Compare the2022 Kia SportageVS 2021 Land Rover Discovery Sport

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sportage are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery Sport doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Sportage and the Discovery Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 119 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Discovery Sport has not been tested, yet.

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 Discovery Sport’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Discovery Sport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery Sport ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 4 times as many Kia dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sportage’s warranty.

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 63 points higher than the Discovery Sport.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 92 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 147 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage SX Turbo AWD 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. (237 HP) gets better fuel mileage than the Discovery Sport (19 city/24 hwy vs. 19 city/23 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sportage uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Discovery Sport requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Sportage has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Discovery Sport’s suspension doesn’t offer rear gas-charged shocks.

The Sportage SX Turbo AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Discovery Sport S pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sportage SX Turbo AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Discovery Sport S (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sportage’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the Discovery Sport’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

The Kia Sportage may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 750 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The Sportage is 4.6 inches shorter than the Discovery Sport, making the Sportage easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sportage is 8.5 inches narrower than the Discovery Sport, making the Sportage easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Sportage has 2.4 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more rear headroom and .1 inches more rear legroom than the Discovery Sport.

The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Discovery Sport with its rear seat up (30.7 vs. 5.5 cubic feet). The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Discovery Sport with its rear seat folded (60.1 vs. 55.6 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sportage’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Sportage has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

The Sportage is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Sportage owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Sportage will cost $450 to $2935 less than the Discovery Sport 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 Discovery Sport only retains 40.04% to 43.9%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Sportage will be $18981 to $20307 less than for the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

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