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.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:
|
Sportage |
Eclipse Cross |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
24.5% |
38.7% |
Neck Stress |
263 lbs. |
424 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
14 lbs. |
33 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
48/154 lbs. |
184/324 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.7 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
30.9% |
39.7% |
Neck Stress |
177 lbs. |
182 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
292/203 lbs. |
331/198 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 Kia Sportage is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:
|
Sportage |
Eclipse Cross |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
70 |
145 |
Hip Force |
247 lbs. |
292 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
82 |
162 |
Spine Acceleration |
47 G’s |
55 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
13 inches |
14 inches |
HIC |
270 |
358 |
Spine Acceleration |
35 G’s |
44 G’s |
Hip Force |
480 lbs. |
622 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 |
Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Sportage is 1.6% less likely to roll over than the Eclipse Cross.