Compare the2023 Kia Sportage HybridVS 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid SX-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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid’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 Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 58 more horsepower (227 vs. 169) and 107 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 151) than the UX 200’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sportage Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 46 more horsepower (227 vs. 181) than the UX 250h’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage Hybrid FWD gets better fuel mileage than the UX 200 FWD (42 city/44 hwy vs. 29 city/37 hwy).

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

The Sportage Hybrid has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (13.7 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Sportage Hybrid has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX’s standard fuel tank (13.7 vs. 12.4 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sportage Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus UX (6 to 7). This means the Sportage Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the UX every 15,000 miles.

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

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

The Sportage Hybrid 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 Hybrid’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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid has 2.4 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 2.8 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 Hybrid’s rear seats recline. The UX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Sportage Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the UX (39.5 vs. 17.1 cubic feet).

The Sportage Hybrid has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The UX has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sportage Hybrid 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 Hybrid and the UX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sportage Hybrid 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 standard on the Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige 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 Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The UX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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