2016 vs. 2017 Kia Sportage: What Changed

Our records for the 2016 and 2017 Kia Sportage show 4 differences in the specifications and ratings tracked below.

NHTSA's overall rating goes from 4 and 5 stars in 2016 to 5 stars in 2017.

The best combined rating for the 2.4-litre four-cylinder rises from 23 to 26 mpg.

The best combined rating for the 2.0-litre four-cylinder rises from 22 to 23 mpg.

NHTSA's frontal crash rating goes from 5 stars in 2016 to 4 stars in 2017.

One campaign covers both years. One campaign (service brakes) covers the 2016 and not the 2017, while three campaigns (service brakes and trailer hitches) cover the 2017 and not the 2016.

Fewer campaigns do not establish better reliability. Confirm each car's coverage and repair status by VIN.

The campaigns that separate them

Imported NHTSA recall campaigns that name one of these two model years but not the other, with their component labels. Campaigns covering both years are left out of this list.

Only the 2016

22V051000 service brakes

Only the 2017

16V862000 trailer hitches
21V137000 service brakes
22V703000 trailer hitches

A campaign may cover only part of a model year's production. Use the campaign number to ask an authorized dealer whether the car's VIN is included and what work remains. Our recall tool finds model-year campaigns; this guide explains the vehicle-specific check.

Side by side

	2016	2017
Engines listed	2.0L 4-cyl, 2.4L 4-cyl	2.0L 4-cyl, 2.4L 4-cyl
Drive types	All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive	All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive
Fuel types	Regular Gasoline	Regular Gasoline
Combined MPG	21–23	21–26
Recall campaigns	2	4
Complaints on file	130	399
Investigations	2	2

Complaint totals reflect different time on the road, sales and reporting. They cannot rank these years for reliability. The categories below identify symptoms to read about, not failure odds. How reporting time affects the comparison.

What owners reported, by system

2016

Engine 46 (35%)

Brakes 35 (27%)

Electrical 16 (12%)

2017

Engine 169 (42%)

Other 70 (18%)

Electrical 54 (14%)

Full reports

Open each year's report to read the recall, investigation, manufacturer communication and EPA variant records on file:

2016 Sportage full report 2017 Sportage full report Every Sportage year compared

Sources and methodology

Recalls, complaints and investigations: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Engines, transmissions, drive types and fuel economy: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA/DOE). Differences between listed configurations do not by themselves establish a redesign.
See our methodology and data sources pages for how this comparison is built and its limitations.