Compare the2024 Kia SportageVS 2024 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sportage 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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sportage’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Sportage and Eclipse Cross have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Eclipse Cross’ Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The Sportage’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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sportage and the Eclipse Cross 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, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

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 is much safer than the Eclipse Cross:

	Sportage	Eclipse Cross
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	121	155
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	268 lbs.
Neck Compression	-45 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	2.28 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	759 lbs.	1294 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	116	166
Neck Compression	-134 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.38 in	2.01 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Kia Sportage achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Eclipse Cross is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sportage’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is rated below average.

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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 14th.

Engine

The Sportage’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (187 vs. 152) than the Eclipse Cross’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Sportage is faster than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Sportage	Eclipse Cross
Zero to 60 MPH	9.3 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.9 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	82.1 MPH	78.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage gets better mileage than the Eclipse Cross:

			MPG
Sportage
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
	AWD	X-Pro 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
Eclipse Cross
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/26 hwy

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Sportage	Eclipse Cross
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	11.9 inches

The Sportage stops shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

	Sportage	Eclipse Cross
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sportage has larger tires than the Eclipse Cross (235/65R17 vs. 215/70R16). The Sportage LX/X-Pro’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Eclipse Cross (235/65R17 vs. 225/55R18).

The Sportage LX/X-Pro’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Eclipse Cross ES’ standard 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sportage LX/X-Pro has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Eclipse Cross ES. The Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Eclipse Cross LE/SE/SEL.

Suspension and Handling

The Sportage has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Eclipse Cross’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Sportage has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sportage’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the Eclipse Cross (108.5 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sportage is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Eclipse Cross.

The Sportage X-Pro Prestige handles at .84 G’s, while the Eclipse Cross SE pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Sportage X-Pro executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Eclipse Cross SEL (27.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Sportage uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Sportage has .1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear headroom, 4.2 inches more rear legroom, 1.4 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Eclipse Cross.

Cargo Capacity

The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat up (39.6 vs. 23.4 cubic feet). The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat folded (74.1 vs. 50.1 cubic feet).

Towing

The Sportage’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Eclipse Cross’ (2500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sportage 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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Sportage SX/Prestige/X-Pro, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Sportage SX/Prestige/X-Pro’s standard Easy Access Function glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Sportage’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Eclipse Cross has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the Sportage and the Eclipse Cross have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sportage is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Eclipse Cross prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

On a hot day the Sportage’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Eclipse Cross can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Sportage’s power locks have a lockout prevention feature. When the key is in the passenger compartment and the driver’s door is open, the locks unlock every time you lock them. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t provide lockout prevention.

The Eclipse Cross’ standard power locks don’t automatically lock the doors. The Sportage’s standard doors lock when a certain speed is reached. This is an important feature for occupant safety. Locked doors are proven to open less often in collisions, and they are also effective in preventing crime at traffic lights.

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

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sportage has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Eclipse Cross only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Sportage has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Eclipse Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SE/SEL.

When the Sportage SX/Prestige/X-Pro is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Eclipse Cross’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Sportage Prestige keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Both the Sportage and the Eclipse Cross offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Sportage has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

The Sportage is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Sportage owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Sportage will cost $1805 to $3755 less than the Eclipse Cross over a five-year period.

The Sportage will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Sportage will retain 54.88% to 56.18% of its original price after five years, while the Eclipse Cross only retains 46.63% to 47.42%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross isn't recommended.

The Kia Sportage outsold the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross by over 14 to one during 2023.