Compare the2024 Kia Sportage PHEVVS 2024 GMC Terrain

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sportage PHEV are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sportage PHEV X-Line Prestige has standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Sportage PHEV. But it costs extra on the Terrain.

The Sportage PHEV 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Terrain’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sportage PHEV has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. GMC charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Terrain and the Terrain’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

The Sportage PHEV’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sportage PHEV and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 around view monitors.

The Kia Sportage PHEV weighs 534 to 870 pounds more than the GMC Terrain. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Kia Sportage PHEV is much safer than the Terrain:

	Sportage PHEV	Terrain
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	121	131
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	290 lbs.
Neck Compression	-45 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.69 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	759 lbs.	781 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	116	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	-134 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.38 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sportage PHEV its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 58 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Terrain has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Sportage PHEV comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Terrain’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage PHEV 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than GMC covers the Terrain. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Terrain ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

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 GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 47 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 17th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 12 places higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Sportage PHEV’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 86 more horsepower (261 vs. 175) and 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage PHEV running on electricity gets better mileage than the Terrain:

			MPGe
Sportage PHEV
	AWD	Electric Motor	88 city/79 hwy
Terrain
			MPG
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage PHEV running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Terrain:

			MPG
Sportage PHEV
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

The Sportage PHEV can travel with zero emissions for 34 miles. The Terrain can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Sportage PHEV’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Terrain doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Sportage PHEV has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Terrain. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Sportage PHEV	Terrain
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.3 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sportage PHEV has larger tires than the Terrain (235/55R19 vs. 225/65R17).

The Sportage PHEV’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sportage PHEV has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Terrain SLE/AT4.

Suspension and Handling

The Sportage PHEV has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Sportage PHEV flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sportage PHEV’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Terrain (108.5 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sportage PHEV is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Terrain.

For greater off-road capability the Sportage PHEV has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain SLE (8.3 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Sportage PHEV to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Sportage PHEV’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The Sportage PHEV has .5 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room and 1.6 inches more rear hip room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Sportage PHEV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (34.5 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Sportage PHEV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (65.4 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

Towing

The Sportage PHEV’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Terrain’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Sportage PHEV’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Terrain’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Sportage PHEV X-Line Prestige to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Terrain doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Sportage PHEV has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Terrain.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sportage PHEV has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Terrain Denali offers wireless charging.

The Sportage PHEV X-Line 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 Terrain Denali’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Recommendations

The Kia Sportage outsold the GMC Terrain by 45% during 2022.