Compare the2022 Nissan RogueVS 2022 Kia Sportage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Rogue have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Sportage doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Rogue are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Sportage doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Rogue 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 Rogue Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Sportage doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rogue has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Sportage doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rogue SL/Platinum has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Sportage only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Rogue has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Sportage’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Rogue has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Sportage.

The Rogue SV/SL/Platinum has standard NissanConnect, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 Rogue and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 and available all wheel drive.

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

	Rogue	Sportage
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars

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 Nissan Rogue is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Rogue	Sportage
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.4 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	99 G’s	104 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	239
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	301
Hip Force	398 lbs.	873 lbs.

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, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rogue its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Warranty

The Rogue’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sportage runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 40 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Rogue’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Rogue has a 150-amp alternator. The Sportage’s standard 140-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 6th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 2 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (201 vs. 181) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 175) than the Sportage’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better mileage than the Sportage:

			MPG
Rogue
	FWD	S/SV 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		SL/Platinum 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/36 hwy
	AWD	S/SV 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/35 hwy
		SL/Platinum 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
Sportage
	FWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/24 hwy

The Rogue 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Rogue higher (7 out of 10) than the Kia Sportage (5 to 7). This means the Rogue produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Sportage every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Rogue has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Sportage doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rogue’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Sportage are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops shorter than the Sportage:

	Rogue	Sportage
70 to 0 MPH	169 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	118 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Rogue has larger tires than the Sportage (235/65R17 vs. 225/60R17).

The Rogue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sportage doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rogue’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Sportage (106.5 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

The Rogue Platinum AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Sportage SX Turbo AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Rogue has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sportage (8.2 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Rogue to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Rogue has 6.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sportage (105.4 vs. 98.6).

The Rogue has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear legroom, 2.2 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

Cargo Capacity

The Rogue has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Sportage with its rear seat up (31.6 vs. 30.7 cubic feet). The Rogue has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Sportage with its rear seat folded (74.1 vs. 60.1 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Rogue SL/Platinum’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Sportage doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Rogue SL/Platinum, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Sportage doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Rogue SL/Platinum’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Sportage doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Rogue Platinum offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sportage doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Rogue’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Sportage’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Rogue’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Sportage’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Rogue’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sportage’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Rogue’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sportage’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Rogue to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Sportage doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Rogue SL/Platinum is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Sportage’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Rogue and the Sportage offer available heated front seats. The Rogue Platinum also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage.

Recommendations

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Kia Sportage by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.

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