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Kia supplies the New England Motor Press Affiliation with improbable assist. Each Kia we take a look at appears to knock our socks off, and this new 2026 Sportage X-Professional Status was no exception. The Sportage is Kia’s mannequin competing within the RAV4, CR-V, Forester, and Bronco Sport (type of) section, one that’s the largest general in America for personal-use consumers. As nice as this Kia Sportage is by itself, we discovered ourselves asking the query, “Is that this Sportage X-Professional Status a greater crossover than the Subaru Forester Restricted or Wilderness?” Let’s examine and distinction these two nice selections, with an emphasis what issues the Kia can supply that the Forester can’t.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – What Is It?
The Sportage is Kia’s five-passenger crossover SUV, which competes with the RAV4, CR-V, and Forester. Some would come with the Ford Bronco Sport on this grouping. The Professional-X Status is a really fascinating trim that mixes some improbable creature comforts with a wholesome dose of enhanced winter functionality and the wanted tires and clearance to benefit from the car off pavement.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – What Isn’t It?
We added this part to offer some readability to the X-Professional Status trim. The Sportage X-Professional Status isn’t a hard-edged off-roader just like the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch is. Neither is it actually a direct competitor to the Wilderness model of the Forester. It positively has some components of what these specialty trims present, however in our opinion, Kia made a clever option to cease with the off-road package at exactly the fitting stage of drugs. It’s not overdone, to say it plainly.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – What Does It Value? What’s Its Worth?
The Sportage we examined had a value of $41,920, together with Kia’s Vacation spot Charge, however not together with Vendor Doc Charges. That is an especially well-equipped trim, and the value isn’t any shock to us. That is the place automobiles with this stage of content material land on the value spectrum heading into 2026.
We really feel that the Kia Sportage gives an unusually excessive worth. The reason being that it has a guaranty for its first proprietor that spans 10 years / 100,000 miles. That’s about 40% longer than Subaru’s, Ford’s, and Toyota’s. That is one goal instance of how the Kia Sportage stands forward of Subaru’s Forester.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – What Powers It and Why Does It Matter?
The Sportage we’re reviewing is supplied with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. No turbo, and no hybrid system, although different Sportage trims supply each. We had been ready to be underwhelmed by this engine, simply as Subaru’s 2.5-liter engine is taken into account “boring” by many reviewers. Nevertheless, we discovered it passable in most conditions. One huge motive is that Kia correctly makes use of an 8-speed geared transmission, and never a droning and moaning CVT. Moreover, in Sport Mode, the Sportage X-Professional Status was downright peppy. We felt this car would fulfill nearly all of consumers’ energy necessities. Would we’ve got most popular one other 100 lb-ft of torque, like that provided by Kia’s Sportage Hybrid trims? Sure.
We noticed a good 29.1 MPG over about 300 miles of freeway, suburban, and rural off-pavement driving. Included in that was about 100 miles of back-country mountain roads in Sport Mode.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – The Drive
We discovered the Sportage X-Professional very pleasant and satisfying to drive in virtually each state of affairs. Round city, it’s not precisely snappy, however I by no means felt just like the Sportage wanted to be faster in native driving. Within the mountains, this Sportage would have benefitted from the up-powered and far more environment friendly turbocharged hybrid powertrain Kia gives on some trims. Paddle shifters could have made the powertrain’s efforts a bit extra predictable and controllable.
This trim has all-terrain tires, they usually had been improbable. Even with the added sidewall, the Sportage handles nice. The suspension has lots of journey, too. We liked driving this Kia on filth roads. The enjoyable was not restricted to only gradual off-pavement runs. On downhill sweepers on paved mountain roads at round 50 MPH, the Sportage X-Professional can carve a nook predictably, and we had lots of possibilities to push the Sportage (safely) into some tight turns. It’s a rewarding crossover to drive assertively.
