2025 Kia Sportage arrives with all-paw HEVs

The updated 2025 Kia Sportage has arrived in Australia flaunting two major upgrades: the overdue addition of all-wheel drive on the hybrid grades and an eight-speed automatic transmission for the 1.6 turbo.

There are of course multiple other enhancements, i.e. the new exterior and interior designs, extra equipment and the obligatory tech and safety upgrades.

But all this of course comes at a price, and the new Sportage is now between $500 and $4070 more expensive depending on the variant, though most of the increases hover around the $3000 mark.

The entry-level S and SX manuals have also been deleted from the portfolio, meaning the Sportage range now opens from $37,990 plus on-road costs for the base S petrol and stretches up to $60,370 for the new GT-Line Hybrid AWD – a full price list can be found at the bottom of this article.

You can see the obvious exterior changes in the images accompanying this report, but you may be hard-pressed to note any major changes in the cabin due to their subtlety: a new two-spoke steering wheel that aligns the Sportage with the EV5 and all variants now come with a 12.3-inch multimedia screen – that’s it.

Running that multimedia screen is Kia’s latest ‘ccNC’ operating system which brings wireless smartphone projection, over-the-air (OTA) updates and connected services.

No changes have been made to the petrol (115kW/192Nm), turbo-petrol (132kW/265Nm), turbo-diesel (137kW/416Nm) or turbo-petrol-hybrid (169kW/350Nm) power units, though the turbo-petrol is now paired with an eight-speed torque converter instead of the previous clunky seven-speed dual-clutch unit.

As for standard equipment, the entry-level S has gained the aforementioned infotainment upgrade and all its perks (but not sat-nav) along with the latest smart cruise control and keyless entry/start.

Other carried-over equipment includes 17-inch alloys, cloth upholstery, leather steering wheel, PVC shifter, parking sensors front and rear, a front centre airbag and plenty of driver aids like lane-keep and follow assist, blind-spot collision assist, intelligent speed limit assist and of course autonomous emergency braking.

The SX trim builds on this basis with 18-inch alloys, rain-sensing wipers, a premium shift knob, sat-nav, remote-folding second row and dual-zone climate control.

The SX+ goes further again with a wireless phone charger (new), Highway Drive Assist (new), heated steering wheel (new), 19-inch wheels (ICE versions), heated front seats with power adjustment for the driver, a Harmon Kardon sound system, smart power tailgate and artificial leather upholstery.

At the top of the tree, the GT-Line adds a head-up display (new), dynamic welcome light (new), heated steering wheel (new to ICE), 19-inch alloy wheels (18s for HEVs), a 12.3-inch digital instrument with blind-spot view monitor, heated and cooled front seats with power adjustment, memory driver’s seat, ambient lighting, a 360-degree camera, panoramic sunroof and a dial type shifter.

Wolf Grey and Heritage Blue have been added to the colour palette while the standard seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty has been retained.

How much does the 2025 Kia Sportage cost?
S FWD – $37,990 (+$2995)
SX FWD – $40,480 (+$2930)
S CRDi AWD – $43,390 (+$2995)
SX+ FWD – $45,080 (+$3030)
SX CRDi AWD – $45,880 (+$2930)
SX HEV FWD – $46,450 (+$500)
SX HEV AWD – $49,450
SX+ 1.6T AWD – $47,080 (+$3030)
SX+ CRDi AWD – $50,480 (+$3030)
GT-Line 1.6T AWD – $53,990 (+$4070)
GT-Line CRDi AWD – $56,400 (+$3480)
GT-Line HEV FWD – $57,370 (+$1950)
GT-Line HEV AWD – $60,370
* Prices exclude on-road costs

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