Video: 2023 Kia Sportage: Up Close

Let's take a look. Upfront, the Sportage has a bold new look, and it looks really similar to its sibling the Kia K5 Sedan. It's got a deeper grill here and really stand out eye catching LED running lights that are shaped like a boomerang, but to me, they look like arrows pointing the way forward. New for 2023 is this engine, it's an estimated 187 horsepower 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine made it to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Kia says there'll be more powertrains to come, and a hybrid version was unveiled here at the LA Auto Show. In addition to the standout styling and the new powertrains, Kia with bigger, literally, when it comes to the exterior. It's now 7.1 inches longer, and the wheel base went up 3.4 inches, that means it's bigger than some of the big names in compact SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. The bigger Sportage is a boon for occupants, especially those in the back seat. Now, in the front seat, we have the same leg room as before with 41.4 inches. The driver is treated to a curved digital display with a 12.3 inch gauge cluster and a 12.3 inch multimedia display. Rear leg room in the Sportage's backseat grew by 3.1 inches. This driver's seat is positioned for a six foot tall person, I'm 5'7, look at all this leg room, it's really incredible, I can cross my legs with no issue. What's also bigger in the Sportage is the cargo area, this is massive. In fact, it's almost as big as a cargo area that you'd find in a mid-sized SUV. The Sportage comes in with 39.6 cubic feet of cargo space, and the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, a mid-sized SUV, has 40.3, so this is really punching above its class. One last thing that got bigger is the number of trims. The 2023 Sportage can be had in LX, EX, SX, SX Prestige, X-Line, X-Pro, and X-Pro Prestige variants. There's also the 2023 Sportage Hybrid, which has three trims, the LX, the EX, and the SX Prestige. The 2023 Kia Sportage is impressive, and I think it's gonna give its competitors a real run for their money. We look forward to driving the Sportage and the Sportage Hybrid in the coming months. Come back to Cars.com to see what we think. (upbeat music)