Compare the2022 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2022 Kia Sportage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Crosstrek CVT 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 Subaru Crosstrek has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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 Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Sportage doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Crosstrek Limited has standard Reverse 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crosstrek. But it costs extra on the Sportage.

The Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 Crosstrek and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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

	Crosstrek	Sportage
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	121	207
Neck Compression	42 lbs.	72 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 Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Crosstrek	Sportage
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	428 lbs.	465 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	201	301
Hip Force	824 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, with its optional front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 114 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

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

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 7 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Crosstrek Sport/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Sportage SX Turbo 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

	Crosstrek	Sportage
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.7 MPH	86.4 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Sportage doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Crosstrek
AWD	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy
Sportage
	Auto	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/24 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Crosstrek CVT’s 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. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Sportage doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Transmission

The Crosstrek offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Sportage doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The Crosstrek offers an optional 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 Crosstrek stops shorter than the Sportage:

	Crosstrek	Sportage
70 to 0 MPH	169 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	128 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Crosstrek Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sportage LX (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a 1.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sportage (8.7 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek has 2.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sportage (100.9 vs. 98.6).

The Crosstrek has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, 4 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

The front step up height for the Crosstrek is 1 inches lower than the Sportage (17.5” vs. 18.5”). The Crosstrek’s rear step up height is 1.4 inches lower than the Sportage’s (18” vs. 19.4”).

Cargo Capacity

The Crosstrek’s cargo area is larger than the Sportage’s in almost every dimension:

	Crosstrek	Sportage
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.3”/64.2”	33.4”/68.2”
Max Width	53”	52.3”
Min Width	43”	41”
Height	30”	29.5”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Sportage doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Sportage. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Crosstrek’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, 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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Sportage doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Crosstrek Limited has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Sportage doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Sportage offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Crosstrek owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Crosstrek will cost $210 less than the Sportage over a five-year period.

The Crosstrek will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Crosstrek will retain 62.13% to 65.32% of its original price after five years, while the Sportage only retains 43.55% to 48.17%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Crosstrek is less expensive to operate than the Sportage because typical repairs cost much less on the Crosstrek than the Sportage, including $243 less for a muffler, $7 less for fuel injection and $1025 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Crosstrek will be $4808 to $11198 less than for the Kia Sportage.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Crosstrek and the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Kia Sportage by 43% during the 2021 model year.