VW Tiguan vs Kia Sportage: Exterior Design

Each SUV has distinctive exterior styling. Volkswagen has thoughtfully shaped eye-catching and assertive contours throughout, while Kia kept its model rather round from hood to tailgate. When it comes to wheels, the VW Tiguan is the only car in this face-off that can be equipped with striking 20-inch black machined alloy wheels.

You’ll also have more ground clearance—7.9 inches—with the VW Tiguan. This allows you to confidently travel over rougher terrain when compared to the 6.4 inches of clearance found in the Sportage. Add Volkswagen available 4MOTION® all-wheel drive with Active Control to further separate the 2021 VW Tiguan from the Sportage. Fluidly switch among four driving modes: On-Road, Snow, Off-Road, and Off-Road Custom.

Additionally, only the VW model comes standard with roof rails, which means you can fasten a roof rack or cargo box immediately. You would have to purchase an available package for the Kia Sportage to acquire roof rails.

VW Tiguan vs Kia Sportage: Interior Space

Although both models regularly accommodate up to five passengers, the VW Tiguan has an inherent advantage thanks to an available 7-seat trim. With a higher occupancy comes a more configurable interior; leave the third row up when you need it and fold it flat when you don’t.

Cargo room is ample in these compact SUVs, but the 5-seat 2021 VW Tiguan leads the way with 37.6 cubic feet of storage behind the second row. That’s almost seven cubic feet more than the Sportage model’s cargo area, which measures 30.7 cubic feet when the rear row is up.

If you need the extra room for, let’s say, a DIY home-improvement project, the VW Tiguan boasts 73.5 cubic feet with the back seats folded. Again, the Kia Sportage doesn’t measure up, as it only offers 60.1 cubic feet when the second row is stored away.

VW Tiguan vs Kia Sportage: Safety

You’ll find many similar standard safety features in the VW Tiguan and Kia Sportage. These include:

• An Electronic Stability Control improves directional stability by adjusting engine throttle and applying corrective forces to the wheels when necessary.
• Anti-lock Braking Systems will ensure that your wheels retain traction in less-than-optimal driving and road conditions.
• Use their Rear View Camera Systems to keep an eye on your surroundings and safely back out of tight parking spaces.
• Safety cages help to absorb and mitigate impact energy in the event of a collision.

The 2021 VW Tiguan offers additional assurances, such as a Blind Spot Monitor and a Rear Traffic Alert, as does the Kia Sportage.

The VW Tiguan comes with two other features you won’t find in the Kia model: Automatic Post-Collision Braking System and an Intelligent Crash Response System (ICRS). Both are designed to offer optimal protection to passengers in the event of a collision.