Compare the2023 Mitsubishi OutlanderVS 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Outlander have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mitsubishi Outlander has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Outlander has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Outlander 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Outlander 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. Only the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Outlander and the Sportage Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and around view monitors.

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 “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outlander its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage Hybrid is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

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

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 Outlander’s reliability 20 points higher than the Sportage Hybrid.

The Outlander has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Outlander has a standard 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

The Outlander’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Sportage Hybrid are solid, not vented.

The Outlander stops shorter than the Sportage Hybrid:

For better traction, the Outlander SE/SEL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sportage Hybrid (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The Outlander ES’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage LX HEV’s standard 65 series tires. The Outlander SE/SEL’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Outlander ES has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sportage LX HEV. The Outlander SE/SEL’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige.

The Outlander has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Outlander SEL AWC handles at .85 G’s, while the Sportage SX-Prestige HEV AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Outlander’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Sportage Hybrid’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outlander SE/SEL has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sportage Hybrid (8.4 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the Outlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Outlander has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Sportage Hybrid can only carry 5.

The Outlander has 1 inch more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage Hybrid.

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

The Outlander SEL offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Outlander’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the switch, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Sportage Hybrid’s standard power window’s switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully. The Outlander SE/SEL’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches. With the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Outlander ES’ standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sportage Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Outlander SE/SEL’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

Consumer Reports rated the Outlander’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sportage Hybrid’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Outlander S-AWC has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outlander to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Outlander and the Sportage Hybrid offer available heated front seats. The Outlander SEL also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage Hybrid.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mitsubishi Outlander and the Kia Sportage Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.