2020 Kia Sportage

The 2020 iteration of the Kia Sportage SUV offers two different engine options serving two very different purposes. The first one is a lousy 2.4 L motor which maintains a calm composure while the other one is a turbocharged, 2.0L unit that excites the spirited driver in you. A 6-speed automatic transmission is common to both the motors and provides a smooth and slick gear shifting.

Giving each other head to head competition, three brilliant SUVs namely Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and Volkswagen Tiguan S are the Sportage's biggest rivals. Both the performance and price of the aforementioned SUVs lie very close to that of the Kia Sportage SUV. Let's move ahead and see where does the Sportage stands in this rather busy segment.

The 2020 Kia Sportage SUV is available in three trims viz. LX, EX and SX. All the three trims come with the option of having either a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive mechanism. Moreover, for each trim, the AWD variant costs $1500 more than the FWD variant.

The LX is the entry-level trim of the Sportage and its FWD variant costs about $23,200 and it comes with the 2.4L engine. Standard features available in the LX trim include projector headlights, 17-inch wheels, rear camera with display and Bluetooth connectivity.

Moving a step further, the next trim is the EX, which has a price tag of $25,700 for the FWD variant. Comparing with the base trim, the EX offers various extra features such as fog lights, keyless ignition, climate control, leather steering wheel, engine immobilizer and bigger 18-inch wheels.

For the fully loaded trim SX, the MSRP becomes quite high compared to the EX model, which corresponds to $34,200 for FWD drivetrain. However, for the increased price, one will get exclusive features in the trim including the powerful 2.0L turbocharged engine, turn signal mirrors, xenon high-intensity headlamps, front and rear parking sensors, steering mounted cruise control and heated steering wheel.

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From our observation, we vouch for the EX trim over the base trim as its additional features such as push-button start, engine immobilizer and fog lights improve the driving experience. Additionally, the price difference between the LX and EX trim is $2500, which is not that much. However, if you want the Kia Sportage SUV with the 2.0L turbo engine, then there is no option except going for the EX trim.

Engine and Transmission

Standard in the Sportage's lower trims is a 2.4 litre four-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower, whereas a 240 horsepower turbocharged four cylinder comes in the \tSX turbo trim. Acting as the powerhouse for both the LX and EX-trims of the 2020 Kia Sportage's 2.4-Liter 4-cylinder DOHC engine extracts a maximum torque of 175 lbs.-ft. On the other hand, the SX trim comes with high torque figures at 260 lbs.-ft.

Comparing the base LX trim with the competitors, one can easily observe that the Volkswagen Tiguan S is the most powerful SUV with 200 hp of power and 207 lbs.-ft. of torque. Whereas, the Kia Sportage has the least engine power and torque amidst the rivalry. Both the Mazda CX-5 Sport and Volkswagen Tiguan S feature a 6-speed transmission, whereas it got replaced by a CVT automatic transmission in the Honda CR-V LX SUV.

Acceleration

The Sportage lives up to its athletic name and doesn't really disappoints us when it comes to athleticism and vigour. Despite having a much higher curb weight and lower engine specs, the 2020 Kia Sportage is much faster than its competitors. The juicy acceleration of the Sportage allows it to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 8.0 seconds. Moreover, the quarter mile time of the Kia Sportage is the best at 16.0 seconds followed by 16.6 seconds of the Mazda CX-3 Sport.

From the emissions point of view, the Kia Sportage is at 3^rd less polluting vehicle with 6.8 tons/year emissions. On the other hand, Honda CR-V LX is titled as the least polluting car among the competition with an annual emission of 6.3 tons.

Ride and Handling

One of the main features of the Sportage is that it handles like a charm. The South Korean car offers a sweet balance between the ride and handling quality. Along with a responsive throttle response, the SUV performs extremely well while talking on corners. Additionally, in comparison with the previous models of the Kia Sportage, the suspension system of the 2020 version gets modified and eliminates typical impacts from reaching inside the cabin. Moreover, the SUV's AWD variants are braced very well to tackle off-road challenges and snowy road conditions.

Braking

Even though the curb weight of the Kia Sportage is highest among the rivalling SUV's, it offers a commendable 60-0 mph distance of just 114 ft. This is made possible by the highly efficient 12.0-inch brakes at the front and 11.9-inch brakes at the rear. Moreover, the 60-0 mph distance of Sportage is better than both the Honda's CR-V LX and Mazda's CX-5 Sport.

Towing Capacity

By looking at the towing capacities of each of the competing SUVs, it can be concluded that the Kia Sportage's 2000 lbs. capacity is second best after 2200 lbs. of towing capacity of the Volkswagen Tiguan S.

The 2020 Kia Sportage's gas mileage suffers with all-wheel drive. - thecarconnection.com

Talking about the fuel economy, the Kia Sportage offers 23 MPG in the city, 30 MPG on highways and 26 MPG as combined. The mileage figures of Sportage are good but if we look at the competitors, the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-3 become superior with their 28 MPG and 27 MPG of combined fuel economies respectively.

Seating and Comfort

On the contrary to what the exterior of the car looks like, The Sportage's cabin draws out favourable impressions. The cabin is subtly inclined towards the driver, with a clean and well laid out set of controls.