There are devoted Sport, Snow, Mud, and Sand Modes within the X-Professional. Kia even added a downhill descent button, which we love. We use that in winter when driving to our cabin on a regular basis, and it helps guarantee a secure descent of slippery hills. For practically all consumers, these modes and the downhill help could be simple to make use of and supply loads of functionality. Can Subaru’s twin X-Mode do extra in excessive conditions? Perhaps. A aspect by aspect winter extremes take a look at could be very fascinating to see.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – Uncommon and Notable Gear
The X-Professional Status has 17-inch tires with BFG Path-Terrain T/A tires. These are improbable, and we’d purchase this trim simply to keep away from the ridiculous low-profile large-diameter tires so many prime trims include. These add sturdiness, traction, and winter functionality, and we discovered no draw back. They didn’t howl, and we couldn’t hear them when driving on the town, solely on completely easy freeway pavement are you able to detect a really delicate hum from the BFGs.. You may get tires like these on a Forester, however provided that you decide into the Wilderness trim. A giant plus of tires with this design and sizing is that you would air down just a few PSI to make filth roads and trails really feel much more easy.
The X-Professional Status additionally has a fully-heated windshield with a wire mesh heating component over its entirety. This may make icy and snowy days as much as the ski areas safer and extra pleasant, for the reason that wipers gained’t find yourself caked in frozen slush. Nevertheless, you may see the mesh at evening. We’d counsel a night take a look at drive to make sure you prefer it. Over time, we grew to become accustomed to it. We’ve by no means examined a Subaru of any mannequin or trim with this function (and not one of the six my household has owned had it). Solely dear European manufacturers have provided this on automobiles we’ve got beforehand examined.
The X-Professional Status additionally has a spare tire, a big glass moonroof with an influence sunshade, heated and cooled seats with a number of settings, a heated steering wheel, additionally with two settings, and probably the most comfy energy entrance seats within the class.
For those who plan off-pavement adventures, Kia gives a entrance skid plate. I’d add that and have it put in on day one. It’s simply $240.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – What’s Lacking?
There was no center-mounted energy knob, and there are not any paddle shifters within the Sportage X-Professional Status we examined.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – Off-Pavement Efficiency
We don’t want to fake that we “took this car off-roading.” We didn’t, and it’s not actually arrange for true off-roading. We did drive over quite a bit unmaintained and poorly maintained filth roads in New Hampshire. Right here, the Sportage X-Professional shines. It’s sensible. Even with out airing down, the Sportage X-Professional handles washboard gravel sections with zero rattles. It felt easy over these roads in all the fitting methods. Up steep and unfastened sections of filth and rock roads, the X-Professional by no means spun its wheels, and was steady and confidence-inspiring. We used the Downhill Help and it labored very intuitively. It will be an enormous plus in winter when you’ve got a steep driveway or entry highway to your property.
Throughout our testing, we had been blissful to seek out that the BFG tires didn’t retain stones after which fling them into the wheel wells, one thing some all-terrain tires we’ve examined have achieved.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – Conclusion
Most manufacturers now supply a trim with all-terrain tires and a little bit of off-pavement gear. The Sportage X-Professional appeared to supply the perfect stage for what we predict a crossover needs to be used for. It’s not pretending to be a Wrangler Rubicon, however its sensibly-sized BFG Path Terrain tires alone make it far more succesful, secure, and comfy than a “Restricted Elite Platinum Touring” sort of trim with foolish wagon wheel-sized rims and tiny sidewalls.
Along with the excellent guarantee, we would depend amongst this automobiles many pluses the tires, the downhill help, snow mode, super-comfy seats, excellent heating of the seats and steering wheel, and the novel windshield. For those who dwell in an space with poor roads, harsh winters, and unpaved sections of roads, the 2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status was constructed only for you. Go get one!
John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Affiliation and an knowledgeable car tester. John accomplished an engineering program with a give attention to electrical automobiles, adopted by twenty years of labor in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive provide chain earlier than changing into a information contributor. He’s a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). Along with his fourteen years of labor at Torque Information, John has printed hundreds of articles and opinions at American information shops. He’s identified for providing unfiltered opinions on car subjects. You’ll be able to join with John on LinkedIn and observe his work on his private X channel or on our X channel. Please notice that tales carrying John’s by-line are by no means AI-generated, however he does make use of grammar and punctuation software program when proofreading and he additionally makes use of picture era instruments.
Photos by John Goreham
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