Compare the2022 Buick EncoreVS 2022 Kia Sportage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Buick Encore are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Kia Sportage has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Buick Encore has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sportage doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Encore has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Sportage doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Encore and the Sportage 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, collision warning systems, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors 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 Buick Encore is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Encore	Sportage
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	122	207
Neck Compression	12 lbs.	72 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	207	222
Chest Compression	.3 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	38%	42%
Neck Stress	122 lbs.	151 lbs.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Encore is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Encore	Sportage
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	87
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	100	239
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	707 lbs.	873 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Encore’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Sportage’s (6/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

There are almost 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Encore’s warranty.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick fourth in reliability. Kia is ranked 15th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Encore gets better fuel mileage than the Sportage:

			MPG
Encore
	2WD	1.4 Turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	4WD	1.4 Turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
Sportage
	2WD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
		2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
	4WD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/26 hwy
		2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/24 hwy

The Encore has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sportage doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Encore stops shorter than the Sportage:

	Encore	Sportage
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	118 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Encore’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage LX’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Encore has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sportage LX.

Chassis

The Encore is 8 inches shorter than the Sportage, making the Encore easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Encore uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sportage doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the Encore is 1.7 inches lower than the Sportage (16.8” vs. 18.5”). The Encore’s rear step up height is 2.6 inches lower than the Sportage’s (16.8” vs. 19.4”).

Ergonomics

The Encore’s front and rear power windows all open fully with one touch of the switches and its driver’s window also automatically closes, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sportage’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

The Encore’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Sportage’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Encore’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Kia charges extra for heated mirrors on the Sportage.

The Encore offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Sportage doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Encore owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Encore with a number “5” insurance rate while the Sportage is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Encore is less expensive to operate than the Sportage because it costs $209 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Encore than the Sportage, including $18 less for a muffler, $132 less for fuel injection, $43 less for front struts and $825 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Buick Encore has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

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