Compare the2021 Kia SportageVS 2020 Dodge Journey

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Sportage has standard Forward Collision Assist, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Journey doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.

The Sportage offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Journey doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sportage’s standard Downhill Brake Control allow you to creep down safely. The Journey doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Sportage’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Journey doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Sportage (except LX/S) offers optional Parking Assist to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Journey doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The Sportage’s optional blind spot warning system uses digital cameras monitored by computer to alert the driver to moving objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The Journey doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing safer, the Sportage’s optional cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Journey doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Sportage’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Journey doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sportage and the Journey have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Dodge Journey:

	Sportage	Journey
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Journey:

	Sportage	Journey
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Restraints	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	2 cm	12 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	23 cm	24 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Femur Force R/L	2.4/.1 kN	6.3/2.9 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	22%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Tibia index R/L	.52/.68	.8/.83

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sportage the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 108 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Journey is not a “Top Pick.”

Warranty

The Sportage comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Journey’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years and 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Journey. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Journey ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sportage has a standard 600-amp battery. The Journey’s 525-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sportage’s reliability 37 points higher than the Journey.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sportage second among compact suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Journey isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2019 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 10th in reliability, above the industry average. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 28th.

Engine

The Sportage’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (181 vs. 172) and 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (175 vs. 165) than the Journey’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sportage SX Turbo’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 65 more horsepower (237 vs. 172) and 95 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 165) than the Journey’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sportage SX Turbo’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 68 more horsepower (240 vs. 172) and 95 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 165) than the Journey’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage FWD with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Journey (23 city/30 hwy vs. 19 city/25 hwy).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sportage higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Dodge Journey (3). This means the Sportage produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Journey every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

For more complete vehicle control the Sportage has Sportmatic, with the available convenience of an automatic transmission and the complete gear control of a manual transmission without the inconvenience of a clutch. Sportmatic allows the driver to eliminate unwanted shifts and maximize engine braking by down shifting while cornering. The Journey doesn’t offer a transmission that allows complete gear control.

A six-speed automatic is standard on the Kia Sportage, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a four-speed automatic is available for the Journey.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sportage SX Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Journey (245/45R19 vs. 225/65R17).

The Sportage LX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Journey SE Value’s standard 65 series tires. The Sportage SX Turbo’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Journey Crossroad’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Sportage has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Journey doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sportage is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Journey.

The Sportage SX Turbo AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Journey AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sportage SX Turbo AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the Journey AWD (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sportage’s turning circle is 3.7 feet tighter than the Journey SE Value’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.5 feet). The Sportage’s turning circle is 4.2 feet tighter than the Journey Crossroad’s (34.8 feet vs. 39 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Sportage may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 500 pounds less than the Dodge Journey.

The Sportage is 1 foot, 4 inches shorter than the Journey, making the Sportage easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Kia Sportage amounts to more than styling. The Sportage has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Journey (.366) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Sportage get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Sportage has .7 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room and 2.1 inches more rear legroom than the Journey.

Cargo Capacity

The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume than the Journey with its rear seat up (30.7 vs. 10.7 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sportage EX/SX Turbo’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Sportage’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Journey doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Towing

The Sportage’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Journey’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Sportage EX/SX Turbo’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control. The Journey’s driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Sportage’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Journey’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Sportage has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and fuel theft. The Journey doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Sportage to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Journey doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sportage has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Journey only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Sportage’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Journey’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Sportage’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Journey’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Sportage detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Journey doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Sportage (except S/LX) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Journey doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Sportage (except LX) offers an optional Smart Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Journey doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Bluetooth wireless connectivity is standard on the Sportage, connecting the driver and passenger’s cell phones to the vehicle systems. This allows them to use the vehicle’s stereo and hand controls to place calls safely and easily. Bluetooth costs extra on the Journey.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sportage (except LX) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Journey doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Sportage owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Sportage will cost $160 to $1410 less than the Journey over a five-year period.

The Sportage will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Sportage will retain 45.89% to 49.54% of its original price after five years, while the Journey only retains 41.27% to 42.51%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Sportage is less expensive to operate than the Journey because typical repairs cost much less on the Sportage than the Journey, including $69 less for a water pump, $832 less for a muffler, $68 less for front brake pads, $187 less for a starter, $431 less for a fuel pump, $90 less for front struts and $407 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

The Kia Sportage has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Sportage	Journey
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	FALSE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

The Kia Sportage outsold the Dodge Journey by 20% during 2019.

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