Used 2019 Kia Sportage for sale 

The 2019 Kia Sportage SUV is available in three trims viz. LX, EX, and SX. All three trims come with the option of having either a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Moreover, for each trim, the AWD variant costs $1500 more than the FWD variant, which certainly is a bargain. The following table gives an overview of all the trims and features offered with the 2019 Kia Sportage. 

The LX is the entry-level Sportage trim, and its FWD variant starts at about $23,200. The LX comes with the 2.4L engine and offers standard features such as projector headlights, 17-inch wheels, rear camera with display and Bluetooth connectivity.

Moving a step further, the next trim is the EX, which has a price tag of $25,700 for the FWD variant. Compared with the base trim, the EX offers various extra features such as fog lights, keyless ignition, climate control, leather steering wheel, engine immobilizer and bigger 18-inch wheels.

For the fully loaded trim SX, the MSRP becomes quite high compared to the EX model, which corresponds to $34,200 for FWD drivetrain. However, for the increased price, one will get exclusive features in the trim including the powerful 2.0L turbocharged engine, turn signal mirrors, xenon high-intensity headlamps, front and rear parking sensors, steering mounted cruise control and heated steering wheel.

Standard in the Sportage's lower trims is a 2.4L Inline-4 engine, producing 181 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque. Additionally, the Sportage SX Turbo gets a 2.0L turbocharged Inline-4, which is good for a whopping 237horsepower and 160 lb-ft of torque. Both engines come mated to a 6-speed automatic, which isn't the smartest gearbox in the world but is good enough to get the job done. The AWD SX Turbo feels vastly potent, and the gearbox feels smooth and extremely consistent with the rest of the powertrain. 

Comparing the base LX trim with the competitors, one can easily observe that the Volkswagen Tiguan S is the most powerful SUV in the lot,  offering 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft. of torque. The Kia Sportage, on the other hand, has the least engine power and torque among the competition. Both the Mazda CX-5 Sport and Volkswagen Tiguan S feature a 6-speed transmission, whereas it gets replaced by a CVT automatic transmission in the case of the Honda CR-V.

Acceleration

The Sportage lives up to its athletic name and doesn't really disappoint us when it comes to athleticism and vigor. Despite having a much higher curb weight and lower engine specs, the 2019 Kia Sportage is much faster than its competitors. The juicy acceleration of the Sportage allows it to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 8.0 seconds. Moreover, the quarter-mile time of the Kia Sportage is the best at 16.0 seconds followed by 16.6 seconds of the Mazda CX-3 Sport.

Comparing the competition, the 2019 Kia Sportage actually manages to emerge on top in the acceleration game, posting an impressive 0 to 60 figure of 8.0 seconds. The Sportage's athletism is closely followed by that of the Volkswagen Tiguan S, while the Mazda CX-5 manages to be the slowest. The vehicles in the lot offer quarter-mile figures on a similar level, with the Sportage offering the best results. Interestingly, the Tiguan ends up being the slowest on the drap strip, managing a post a quarter-mile time of 17.0 seconds. 

Ride and Handling

One of the main features of the Sportage is that it handles like a charm. The South Korean SUV offers a sweet balance between ride qualityand handling . Along with a responsive throttle response, the SUV performs extremely well while talking on corners.

Additionally, in comparison with the previous models of the Kia Sportage, the suspension system of the 2019 version gets modified and eliminates typical impacts from reaching inside the cabin. Moreover, the SUV's AWD variants are braced very well to tackle off-road challenges and snowy road conditions.

Braking

Even though the curb weight of the Kia Sportage is highest among the rivalling SUV's, it offers a commendable 60-0 mph distance of just 114 ft. This is made possible by the highly efficient 12.0-inch brakes at the front and 11.9-inch brakes at the rear. Moreover, the 60-0 mph distance of Sportage is better than both the Honda's CR-V LX and Mazda's CX-5 Sport.

Already impressive with its mixed handling and athleticism, the Sportage doesn’t fail to impress again with its braking prowess as well. No surprise, among its segment, its major rivals like the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 stand significantly behind the Kia in the braking test.

