The 2024 Kia Sportage: Changes in Price and AWD Option

The 2024 Kia Sportage - Changes in Price and AWD Option

As we move through 2023, the new 2024 Kia Sportage is getting ready to hit the road. This SUV is back for its second year with a fresh design introduced in 2023. Some things got better, while others were a bit disappointing. Kia aimed to challenge the popular Toyota RAV4 with these changes. We’ll take a look at the prices for this mostly unchanged crossover and discuss whether it was a good idea to remove one of its all-wheel drive (AWD) options.

What’s New and What Stayed the Same

The 2024 Kia Sportage comes with some new features that improve safety, like LED projector headlights and extra airbags in the back seats. However, the engine’s power, a 2.5-liter one, didn’t change much – it still gives you 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. The way the engine works with the eight-speed automatic transmission didn’t get any better either. In fact, the 2023 Sportage X-Pro took a slow 9.3 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. The X-Pro did better in certain areas, thanks to its all-terrain tires, and it was even a finalist in the 2023 SUV of the Year competition. But, let’s be honest, the acceleration time still wasn’t great, and it’s unlikely to improve.

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2024 Kia Sportage performance

Paying More for a Bit More

The cost of the 2024 Kia Sportage went up a bit, but Kia kept it as low as possible. Part of the reason for the increase might be that they added LED headlights and extra airbags to all models. Every trim level got a price hike of $1,170 compared to the 2023 models. This includes a $70 increase for the fee to get the car to the dealership. Before, it was $1,255, and now it’s $1,325. (We’ve included this fee in the base prices we’re talking about.)

Was Dropping the SX AWD a Good Move?

So, what’s the deal with these different trim levels? Well, in 2024, Kia decided to stop making the SX AWD version. Instead, they introduced the X-Line model. Now, this change comes with some drawbacks. The X-Line doesn’t have things that the SX had, like bigger 18-inch wheels, memory for the driver’s seat position, a fancy 12.3-inch display, a warm steering wheel, a fancy leather-covered gear shifter, and most importantly, Smart Cruise Control. This Smart Cruise Control was a cool feature that helped you keep a good distance from other cars and even helped you stay in your lane on the highway. These things were all included in the SX AWD, but you can’t get them on the X-Line.

Other cool stuff, like a liftgate that you can adjust the height of, a big sunroof, sun visors with lights, and fancy LED lights inside the car and in the luggage area, used to be standard on the SX AWD. But now, they’re only available if you pay extra when you get the X-Line. It seems like a lot of cool things that used to come with the car are now either gone or cost more if you want them. This makes us wonder if getting rid of the 2023 SX AWD and bringing in the X-Line was really the best choice.

2024 Kia Sportage features

2024 Kia Sportage prices

2024 Kia Sportage FWDPriceDifference From 2023
LX$28415$1170
EX$30415$1170
SX$33915$1170
SX Prestige$35915$1170
2024 Kia Sportage AWDPriceDifference From 2023
LX$28890$1170
EX$30890$1170
SXDiscontinued
SX Prestige$37715$1170
X-Line$33215$1170
X-Pro$37415$1170
X-Pro Prestige$39215$1170

Image source: Motortrend.com

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