u/Arthur_Morgan44469

First KIA, first SUV and first hybrid, absolutely loving it 👌😎

Traded in the Hyundai Elantra SEL convenience package 2023. It's a night and day difference between the two cars. Bought the top trim as I didn't want to miss out on anything.

Elantra is down to the ground, so it's not comfortable getting in and out. Sportage has way way better seating height so gettimg in and out is much more comfortable now.

Speaking of comfort, the Sportage SX Prestige Hybrid 2026 is very very comfortable. Did a two hour ride and the Sportage does not tire you whatsoever. The suspension is great and so are the seats and very quite cabin. I appreciate the fact that has noise absorbing front windows and windshield.

Speaking do seats, I like seat position as it makes visibility on the front road great and making the driving a pleasant experience.

In terms of driving, it's a great step up, smooth, comfortable drive with lots of driving assist features. The 10 inch HUD adds to this experience as well as it's a lot of information. For example, it gets synced with the route set on Android Auto so you don't really have to move your eyes away to look at the route on the infotainment screen. Furthermore, in Highway Driving Assist 2.0 mode, the HUD also shows vehicles on not only to your front but also to your sides as well and each vehicle type is rendered differently.

Highwag Driving Assist 2.0 is awesome and adds to more eased driving on the highway and the auto lane change works great 👌 Last but not least the car handles and brakes well too.

** if you have babies or infants then the baby comfort mode is a great addition to the hybrid and imo should always be on when babies are in the car. I am surprised that no American YouTube reviewer highlights this feature in their videos.

The 12.3 inch dual screens and are awesome as well and so is the ambient lighting

I absolutely love the new headlight design and they go very well with the black color. The 19 inch wheels are modern looking too 😎.

Overall I would rate the car 9/10 and would highly recommend the SX Prestige Hybrid. I have also sat in the Toyota hybrid RAV4 XSE 2024 and the Sportage is much better.

The only thing that disappointed me is the sound system

Pros:

Beautiful exterior and interior and the red interior color

Lots of safety and assist features

Great drive

Baby comfort mode

Good acceleration

Comfortable seats

Great seat position

Great suspension

Quite cabin

Tucked in rear wiper

Great value for the price

Park assist

Four headlight projects and added foglights

Reclining back seats

Back windows factory tinted

Things to Improve:

Add digital rear view mirror on the top trim

The back door windows should have noise absorbing materials as well

The back doors should have Stanley cup holders

The seat USB C ports should be back lit

The sub woofer is very underwhelming

Ambient lighting should be added to the back doors as well on the top trim.

Just saw a post on the Hyundai thread asking why are there so many so many Hyundais and KIAs out there when people think Hyundai and KIA are not reliable.

Well let me share a recent story that someone shared with me about their brand new 2026 Honda CRV

So I was at this dealership that deals with both Hyundai and Honda and I was there to get my car serviced. While I was in the waiting room, there was an old lady with her daughter there as well.

The old lady told me that her 2026 Honda CRV was under a 1000 miles and while driving on the highway on cruise control, the pistons gave out.

She managed to bring the car to dealership as it was close by.

Then she tells that the part is in back order and will be ordered from overseas. She gave her a rental and she said she will have to wait for days to get her car back.

If the part is in back order then maybe it's a common issue with the new Honda CRV

I was surprised to hear that a company like Honda messed up the pistons.

$30 for themes is ridiculous

First SUV SX Prestige hybrid 2026

Reliability of other Car Brands (Honda)