The current version of the Sportage was introduced in 2005 and saw minor changes for 2006. Changes included a new Sport package for the LX V-6 model, including fog lights, a sport gauge instrument cluster, a black mesh grille, dark metallic gray body side cladding, leather steering wheel and shift knob, rear spoiler, cargo cover, and the AM/FM/CD audio system with 6 speakers. The Sportage also received an improved radio mast, standard air filtration, and, on EX models, a tire-pressure-monitoring system. The Sportage is unchanged for 2007.

Many Americans had their first introduction to South Korean automaker Kia when the 1995 Sportage made its debut. The Sportage was one of the first mini sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with a small and (relatively) fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engine. Though it didn't offer the front- or all-wheel-drive formula that would kick off the mini-SUV craze in the United States, the Sportage was one of the first vehicles to offer SUV looks in a low-priced package, a full year before Toyota's RAV4 nd two years ahead of Honda's CR-V. Consumers in the United States quickly developed a taste for these fuel-efficient car-based designs. With few owners taking advantage of the off-road capabilities of truck-based SUVs like the Sportage, they soon saw their sales decline. The Sportage was discontinued in 2002 when the bigger, truck-based Kia Sorento arrived.