Towing Capacity

Not a truck for sure, but being a SUV, it gets important for cars like the Sportage to showcase some of their towing strength as well. The 2019 Kia Sportage again, does not fail to deliver here as well. Despite more of a comfortable city-dweller, the Kia can easily tow up to 2000 lbs. 

By looking at the towing capacities of each of the competing SUVs, it can be concluded that the Kia Sportage's 2000 lbs. capacity is second best after 2200 lbs. of towing capacity of the Volkswagen Tiguan S.

While the 2019 Kia Sportage has established itself as a capable performance machine, the SUV also manages impressive fuel economy figures. The Kia Sportage returns 23 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on highways, which results in a combined MPG of 26. While the fuel economy figures that come with the Sportage are great, the Korean SUV does manage to get outperformed by its competition. 

The rowing compact-SUV segment is something which surely throws a lot of emphasis upon the efficiency part of things, The above chart clearly shows that conviction. However, the Sportage is definitely not the most efficient out there. With their enhanced and refined gearboxes along with better weight distribution, the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 Sport offer better efficiency than the Sportage, clearly defining their value proposition over their competitors.

On the contrary to what the exterior of the car looks like, The Sportage's cabin draws out favorable impressions. The cabin is subtly inclined towards the driver, with a clean and well laid out set of controls. We absolutely love the leather flat-bottom steering wheel and the fantastic driving position. Seats are comfortable too, and higher trims will fetch you perforated leather seats. 

At the seating section, the 2019 Kia Sportage offers a passenger capacity of 5, similar to its competitors. The space available for passengers in the first row of the Kia Sportage corresponds to 39.3 inches of headroom, 57.1 inches of shoulder room, and 41.5 inches of legroom. The cabin feels fairly well-appointed, with leather surfaces and high-quality materials on every surface. There's a also a good amount of cheap plastic to keep the price bracket low, but we can't complain too much. 

Comparing the competition, the 2019 Honda CR-V offers the most front headroom and shoulder space. The Kia Sportage, however, manages to offer the most legroom at the front. At the back row, the Honda CR-V again has the most headroom to offer, while also boasting the most shoulder space. The CR-V also comes with the most rear legroom, clearly dominating over the competition in the interior room department. 

Infotainment System

Kia splits the Sportage's dash into an upper half to keep the driver focused on the gauges and one of the 3 available infotainment screens while grouping the ancillary controls lower but still in control of the driver.

The standard infotainment system available in the 2019 Kia Sportage SUV comprises a 5-inch touchscreen display along with a USB port and an auxiliary audio input port. The infotainment system also supports satellite radio and offers a 3-month complimentary subscription of the satellite radio service. Additionally, a 6-speaker audio system is connected with the infotainment system to deliver the sound throughout the SUV.

Interior Features

The interior finishing of the 2019 Kia Sportage is remarkable and it can give complexion even to some expensive SUVs. Additionally, there are numerous useful features inside the cabin:

• Cargo tray and net
• Interior light kit
• Auto-dimming mirror Power windows
• Cruise control
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
• Bucket front seats
• 6-way manually adjustable driver seat.

Cargo Capacity

With the rear seat up, the 2019 Kia Sportage accommodates 30.7 cubic feet of cargo that increases to 60.1 cubic feet after folding down the rear seat. Analyzing the rivals, the Volkswagen Tiguan offers lesser cargo space while the Mazda CX-5 has similar capacity as that of the Kia Sportage. However, the cargo capacity of Honda's CR-V LX is the highest, which is about 39.2 cubic feet with rear seat up and 75.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

Practicality is a very essential part of today’s crossovers indeed and you will get significant delights with the 2019 Kia Sportage for sure. However, in its tight competition, the Honda CR-V offers better cargo space than its rivals with its large 39.2 cu-fts of cargo area. However, the 30.7 cu-fts in a Sportage ad 30.9 in the Mazda CX-5 should also be more than enough to pack in your weekend getaway needs. 

