Compare the2023 Kia SportageVS 2022 Lexus UX

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 Sportage are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The UX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Sportage Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The UX 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.

Both the Sportage and the UX 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the UX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the UX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

The Sportage’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 18 more horsepower (187 vs. 169) and 27 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 151) than the UX 200’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sportage’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (187 vs. 181) than the UX 250h’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Both the Sportage and the UX Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Sportage’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

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

The Sportage has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (14.3 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Sportage has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX’s standard fuel tank (14.3 vs. 12.4 gallons).

For better stopping power the Sportage’s brake rotors are larger than those on the UX:

For better traction, the Sportage has larger tires than the UX (235/65R17 vs. 225/50R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line has standard 19-inch wheels. The UX’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Sportage offers an optional space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the UX; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sportage’s wheelbase is 4.6 inches longer than on the UX (108.5 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sportage is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the UX.

The front grille of the Sportage uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The UX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Sportage has 2.4 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 3.1 inches more rear headroom, 8.2 inches more rear legroom, 1.1 inches more rear hip room and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the UX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Sportage’s rear seats recline. The UX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the UX (39.6 vs. 17.1 cubic feet).

The Sportage has a 2500 lbs. towing capacity. The UX has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sportage uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The UX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Sportage (except LX/EX/X-Line) to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The UX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Kia Sportage outsold the Lexus UX by over five to one during the 2021 model year.