Kia previously confirmed that hybrid Sportages would be available in the future, and it’s already started rolling out the electrified models to more markets. Now, the plug-in hybrid version has just landed in the US market.
No changes here design-wise, so let’s head straight to what’s under the hood. Over there, the Sportage packs a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that generates 177hp. This is paired with a 66.9kW electric motor and a 13.8kWh lithium polymer battery. The hybrid powertrain is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The Sportage PHEV can be recharged with a 7.2kW high-efficiency on-board charger. When connected to a Level 2 charger, getting juice back up to 100% will take just about two hours. As for the all-electric range, Kia claims this PHEV can do more than 50km on one full charge.
More details about the 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV
The Sportage PHEV will come equipped with a host of driver amenities. It has a panoramic curved display that consists of two 12.3-inch screens, one being the instrument cluster and the other the infotainment. The latter comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity and can be had with a Harman/Kardon audio setup.
There is plenty of safety tech as well, with the vehicle coming standard with features such as driver attention warning, lane-following and -keep assist, forward-collision avoidance with cyclist detection, rear occupant alert, rear-view monitor, blind spot-collision avoidance, and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance-assist.
“The first Sportage PHEV to be introduced in the US demonstrates that Kia is listening to our consumers who are asking for electrified solutions and super-efficient powertrains, and Sportage delivers on that promise in a sophisticated, refined package,” said Kia America and Kia North America president and CEO Sean Yoon. “As Kia continues to implement our Plan S strategy and push toward carbon neutrality, models like Sportage PHEV are paving the way.”
We wonder just how fuel-efficient this plug-in hybrid Sportage will be, especially in a traffic-riddled country like ours. If and when it does arrive in our market, we’ll be sure to try it out in a real-world fuel-economy test.