At the seating section, the 2020 Kia Sportage offers a passenger capacity of 5 people similar to its competitors. The space available for passengers in the first row of Sportage corresponds to 39.3 inches of headroom, 57.1 inches of shoulder room and 41.5 inches legroom. However, headroom and shoulder room offered by the Honda CR-V is highest.

Pointing the room available in the second row, a good amount of space is available in the Kia Sportage for comforting the passengers. However, the Honda CR-V LX again swipes away all the competition including the Kia Sportage with its unsurpassed second-row space.

Infotainment System

Kia splits the Sportage's dash into an upper half to keep the driver focused on the gauges and one of the 3 available infotainment screens while grouping the ancillary controls lower but still in control of the driver.

The standard infotainment system available in the 2020 Kia Sportage SUV comprises of a 5-inch touchscreen display along with a USB port and an auxiliary audio input port. The infotainment system also supports satellite radio and offers a 3-month complimentary subscription of the satellite radio service. Additionally, a 6-speaker audio system is connected with the infotainment system to deliver the sound throughout the SUV.

Interior Features

The interior finishing of the 2020 Kia Sportage is remarkable and it can give complexion even to some expensive SUVs. Additionally, there are numerous useful features inside the cabin:

• Cargo tray and net
• Interior light kit
• Auto-dimming mirror Power windows
• Cruise control
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
• Bucket front seats
• 6-way manually adjustable driver seat.

Cargo Capacity

With the rear seat up, the 2020 Kia Sportage accommodates 30.7 cubic feet of cargo that increases to 60.1 cubic feet after folding down the rear seat. Analyzing the rivals, the Volkswagen Tiguan offers lesser cargo space while the Mazda CX-5 has similar capacity as that of the Kia Sportage. However, the cargo capacity of the Honda's CR-V LX is the highest, which is about 39.2 cubic feet with rear seat up and 75.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

Dimension and Weight

The Kia Sportage has styling and design virtues that will definitely pale out when compared with other aesthetic hatchbacks in its segment. This car's design works simple and plain, inside out. That comes out as a disappointment in this segment where carmakers try to draw eyeballs out with gimmicky styling tricks.

Coming to the dimensions of the Kia Sportage, it is 176.4 inches long, 73.0 inches wide and 64.4 inches tall. Among the rivalry, the Volkswagen Tiguan S has the minimum length as well as width while the Kia Sportage is the shortest in terms of height. The ground clearance offered by Kia Sportage measures about 6.4 inches whereas the ground clearance of both the Volkswagen Tiguan S and Mazda CX-5 is higher with 6.9 and 7.6 inches respectively.

Exterior Features

• Roof rack cross bars
• Rear bumper applique
• Tow Hitch
• LED DRLs
• Aluminium Wheels
• Rear privacy-tinted windows

Safety Features

Regarding the safety of the vehicle and passengers, the 2020 Kia Sportage provides numerous standard safety features in it. Some of the key safety features include ABS, centre 3-point belt at the rear, front and rear head airbags, emergency braking assists, remote anti-theft alarm, traction control and dusk sensing headlamps.

Analyzing the IIHS ratings of the 2020 Kia Sportage SUV, its headlights are rated as poor while the child seat anchors are rated as acceptable. On the other hand, the superior rating is given to its front crash prevention while for all other remaining IIHS parameters, the SUV got a good rating.

In the NHTSA test, the overall rating of 4 stars entitles the Kia Sportage as an above average car from the safety perspective. The SUV has scored 5 stars in most of the individual NHTSA safety parameters except for the frontal barrier crash driver and rollover, in which it has scored 4 stars.

• Dual front seat-mounted side airbags
• Dual front advanced airbags
• Height-adjustable front seat-belt anchors
• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)

Honda CR-V LX

The first tough competitor on the list is Honda CR-V LX SUV, which gets a slightly higher price tag of $24,045 than the Kia Sportage. Looking at its perks over the Sportage, it offers lower emissions, better fuel economy, bigger passenger room, and bigger cargo capacity.

Mazda CX-5 sport

Priced at $24,045, the Mazda CX-5 Sport is only $845 expensive than the 2020 Kia Sportage LX. On the upper hand, the CX-5 Sport has better engine specs, more mileage, higher ground clearance and larger legroom space at the second row than the Kia Sportage. However, when it comes to 0-60 mph acceleration, braking efficiency and cargo volume, the Kia Sportage outpaces the Mazda CX-5 sport.

Volkswagen Tiguan S

The last but not the least SUV that puts up a challenge to the Kia Sportage is the Volkswagen Tiguan S. Considering the price, the Tiguan costs almost $1,795 more than the 2020 Sportage SUV. Nevertheless, for the additional price, the Tiguan S offers more engine power, torque and towing capacity than the Sportage. On the other side, it lags way behind the Kia Sportage in various parameters like mileage, acceleration, interior space and cargo capacity.

Well, things have certainly been more like a roller coaster for the Kia Sportage in the past. The Sportage wasn't really a class leader before the 2020 model launch and this new surgery hasn't been really effective and impactful enough to turn the tables. The South Korean car is undoubtedly good, in all aspects barring a few like fuel economy and styling but it still doesn't really stand out when it comes to its competitors and this turns out as the biggest disadvantage for the car.