Compare the2022 Kia SeltosVS 2021 Nissan Rogue Sport

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Seltos’ standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Seltos and the Rogue Sport 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

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

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, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Seltos the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 120 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Rogue Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

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

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Seltos 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Rogue 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 Rogue Sport ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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 Seltos’ reliability 12 points higher than the Rogue Sport.

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 Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 13th.

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 Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

The Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (146 vs. 141) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Seltos Nightfall/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 34 more horsepower (175 vs. 141) and 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 147) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Nissan Rogue Sport:

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos gets better fuel mileage than the Rogue Sport:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Seltos’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

For better stopping power the Seltos Nightfall/SX’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Rogue Sport:

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Rogue Sport:

For better traction, the Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rogue Sport (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R19).

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rogue Sport S/SV’s standard 60 series tires.

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

The Seltos SX handles at .82 G’s, while the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos SX executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.2 seconds quicker than the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Rogue Sport’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.9 feet).

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 350 pounds less than the Nissan Rogue Sport.

The Seltos has 3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rogue Sport (99 vs. 96).

The Seltos has .4 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 4.6 inches more rear legroom and 5.9 inches more rear hip room than the Rogue Sport.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Seltos’ rear seats recline. The Rogue Sport’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Rogue Sport with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 22.9 cubic feet). The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Rogue Sport with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 61.1 cubic feet).

The power windows standard on both the Seltos and the Rogue Sport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Seltos is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Rogue Sport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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