For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Rogue Select 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 Kia Sportage has only front height-adjustable seat belts.
Both the Rogue Select and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available all-wheel drive.
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 Nissan Rogue Select is safer than the Kia Sportage:
Rogue Select |
Sportage |
|
Front Seat |
||
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
144 |
151 |
Chest Movement |
.6 inches |
1.1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
174 G’s |
245 G’s |
Rear Seat |
||
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
198 |
228 |
Spine Acceleration |
48 G’s |
55 G’s |
Hip Force |
661 lbs. |
689 lbs. |
Into Pole |
||
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
188 |
356 |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Rogue Select’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sportage runs out after 100,000 miles.
There are over 73 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rogue Select’s warranty.
A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without their vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports predicts that the Rogue Select’s reliability will be 17% better than the Sportage.
J.D. Power and Associates’ 2014 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 18th in reliability. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 19th.
On the EPA test cycle the Rogue Select gets better fuel mileage than the Sportage:
Rogue Select |
Sportage |
|||
2WD |
2.5 4 cyl./CVT |
23 city/28 hwy |
21 city/28 hwy |
2.4 4 cyl./Auto |
|
n/a |
20 city/26 hwy |
2.0 turbo 4 cyl./Auto |
|
4WD |
2.5 4 cyl./CVT |
22 city/27 hwy |
19 city/26 hwy |
2.4 4 cyl./Auto |
The Rogue Select’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 are solid, not vented.
The Rogue Select stops shorter than the Sportage:
Rogue Select |
Sportage |
||
70 to 0 MPH |
178 feet |
179 feet |
Car and Driver |
60 to 0 MPH (Wet) |
143 feet |
144 feet |
Consumer Reports |
For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rogue Select’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Sportage (105.9 inches vs. 103.9 inches).
The Rogue Select handles at .78 G’s, while the Sportage SX pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.
For greater off-road capability the Rogue Select has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sportage (8.3 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Rogue Select to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.
The Rogue Select has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom and 2.1 inches more rear hip room than the Sportage.
The front step up height for the Rogue Select is 1.1 inches lower than the Sportage (17.9” vs. 19”). The Rogue Select’s rear step up height is .9 inches lower than the Sportage’s (18.5” vs. 19.4”).
The Rogue Select has a much larger cargo area with its rear seat up than the Sportage with its rear seat up (28.9 vs. 26.1 cubic feet). The Rogue Select has a much larger cargo area with its rear seat folded than the Sportage with its rear seat folded (57.9 vs. 54.6 cubic feet).
The Rogue Select’s cargo area is larger than the Sportage’s in every dimension:
Rogue Select |
Sportage |
|
Length to seat (2nd/1st) |
36.3”/72” |
34.5”/63.5” |
Max Width |
55” |
n/a |
Min Width |
42.5” |
n/a |
Height |
32.5” |
29” |
The Rogue Select’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Sportage’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.
According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Rogue Select is less expensive to operate than the Sportage because it costs $381 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Rogue Select than the Sportage, including $73 less for a water pump, $22 less for front brake pads, $21 less for a fuel pump and $269 less for front struts.
© 1991-2016 Advanta-STAR Automotive Research. All rights reserved.
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