With anxiety Electric car EV6 Just about to start reaching customers, Kia has just released more details in the US for a compact SUV that can serve as a gateway to electrification: the Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid 2023.
Like the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and Sportage Hybrid, the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid features a 177 hp 1.6-liter turbo-4 as part of a hybrid system that includes an electric motor with an automatic transmission. 6-speed engine, adding a clutch to get the engine out of the mix when possible to drive an electric vehicle.
Compared to the Sportage Hybrid, the Plug-In Hybrid improves on several key parts of the electric motor: A 13.8 kWh battery pack functions as an energy buffer for hybrid driving, just like the 1.49 kWh pack is used in the hybrid version, and it also enables what Kia estimates to be 32 miles of EPA electric power. The higher electric motor power (66.9 kw, versus 44 kw) not only enables electric-only driving, but also enhances the overall power output of the Sportage PHEV’s hybrid system — what Kia says is 261 hp and 258 lb-ft on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid, though specific specs for the Sportage PHEV have yet to be announced.
On the Level 2 (240V) charging connector, the built-in 7.2 kW charger can fill the battery in about two hours.
2023 Kia Sportage PHEV
The Sportage Plug-In Hybrid is only available in all-wheel drive — with a mechanical connection to the rear wheel, not a layout like this one. Toyota RAV4 Prime and its separate rear engine. Kia has yet to reveal the gas mileage figures it expects from the PHEV when running in hybrid mode, but the Sportage Hybrid is expected to earn 39 mpg combined with front-wheel drive.
Competition for Sportage PHEV includes RAV4 Prime, Ford Escape Plug-In Hybridand Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid. The three models go 42 km, 37 and 33 miles respectively, all on electric power, so the Sportage is at the bottom of the pack in this respect.
Kia says the Sportage PHEV – and the rest of the lineup – is built on the same platform as the larger Sorento, with a stiffer, stronger body plus more sound-absorbing materials to fully deliver. giving this model better performance and handling than its predecessor. with enhanced protection of occupants. The Sportage PHEV claims to be one of the largest SUVs in its segment.
2023 Kia Sportage PHEV
The Plug-In Hybrid is only offered in Sportage’s very well-equipped X-Line guise, which includes a full suite of active safety features, with dual 12.3-inch screens (one of which is touchscreen), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces, navigation, and an ambient view screen. The top-spec Prestige adds adaptive cruise control, a driver assistance system that will steer the vehicle in its lane at the speed limit, and a remote parking system.
The Sportage and Sorento plug-in hybrid models aren’t the only models in the Kia line-up to offer such a powertrain option. There’s also the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid, which has been offered since 2017 alongside the Niro hybrid and Niro EV (electric) versions. Niro lineup is do Completely redesigned for the 2023 model year and Kia has not confirmed which of these models will return to the US
Kia also offers the Optima Plug-In Hybrid from the 2017 to 2020 model years; but with the final redesign of this mid-size sedan, Kia gave it a sportier look and renamed it the K5.
2022 Kia EV6
Kia is also ramping up its electric vehicle lineup. Aside from the Niro EV, the EV6 arrives in dealers very soon, while the faster EV6 GT arrives later this year and Bigger, all-electric EV9 SUV expected in about two years.
Sportage Plug-In Hybrid will go on sale in the US in Q3 2022; Pricing will be announced closer to that time.
