Details matter, and although our 2017 Kia Sportage EX AWD misses a few, the interior is full of rewarding elements I’ve come to love over the many months I’ve driven the compact crossover. I’d still never order a Sportage with a black interior—there aren’t enough contrasting bright trim pieces to break it up—but six cabin details have made my Sportage-driving experience a bit more pleasant.
Lean Toward Me
I’ve mentioned before how much I appreciate that the 2017 Sportage’s infotainment screen is mounted at the top of the dash and that the entire center stack is tilted slightly toward the driver. It’s a subtle design feature but one I always miss in other cars. Considering how often drivers interact with the screen for song title info or navigation, having it canted toward the driver and pushed to the top of the dash is a great feature.
TPMS With Bright and Clear Gauges
The 2017 Sportage’s instrument cluster gauges are clear and bright no matter the time of day. Add to that a decent-sized info screen on our EX model, and it’s a good setup. Other highlights in this department include the CR-V’s digital design and the Nissan Rogue’s bright gauges and color info screen tilted a bit to ease visibility.
Plus, the Sportage helpfully has a tire pressure monitoring system that provides a readout for all four tires. When one tire is a little low, you’ll save time by knowing exactly which tire needs a little air.
Tune Away
The Sportage has four helpful knobs on its center stack. Although I still believe using the volume control on a steering wheel is more efficient, that’s of no help when the front passenger wants to turn up the radio. In the Kia, there are also two knobs for the driver- and front passenger-side heating/AC temperature, plus a tuning knob. It’s that last one that the CR-V doesn’t offer. I find that using the steering wheel controls are easier, but having that tuning knob is a helpful redundant control beyond touchscreen options if you’re frequently in the car with someone else.
Sculpted Goodness
Run your hands over the buttons on the Sportage’s center stack, and you might notice how the buttons are sculpted to be a little bigger at the bottom. That’s to make sure they feel natural as you lower your hand to press on the inside-air button or hit the phone button to set up Bluetooth. It’s certainly not something that would convince me to choose one car over another, but it’s valued nonetheless.
Tabbed Design Details: How Many Can You Find?
For a few years, one of Kia’s trademark design details has been a tabbed shape you can find on certain models at the top of front windshields. The detail is echoed inside the cabin with the silver-trimmed air vents and the emergency hazard button shape.
Don’t Move
Because I installed Apple CarPlay on our 2017 Sportage EX (the system is above on another Sportage), I plug in my iPhone for every trip. The front USB outlet is in a small but useful storage area that’s a little depressed compared to the gear selector and cupholders behind it. If I happen to take a turn quickly, the phone doesn’t move because of the walls of the storage area. With my phone taking up most of the space at the bottom of the center stack, my keys, eye drops, change, and other stuff can easily fit in the two storage areas beside the cupholders: a small squarish compartment good for keys and a shallow but long space at the base of the center console armrest/storage area.
When you’re test driving new cars, what interior details do you look for?
More on our long-term Kia Sportage right here:
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