The next Kia Sportage is out testing, and it's trading the current car's curves for a much boxier shape. Spy photographers caught a camouflaged prototype in Europe, according to Jalopnik, and the photos have been published by Jalopnik, Carscoops, and SlashGear. The car pictured above is the current 2026 Sportage, for comparison.
The test car is covered in camouflage and black coverings, but the side windows give it away. SlashGear says the window line makes the sides noticeably boxier, and calls the car far more substantial than the outgoing Kia, with slab-like surfaces.
The front end is the biggest change. Jalopnik reports there will be a cluster of lights low in the bumper, with a thin strip of LED running light rising along the sides of the grille and kinking over toward the edge of the hood. Today's Sportage uses tall, single light units. The prototype also has a clamshell hood, and the black wheels on it are only for testing.
The rear is still fully covered.
Following the Tucson
The Sportage shares most of its engineering with the Hyundai Tucson, and Hyundai has already revealed the new one. The prototype points the same way, with a squarer body and a more upright stance. SlashGear describes the new Tucson as a smaller Telluride. Carscoops reports it will be about two inches longer than the current car, like the new Tucson.
Jalopnik expects the Sportage to follow the Tucson under the hood as well, with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four replacing the base non-turbo engine and a hybrid version on the same turbo engine. SlashGear notes the prototype has an exhaust pipe, so it isn't the electric version.
The redesign is coming quickly. The current Sportage was revealed in the summer of 2021, went on sale in the US as a 2023 model, and was facelifted for 2026, according to Jalopnik. The new one is expected as a 2028 model.
Does boxier suit the Sportage? Vote on the current one at WhipJury.
Sources:
The prototype, coverings, lighting, hood, engines, and timeline: Jalopnik
The length: Carscoops
The window line, design, exhaust, and model year: SlashGear
Photos: Kia America and Hyundai Motor America press images
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Cam Walsh has been obsessing over cars since before he could drive one. Based out of Atlanta, Cam covers automotive design, car culture, and the eternal debate over which whips actually look the part.