While the 2019 Kia Sportage's design  can be a controversial topic to go about, we strongly feel that the needless criticism the Sportage faces is undeserving. The Kia Sportage stands as elegantly designed SUV, which departs from the present-day trend of gimmicky bodywork and unnecessarily loud design elements. The overall air of the Sportage is just the right amount of sporty and youthful, without having too much intricacies to process. The design stands fresh and relevant, and the proportions go exceedingly well with the personality of the SUV.  

In terms of sheer size, the 2019 Kia Sportage sports a length of 176.4 inches, a width of 73.0 inches, and stands 64.4 inches tall. Among the rivalry, the Volkswagen Tiguan S has the minimum length as well as width while the Kia Sportage is the shortest in terms of height. The ground clearance offered by Kia Sportage measures about 6.4 inches, whereas the ground clearance of both the Volkswagen Tiguan S and Mazda CX-5 is higher with 6.9 and 7.6 inches respectively.

While the Kia Sportage is as dimensional as its rivals here, its design is surely a standout in its segment. The other rivals like the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 though are on a traditional side, the Kia Sportage surely spices things up with an ovalish theme. However, not to forget that design is something subjected to personal taste and yes, all the crossovers here do have a very premium on-road presence. 

Exterior Features

• Roof rack crossbars
• Rear bumper applique
• Tow Hitch
• LED DRLs
• Aluminum Wheels
• Rear privacy-tinted windows

Concerning the safety of the vehicle and passengers, the 2019 Kia Sportage is offered with countless standard safety features. Some of the key safety features include centre 3-point belt at the rear, front and rear head airbags, emergency braking assists, remote anti-theft alarm, traction control and dusk sensing headlamps.

Analyzing the IIHS ratings of the 2019 Kia Sportage SUV, its headlights are rated as poor while the child seat anchors are rated as acceptable. On the other hand, the superior rating is given to its front crash prevention while for all other remaining IIHS parameters, the SUV got a good rating.

In the NHTSA test, the overall rating of 4 stars entitles the Kia Sportage as an above average car from the safety perspective. The SUV has scored 5 stars in most of the individual NHTSA safety parameters except for the frontal barrier crash driver and rollover, in which it has scored 4 stars.

Safety Features

• Dual front seat-mounted side airbags
• Dual front advanced airbags
• Height-adjustable front seat-belt anchors
• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)

Honda CR-V LX

The first tough competitor on the list is Honda CR-V LX, which gets a slightly higher price tag of $24,045 than the Kia Sportage. Looking at its perks over the Sportage, it offers lower emissions, better fuel economy, more passenger room, and bigger cargo capacity.

Mazda CX-5 sport

Priced at $24,045, the Mazda CX-5 Sport is barely a thousand dollars more expensive than the 2019 Kia Sportage LX. On the upper hand, the CX-5 Sport has better engine specs, more mileage, higher ground clearance, and larger legroom space at the second row than the Kia Sportage. However, when it comes to 0-60 mph acceleration, braking efficiency and cargo volume, the Kia Sportage outpaces the Mazda CX-5 sport.

Volkswagen Tiguan S

Last but not the least, the SUV that puts up a challenge to the Kia Sportage is the Volkswagen Tiguan S. Given the price, the Tiguan costs almost $1,795 more than the 2019 Sportage SUV. Nevertheless, for the additional price, the Tiguan S offers more engine power, torque and towing capacity than the Sportage. On the other side, it lags way behind the Kia Sportage in various parameters like mileage, acceleration, interior space and cargo capacity.

Well, things have certainly been more like a roller coaster for the Kia Sportage in the past. The Sportage wasn't really a class leader before the 2019 model launch and this new surgery hasn't been really effective and impactful enough to turn the tables. The South Korean car is undoubtedly good at all aspects barring a few, like fuel economy and styling. However, there's a long list of great things to talk about the Kia Sportage. With two engine options on offer, the 2019 Kia Sportage offers flexibility in terms of performance. Additionally, with AWD available with each trim, driving refinement doesn't necessarily have to be only within the reach of the top trims. The Sportage shows a great deal of promise on the practicality front too, with lots of cargo and passenger space to boast. Long drives are pleasurable, thanks to the plush cabin, which is further augmented on higher trims. All in all, there's a lot to love about the 2019 Kia Sportage, and we highly recommend it for your next purchase.