Overview & Reviews

For 2012, every Kia Sportage gets revised suspension tuning for improved handing. Kia has also added more sound insulation to reduce noise. LX models get standard 17-inch alloy wheels and low-rolling-resistance tires. EX and SX models now come standard with Kia's Uvo hands-free interface for cell phones and portable music players.

• Powerful and efficient turbo engine in SX trim
• Plenty of premium features
• Intuitive controls.
• Sharp styling inside and out
• More fun to drive than other crossovers

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 38.00

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  1 year in - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By daw3 - October 7 - 9:46 am

  Well its been 1 year since taking owenership of the Sportage and I will admit no issues, except fuel ratings, lack of power for passing. Overall Im staisfied with the car, but again I feel somethings are lacking. Ive been reading all the reviews from owners and I must agree with some, but for the money where are you going to get such a fun car to drive. Honda, Toyota, Subrau are all over priced with the standard equipment you get with the Sportage. Im retired now but there was just something about the car, and I wasnt ready for a cookie cutter Nissan or Buick. I purchase a flat black mat for the dashboard since there really is a bad glare from the sun that just hits you right in the eye

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  Good Car - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By rykdo - May 26 - 4:44 am

  Good basic car with excellent syling. Real 25 MPG on the highway. Has everything you want and lots less expensive than non-Kia. The not-so wonderful is that two adults with golf clubs, luggage for 10 days, and a dog in a crate was crowded. Also the steering is very quick which is nice around town but wears on you after the first 500-1000 miles on a trip. I do not relax on the highway. This is not a road racer. The 4 cylinder works fine and has enough to get you on the freeway without issue but the whine of the engine lets you know it.

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  800 miles and a cross-Florida trip in, great car - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By mattitude - June 1 - 12:21 pm

  Picked up a Signal Red Sportage SX w/ premium package 5 days ago, and the next day took it on a 450 mile trip for the holidays. Vehicle is great overall. We cross-shopped the SX with every single competitor, and found this to be the best value and most exciting vehicle. The second choice would have been a RAv4 but it was exceedingly boring. Were big fans of the UVO system. I had read complaints about system speed on 2011 models - Im not sure if they updated the hardware, software, or both, but in our experience so far its been very speedy. Bluetooth works wonderfully and the radio does everything we want it to. Out of space but word of advice - dont get the NAV, stick with the UVO base.

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  20,000 Miles and Going - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By buffalotom - January 29 - 8:56 pm

  Have a 2012 SX, its quick, but seats and handling have much room for improvement. I think the stock 18 inch tires have too high a side wall, tires bounce like a basket ball. Car now has 20K miles, the turbo is cutting in and out, usually upon motor start it sometimes doesnt work, and when restarted thereafter it works again. Shop (Robin w/Transitowne KIA in Buffalo NY Area) looked it over, says its b/c I had it in FWD lock, which makes no sense. Since Ive kept is out of FWD lock, still acting up. When the restart trick stops working Ill take it back in.

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  Fun with Turbo - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By christophg - August 28 - 3:32 am

  Overall I am very happy with my purchase. The car is actually faster then I expected. The Turbo must work wonders with the little 2.0 liter. Even at 80 MPH, it still has some room to go. I have the Navigation option which I think is overpriced & would probably be better off with just using my iPhone. Fuel economy is not as good as I expected but it never is & I drive it pretty aggressively. It seems to have more road noise than some of its competitors & this was supposed to be improved on this model year.

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  2013 Kia Sportage LX AWD - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By rottensox - June 18 - 6:53 am

  I bought a brand new Sportage a few weeks ago. It had less than 400 miles on it from the dealer driving it from a different state. At 800 miles I noticed the rear differential leaking fluid. I took it back to the dealer and they are currently replacing the differential. I hope this doesnt represent the overall quality of the car as I paid over $20,000 for it.

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  Whos a thunk it! - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By apol732 - February 12 - 4:28 am

  I saw the design change for 2011, and waited. 2012, read reviews, test drove it and a few others, and decided to buy. A year and a half, 31000 miles and no issues what so ever. Ive driven it from El Paso, TX to Jacksonville, FL four times. This is my first new car, i absolutely love it. i took alot of heat for buying a KIA, even I had my doubts, but I do not regret it one bit.

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  Fix the defrosters - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By buffalotom - December 16 - 5:47 am

  Submitted review back on 08/27/12 12:30 PM which I still stick by. As for the turbo issue I was having it got fixed, pressure switch needed calibrated for the hot gas bypass, Ive not had any issues since. Got 56,000 on the car now. At this cars price point, you wont find another SUV with this kind of power and gas mileage.

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  Good overall, but has visibility issues - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By ehm1217 - November 5 - 4:37 pm

  I have owned the 2012 Kia Sportage LX FWD for little over two months and about 2,500 miles. So far no mechanical complaints. Performance, ride and mileage is what was expected. Audio and Bluetooth functions work fine. My one complaint concerns reflective issues with the windshield. In direct light the dashboard reflects up into the windshield causing visibility issues. A cut out in the dash over the steering column reflects directly in the driver’s line of site. The reflection worsens in some lighting conditions but is pretty much always there – even on cloudy days. If I could get a clear view through the windshield I’d be totally satisfied.

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  Just What I Wanted - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By sakenstein - November 19 - 9:20 am

  I traded my Infiniti G37x (which I loved) for the Sportage primarily because the Infiniti was too fast for my soon-to-be-driving son. The gas mileage is not as good as I expected. In the first few hundred miles (I have 2500 now), I was getting about 25 mpg combined. That has since been averaging about 20-21 which is still better than the G37x. As for the price, I dont think theres a better value for what you get: AWD, Uvo system, nice cloth seats, backup camera. Drove the Mitsu Outlander Sport and Tucson, but the Mitsu 140hp was anemic and like the looks of Sportage better than Tuscon. Also, the Sportages ride is not stiff, its downright harsh, but I knew that going in. Great value.