Compare the2023 Volkswagen TiguanVS 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
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sportage doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has standard Maneuver 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 Tiguan SEL R-Line has a standard Area View 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan has standard Car-Net, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in 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 Tiguan 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

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 Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Tiguan	Sportage
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	49	87
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	82 lbs.	104 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	239
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
Hip Force	855 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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tiguan its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 92 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Sportage’s (7/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tiguan for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sportage.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Sportage’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

Engine

The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (184 vs. 181) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 175) than the Sportage’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Tiguan
	FWD	S 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
		R-Line 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Tiguan’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 Volkswagen Tiguan higher (7 out of 10) than the Kia Sportage (5 to 7). This means the Tiguan produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Sportage every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Tiguan, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Sportage.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Tiguan	Sportage LX/Nightfall/EX	Sportage SX Turbo
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	12 inches	12.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sportage (255/45R19 vs. 245/45R19).

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage SX Turbo’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tiguan SEL R-Line has standard 20-inch wheels. The Sportage’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tiguan’s wheelbase is 4.8 inches longer than on the Sportage (109.9 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

The Tiguan 4Motion® handles at .82 G’s, while the Sportage LX pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Tiguan has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sportage (7.6 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Tiguan to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Tiguan offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Sportage can only carry 5.

The Tiguan has 25.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sportage (123.9 vs. 98.6).

The Tiguan has .3 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 2.3 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

The front step up height for the Tiguan is 1.1 inches lower than the Sportage (17.4” vs. 18.5”). The Tiguan’s rear step up height is 1.9 inches lower than the Sportage’s (17.5” vs. 19.4”).

Cargo Capacity

The Tiguan’s cargo area provides more volume than the Sportage.

	Tiguan	Sportage
Third Seat Folded	33 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	37.6 cubic feet	30.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	65.3 cubic feet	60.1 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	73.4 cubic feet	60.1 cubic feet

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

	Tiguan	Sportage
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”	n.a./33.4”/68.2”
Max Width	55”	52.3”
Min Width	39.8”	41”
Height	33.5”	29.5”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Tiguan’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Sportage doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Servicing Ease

The Tiguan uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sportage uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When three different drivers share the Tiguan SEL R-Line, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. 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 Tiguan’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 Tiguan’s front and rear power windows all 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.

If the windows are left open on the Tiguan SE/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Sportage can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tiguan’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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the Sportage.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Sportage doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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

When the Tiguan SEL Premium is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Sportage’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Sportage doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Tiguan is less expensive to operate than the Sportage because typical repairs cost much less on the Tiguan than the Sportage, including $754 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Tiguan outsold the Kia Sportage by 9% during the 2021 model year.