The US Kia Sportage hybrid starts from $28k

Kia America has revealed prices for the new Kia Sportage. The hybridised 2024 model starts at $28,290, a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the bestselling Toyota RAV4.

Aside from being the kind of sum to lose to long-forgotten subs we haven’t used all year, $200 is also the kind of saving almost immediately swallowed by optional upgrades.

Let’s get real; even if you don’t need all-wheel-drive, you're probably going to opt for it anyway.  That makes the price for the LX AWD trim  just over $30k from the get-go. Such modest pricing does, however, mean the Sportage will likely remain in the top 10 best-selling small SUVs in the US.

Revamped in 2023, it comes with a 1.6-litre turbo hybrid engine delivering a combined 43mpg. The RAV4 hybrid will deliver an official – based on EPA estimates – 40mpg combined, but it’s a bit more powerful.

The Sportage generates 174bhp (to the RAV4’s 219bhp) and produces 195lb ft of torque capable of towing up to 2,000 lbs.

That’s 500lbs more than the RAV4, presuming you’re using a trailer with its own brakes, and there’s Kia’s famous 60,000-mile basic warranty to consider.

Away from comparisons with rivals, there’s a lengthy list of advanced driver assistance (ADAS) tech in the Sportage. Cruise control, driver attention warning, forward collision assist, lane keep assist and rear parking sensors are some of the features standard across all trims. Kia's keen to emphasise the seat-mounted airbags and LED headlights as standard, too.

Pony up almost $32,000 for the EX AWD trim and you’ll be adding steering wheel controls, blind spot monitoring and safe exit warning functionality.

The SX Prestige trim, topping out the trim choices at $37,190, integrates navigation-based smart cruise control with traffic jam assist - Kia calls it ‘Stop and Go’ - reverse parking collision warning and remote park assist.

Sure, the new Sportage is no Sorento X-Pro. But for a price comparison with the bigger sportier stablemate, you’ll have to wait until the new year.