The Sportage Hybrid seats five across two rows. Kia publishes 41.4 inches of front legroom and 41.3 inches of rear legroom, so back-seat passengers get essentially the same stretch-out room as the driver, which is not the norm in this segment. Shoulder room measures 57.5 inches in front and 55.6 inches in the rear.

Headroom depends on whether the vehicle has a sunroof. Without one, the figures are 39.6 inches front and 39.1 inches rear; with the panoramic sunroof fitted, both rows measure 37.8 inches. That is worth keeping in mind on the X-Line and SX-Prestige, where the panoramic sunroof is standard rather than optional.

• Seating for five across two rows
• 41.4 inches of front legroom
• 41.3 inches of rear legroom
• 57.5 inches of front shoulder room
• 39.6 inches of front headroom without a sunroof
• 37.8 inches of headroom with the panoramic sunroof

Cargo volume is published two ways because the load floor adjusts to two heights. Set low, the Sportage Hybrid holds 39.5 cubic feet behind the second row and 73.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Raised to its high position, which creates a flat floor with the seats down, those figures become 34.5 and 65.4 cubic feet.

The low-floor number is the one Kia leans on in its class-leading cargo room claim, and it is genuinely useful for tall items like a stroller or a stack of luggage. A height-adjustable smart power liftgate is standard from the EX up, which helps when you are loading with your hands full.

• 39.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats with the floor low
• 73.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded and the floor low
• 34.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats with the floor raised
• 65.4 cubic feet with the seats folded and the floor raised
• Two-position adjustable cargo floor
• Height-adjustable smart power liftgate from the EX up

Materials step up in a clear order. The LX and S use cloth upholstery, while the EX, X-Line, and SX-Prestige are trimmed in SynTex artificial leather. Kia does not offer genuine leather on the Sportage Hybrid at any trim level. Heated front seats are standard on the S, EX, X-Line, and SX-Prestige but are not available on the LX.

The SX-Prestige is the comfort flagship, adding ventilated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel, and an eight-way power front passenger seat. Dual-zone automatic climate control is standard on every trim, and the driver's seat moves from six-way manual on the LX to ten-way power with lumbar support on everything above it.

• Cloth upholstery on LX and S
• SynTex artificial leather on EX, X-Line, and SX-Prestige
• Heated front seats standard on S and above
• Ventilated front seats and heated rear seats on SX-Prestige
• Standard dual-zone automatic climate control
• Ten-way power driver's seat from the S trim up