2017 Kia Sportage Proves Its Crashworthiness, Earns Top Safety Pick+ Rating

The fourth generation of the compact crossover built by Kia is a sales success in the making. For those looking for a bargain, the 2016 model is still on sale at $22,150. However, the 2017 Sportage offers lots more for $840 over the price of its forerunner, including a desirable Top Safety Pick+ award earned with flying colors from the IIHS.

The highest designation possible from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety applies to the 2017 Kia Sportage only when equipped with the autonomous front crash prevention system, an optional extra bundled with the EX Technology Package. Other than autonomous emergency braking, the $1,900 pack adds lane departure warning, a power liftgate, voice-command sat nav, and a thumpin’ Harman/Kardon audio system.

Top Safety Pick+ reflects top scores for the Sportage in all the tests conducted by the institute. “The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of the most recognized and respected organizations in the industry when it comes to evaluating vehicle safety, and as such, the Top Safety Pick Plus designation is a significant achievement,” declared Orth Hedrick, the vice president of product planning at Kia Motors America.

Built on the same platform as the 2016 Hyundai Tucson ($22,700, or $220 cheaper than the Sportage), the 2017 Kia Sportage held up well in all crash scenarios. In the 12 and 25 mph track tests, the crossover avoided a collision thanks to the prompt reaction of the optional autonomous braking system. In the small overlap test, the all-new model fared much better than the 2016 model year.

The driver’s space in the older generation Sportage was compromised as the parking brake pedal was pushed in 16 inches (40.6 centimeters). The steering column also moved, causing the dummy's head to slide off the left side of the front airbag. And another thing - the side curtain airbag didn't deploy.

If safety is a priority for you, the 2017 Kia Sportage is a much better choice than the 2016 model year. Barring the generous selection of driving-assistance systems and safety features, the torsional rigidity of the all-new Sportage has improved 39 percent over yesteryear’s Sportage.

As if that weren’t good enough, engineers gave the 2017 Kia Sportage more than a football field’s length (338 feet or 103 meters) of structural adhesives. For those who are curious about how it feels from behind the wheel, please refer to our test drive of the 2017 Kia Sportage.

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