2017 Kia Sportage EX AWD Update 8: Splurge for the SX?
Spending Time in Our Sportage’s More Expensive Near-Twin
You know you want it. You're considering the Sportage EX, but a sexy Sportage SX is on the other side of the dealer lot. Whether that turbocharged, 19-inch-wheel-wearing Sportage SX is Hyper Red, Burnished Copper, or a less flashy exterior color, the $2,000 premium above a loaded Sportage EX is not a lot of money for what you get. I recently spent some time in a $35,025 2017 Kia Sportage SX AWD to see how it compared to the long-term Sportage I've driven thousands of miles.
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For roughly $33 extra per month over the course of a five-year loan, you can get the Sportage SX instead of a loaded EX model; the biggest difference is the engine. The SX replaces the 181-hp, 175-lb-ft 2.4-liter naturally aspirated I-4 of the LX and EX with a 237-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four with 260 lb-ft (or 240 hp for the front-drive model). The extra power and torque definitely change the driving experience. Full-throttle blasts feel much quicker than the Sportage EX that I'm accustomed to.
Our all-wheel-drive long-term Sportage EX hits 60 mph in aMotor Trend-tested 9.0 seconds, compared to a 2017 Sportage SX we previously tested at 8.1 seconds. Interestingly, we've also tested a front-drive 2017 Sportage in LX trim. Thanks in part to its lower weight (no panoramic roof or leather seats), the crossover reached 60 mph in 8.0 seconds. I'd gladly give up a couple tenths of a second, however, for the extra content on the base-model EX over the LX. The turbocharged SX 2.0 is quicker than the LX and EX with the standard 2.4-liter engine, but the power delivery isn't smooth. Sometimes you'll feel a bit of lag. Keep in mind the SX's extra power is an upgraderelative to other Sportages. Once you start to look beyond a Kia dealership, the numbers start to fall apart. Several other crossovers in this class are at least as quick to 60 mph (if not quicker) and more efficient. In other words, the Sportage SX, whose improved and more buttoned-down suspension I appreciated, exacerbates the issues I pointed out in this update about our EX.
But wait! The Sportage SX still has a few awesome upgrades over the EX. For one, it beautifully accentuates the styling you fell in love with in the first place. I'm a big fan of the SX's 19-inch wheels, not just for their size but also for their design. The LED taillight design is borderline premium stuff, and the SX I drove had attractive two-tone gray and black seats that brightened up the interior compared to our dark EX. Whatever you think of the 2017 Sportage's headlight design, the SX's HID headlights are an improvement compared to the EX's weaker halogens. Although the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated both Sportage headlight options as poor, the organization noted that the SX's HIDs, which turn around corners, were superior in all four of its low-beam tests performed around curves.
For more of my thoughts on the 2017Kia SportageSX, skip through some of this Motor Trend Facebook Live video rightHERE.
If losing a couple mpgs and being beat in a stoplight drag race by more efficient crossovers doesn't bother you, the Sportage SX is worth consideration. Paying $2,000 for the visual upgrades, extra power, HID headlights, and available two-tone leather is a value. For me, I'd probably stick with the EX model if I absolutely had to have a Sportage.
More on our long-term Kia Sportage right here:
- Arrival
- Update 1: Feed Me!
- Update 2: Apple CarPlay and iOS 10
- Update 3: Staying Safe
- Update 4: Slow and Efficient, but…
- Update 5: So Many Features!
- Update 6: Storage Ups and Downs
- Update 7: Six Interior Details I've Come to Love
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I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
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