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Kia supplies the New England Motor Press Affiliation with improbable assist. Each Kia we check 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 (kind of) section, one that’s the largest total in America for personal-use patrons. 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 decisions, with an emphasis what issues the Kia can provide 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 attention-grabbing 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 present some readability to the X-Professional Status trim. The Sportage X-Professional Status is just not 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 smart option to cease with the off-road equipment at exactly the appropriate stage of substances. It’s not overdone, to say it plainly.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – What Does It Price? What’s Its Worth?
The Sportage we examined had a worth of $41,920, together with Kia’s Vacation spot Charge, however not together with Supplier Doc Charges. That is an especially well-equipped trim, and the value is not any shock to us. That is the place autos 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 provided with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. No turbo, and no hybrid system, although different Sportage trims provide each. We have 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 large purpose 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 patrons’ energy necessities. Would we have now most well-liked one other 100 lb-ft of torque, like that provided by Kia’s Sportage Hybrid trims? Sure.
We noticed a decent 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 satisfying and satisfying to drive in nearly each scenario. 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 rather more environment friendly turbocharged hybrid powertrain Kia gives on some trims. Paddle shifters might have made the powertrain’s efforts a bit extra predictable and controllable.
This trim has all-terrain tires, and so they have been improbable. Even with the added sidewall, the Sportage handles nice. The suspension has a number of journey, too. We beloved driving this Kia on dust 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 a number 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 protected descent of slippery hills. For practically all patrons, these modes and the downhill help could be straightforward to make use of and provide loads of functionality. Can Subaru’s twin X-Mode do extra in excessive conditions? Possibly. A aspect by aspect winter extremes check could be very attention-grabbing to see.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – Uncommon and Notable Tools
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 high 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 clean 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 choose into the Wilderness trim. A giant plus of tires with this design and sizing is that you can air down a number of PSI to make dust roads and trails really feel much more clean.
The X-Professional Status additionally has a fully-heated windshield with a wire mesh heating ingredient over its entirety. It will make icy and snowy days as much as the ski areas safer and extra satisfying, for the reason that wipers received’t find yourself caked in frozen slush. Nevertheless, you may see the mesh at evening. We’d counsel a night check 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 expensive European manufacturers have provided this on autos we have now 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 essentially the most snug energy entrance seats within the class.
Should you 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 faux 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 dust roads in New Hampshire. Right here, the Sportage X-Professional shines. It’s good. Even with out airing down, the Sportage X-Professional handles washboard gravel sections with zero rattles. It felt clean over these roads in all the appropriate methods. Up steep and free sections of dust and rock roads, the X-Professional by no means spun its wheels, and was secure and confidence-inspiring. We used the Downhill Help and it labored very intuitively. It might be an enormous plus in winter when you’ve got a steep driveway or entry highway to your property.
Throughout our testing, we have been blissful to search 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 finished.
2026 Kia Sportage X-Professional Status – Conclusion
Most manufacturers now provide a trim with all-terrain tires and a little bit of off-pavement gear. The Sportage X-Professional appeared to supply the best stage for what we predict a crossover ought to be used for. It’s not pretending to be a Wrangler Rubicon, however its sensibly-sized BFG Path Terrain tires alone make it rather more succesful, protected, 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 autos many pluses the tires, the downhill help, snow mode, super-comfy seats, excellent heating of the seats and steering wheel, and the novel windshield. Should you reside 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 deal with electrical autos, adopted by 20 years of labor in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive provide chain earlier than turning 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 critiques at American information shops. He’s identified for providing unfiltered opinions on car subjects. You possibly can join with John on LinkedIn and observe his work on his private X channel or on our X channel. Please be aware 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 technology instruments.
Photographs by John Goreham
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