor ACMobility invited journalists to sample its new offering during a media drive to Tagaytay over a rainy pair of weekdays this past August. Before setting off, the company's managing director, Jay Lopez — clearly proud of the new Sportage — said confidently: "We honor the Sportage's rich heritage with a sustainable hybrid SUV that respects its roots while delivering the premium comfort and bold design modern drivers demand."

The remark proved no exaggeration. The hybrid powertrain blends responsive turbocharged power with exceptional efficiency, generating a combined system output of 235ps and 367Nm of torque — power on demand within easy reach of the driver's right foot. The ascent to Tagaytay via the uphill climb of the southern CAVITEX corridor, with four full-sized adults on board, was a cinch. All four occupants took turns behind the wheel along the roughly 200-or-so-kilometer drivethe longer and more arduous route was taken), exposing the car to various road conditions, surfaces, and driving inputs and styles along the way. Despite all of this, rough computation put average fuel efficiency at around 15 to 18 kilometers per liter, in line with the other cars in the convoy.

Of particular interest to many a prospective buyer is the indicator within the instrument cluster that shows the driver how the regenerative braking process contributes to the Sportage Turbo Hybrid's fuel efficiency. To simplify the explanation: upon braking — whether via the pedal or through use of the engine brake — the driver can watch the vehicle's battery level go down and, more importantly, climb back up in real time. It makes one realize why the petrol fuel level, meanwhile, hardly seems to move at all. Rarely does motoring with fuel costs in mind remain this much fun. For shoppers weighing a hybrid against a conventional gasoline SUV, that real-time visibility turns abstract efficiency figures into something they can watch happen on an ordinary drive.

The most spacious Sportage ever

The single most impressive quality of the new Sportage Turbo Hybrid, however, is how much more mature it has become. It has grown in size, stature, and ability to deliver both aesthetically and ergonomically. Its 2,755mm wheelbase makes it the most spacious Sportage ever built. Legroom is significantly more generous than ever and, as a result, ride comfort is noticeably improved from previous iterations. Fit and finish of the leather interiors are also top-notch, as is the interactive and intuitive 12.5-inch touchscreen interface with wireless connectivity for both Apple CarPlay and Android. The top-end SX variant is paired with a sweet Harman Kardon sound system to boot — high praise indeed from a reviewer who has kept a much larger third-generation Kia Sorento in the garage for many years.

Add to this the numerous bells and whistles, such as Type-C charging ports for all occupants, the additional cargo space afforded by the car's grown-up dimensions, and pretty much the entire ADAS safety alphabet (at least on the top-end SX variant), and the result is a vehicle that has evolved into a far larger Swiss Army knife than any of its predecessors. Five generations after its debut, the Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid has grown into the fine all-around vehicle it was destined to be.

Philippine pricing and availability

The Sportage Turbo Hybrid retails at P1.978 million for the entry-level EX variant, while the premium, feature-packed SX starts at P2.098 million; the version with a two-tone interior goes for P2.128 million. Nearly three decades after it first entered the market as the attainable alternative to more widely accepted rivals, the Sportage now contests the five-seater segment with an electrified drivetrain, a premium cabin, and a far larger footprint than the car that started it all. For buyers on the hunt for a five-seater SUV expected to deliver on all fronts, it is time to pay the nearest Kia dealership a visit.