Compare the2023 Mazda CX-5VS 2022 Kia Sportage

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

Safety

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The CX-5 has standard Whiplash-Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests 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 CX-5 Turbo Signature has standard Smart Brake Support-Rear that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a 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 CX-5. But it costs extra on the Sportage.

The CX-5 Turbo Signature has a standard 360° 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 CX-5 has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 CX-5 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Kia charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Sportage.

The CX-5 has standard E911 Automatic Emergency Notification, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 CX-5 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available 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 Mazda CX-5 is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	CX-5	Sportage
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	82	207
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	72 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	222
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37%	42%

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 Mazda CX-5 is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	CX-5	Sportage
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	81	87
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	189 lbs.	327 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	239
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	435 lbs.	873 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mazda CX-5 is much safer than the Sportage:

	CX-5	Sportage
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	155	209
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.51 in	.75 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	POOR
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	1874 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.42 in	2.2 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	2.13 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	14 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CX-5 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

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

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the CX-5’s reliability 23 points higher than the Sportage.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 9th.

Engine

The CX-5 has more powerful engines than the Sportage:

	Horsepower	Torque
CX-5 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	187 HP	186 lbs.-ft.
CX-5 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder	256 HP	320 lbs.-ft.
Sportage 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder	181 HP	175 lbs.-ft.
Sportage SX Turbo 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	237 HP	260 lbs.-ft.
Sportage SX Turbo 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	240 HP	260 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl. is faster than the Kia Sportage 4 cyl.:

	CX-5	Sportage
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.5 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.6 sec	9.6 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.4 sec	6.1 sec
Quarter Mile	16.6 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85 MPH	83 MPH

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-5 (250 HP engine) is faster than the Sportage SX Turbo 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	CX-5	Sportage
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.6 MPH	86.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-5 gets better mileage than the Sportage:

			MPG
CX-5
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-5 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Sportage doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-5 stops shorter than the Sportage:

	CX-5	Sportage
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-5’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Sportage (106.2 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

Passenger Space

The CX-5 has 5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sportage (103.6 vs. 98.6).

The CX-5 has .4 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and 4.1 inches more rear hip room than the Sportage.

The front step up height for the CX-5 is .9 inches lower than the Sportage (17.6” vs. 18.5”). The CX-5’s rear step up height is 1.2 inches lower than the Sportage’s (18.2” vs. 19.4”).

Cargo Capacity

The CX-5’s cargo area is larger than the Sportage’s in every dimension:

	CX-5	Sportage
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	38”	33.4”/68.2”
Max Width	57”	52.3”
Min Width	41.3”	41”
Height	32.4”	29.5”

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the CX-5’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 CX-5 Preferred/Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Sportage doesn’t offer memory seats.

The CX-5 Premium Plus/Turbo has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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 CX-5’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 CX-5’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.

The CX-5’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Sportage’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CX-5’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Sportage LX/Nightfall/EX’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

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 CX-5’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Sportage’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-5 Premium/Turbo has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Sportage doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the CX-5 and the Sportage offer available heated front seats. The CX-5 Premium Plus/Turbo also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the CX-5 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the CX-5 with a number “1” insurance rate while the Sportage is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CX-5 is less expensive to operate than the Sportage because it costs $218 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the CX-5 than the Sportage, including $114 less for a water pump, $160 less for a muffler, $17 less for front struts, $134 less for a timing belt/chain and $864 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-5 and the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Mazda CX-5 outsold the Kia Sportage by 21% during 2022.

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