Kia Forum banner

SX or EX

6K views 32 replies 15 participants last post by  tasdisr 
#1 ·
My wife & I both have 2016 KIA Soul +'s :) (love em) their loaded.
We plan to trade in one of our Souls, we want to get a little bigger one for traveling across country & back to AWD for the New England winters.

I've driven both the EX & the SX and although I liked the 25% more HP in the SX my wife and I feel that the EX rode better/smoother. Might be nicer on our long trips.

Your opinions please !
 
#2 ·
We have the EX AWD with both available packages and love it, my wife drives that the majority of the time. There are some of the features on the SX that would have been very nice to have but we like the ride better in the EX and since we do a lot of driving in general, it rode better for us. It's an individuals opinion on what works best...
That's just our opinion.
 
#3 ·
The extra torque on the SX is a must have for extensive highway driving. Nothing like having that passing power when you need it, and the ride is just fine.
 
#5 ·
I have only had my SX for a little over a week, I did not test drive the EX but test drove two different SX's and thought the ride was very comfortable and of course it is nice to have the extra power of the turbo.
 
#8 ·
I also preferred the EX because it does have a better ride for long trips and it has a smoother engine. I did get the extra packages which makes the features come very close to the SX. From an aesthetic standpoint, I like the glossy black versus the satin black on this car and I think the quad fog lights of the SX make the front end too busy with no functional advantage. I did like the adaptive headlights of the SX since I had them before in another car. I don't find power lacking since I always drive the car in "sport" mode and have no problems passing on the highway. Also, the mpg is better. If you just make shorter trips, the stiffer suspension of the SX shouldn't bother you much.

The main reason to buy an SX over an EX is the extra HP. If the Sportage were a sports car and not a more utilitarian SUV, then there would be an argument for the added power. But the EX is NOT underpowered for 99% of your driving. If you really wanted power, you should choose another car with 300+ HP. That said, I don't think you'll make a big mistake either way as the differences are not huge...
 
  • Like
Reactions: lewbar
#9 ·
I've never been in a 2017 EX but I had a 2011 EX that I traded on my 2017 SX. The funny thing is, my engine is very smooth/quiet and so is the ride, particularly compared to the old EX. I hated the total glass top but you can't get an SX without it. After awhile I started opening the shade and now it stays open most of the time. I never will actually open the glass very often or for very long, but I have to admit it is great to have the option. I believe that if you can have either one, there is no comparison - get the SX.

BTW, anyone with a rough-running SX should check the spark plugs ASAP. Take it in if you don't want to mess with it yourself. This is a very quiet (mechanically) and ultra-smooth engine normally. Makes my old 2.4L sound like a tractor in comparison.
Also: Very Important! Check tire pressure on any new vehicle before driving it and have the dealer adjust it if it is over the recommended pressure. Dealers almost always have the tires over-inflated which will give you a choppy, noisy ride.
 
#10 ·
I drove the 2.4 first, then the 2.0T, hands down the 2.0T was much smoother running, and seemed a lot more relaxed when driving around town at regular speeds. It was able to move in traffic without as much effort, and it was noticeable. I agree, the base 2.4 is much better than older 4 cylinders I have driven, but the 2.0t just makes it so much smoother.
 
#11 ·
I agree. My 2.0t definitely has that "sewing machine" feel to it when idling. Very quiet and smooth and when the boost starts building it has that hydraulic smoothness to the power delivery you just don't get in an NA engine. The 2.4l port injected four I had in my 09 Rondo was equally "sewing machine" like. If anything it was even quieter than the 2.0t likely because you can hear the direct injectors in the 2.0t over the port injectors in the older 2.4
 
#15 ·
I'll tell you one dumb thing I like much better about a loaded EX than the SX is the cluster and door electronics trim. I HATE the gloss black crap in the SX. Every car maker these days seems to think it looks classy, but for me it's the exact opposite. Nothing looks more like cheap plastic than that gloss black. If I could find a reliable trust worthy EX person who prefers the SX gloss, I'd consider swapping all 4 door switch trims and the center console with them. The dull matte dark gray is just so much better looking.

On the flip side, I much prefer the SX matte silver to the EX gloss chrome on the outside. Everyone who has commented says they love the matte look vs normal over the top chrome.

As for the engine etc, with the EX it keeps you very much in line with the tightest competition (Tuscon, Rogue, Mazda, CR-V, Rav 4 etc). Makes it harder to choose. The minute you jump to 238-240 hp, the SX just beats the others hands down, IMO.
 
#21 ·
On the flip side, I much prefer the SX matte silver to the EX gloss chrome on the outside. Everyone who has commented says they love the matte look vs normal over the top chrome.
For me, the matte silver over the gloss chrome is dependent on the color of the car. On my silver car, I think the gloss chrome looks much better, but on a black car, I like the matte silver better. On a white car, I think the gloss chrome is better. From a technical perspective, it all has to do with contrast ratios and textures. There is also a psychological and social component of this. Generally, younger people (i.e. "hip") like less chrome and satin black and older relics like me remember the days of muscle cars and big chrome. Also, most luxury cars have bright chrome while most "hot" cars are blacked out. So in addition to technical aspects, there is a strong psychological component.

Overall, for me, I like to look at each car and color combination in it's own right and I don't have a whole lot of consistency when it comes to things like gloss vs. satin. I wanted to push my EX up the luxury scale a bit, so I went for the silver color with bright chrome. I changed the Kia badges to the stylized "K", added the chrome strip below the doors and the ring on the steering wheel. On my last Porsche, I went in the opposite direction with less chrome and very dark grey wheels.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mechanizeddeath
#16 ·
EX has different tires (size) and that makes it more stiff.
SX extra power is not enough said - it is largely the huge torque you get at very low rpm.

Other than that - same car.
EX would be more reliable (engine). SX - from time to time the turbo engines suffer from worse petrol or some boost issues.
SX offers some gadgets that are not available on EX, plus SX is more expensive.

As for the engine, before anyone starts screaming.
2.0T had some issues. Just like 1.6T. Optima uses this platform, just like Hyundai SantaFe. It is a good engine. Gives good experience. However, it does not give you all the power when cold, it complains about petrol quality, and may be prone to more issues that naturally aspirated 2.4.
But 2.0T gives you much more fun than 2.4.

I have 1.6T Forte and overall I am happy. Some throttle issues, some uneven boost, but not always. Fun to take off and leave others behind.
 
#22 ·
EX has different tires (size) and that makes it more stiff.
Actually, the opposite is true. The SX has lower profile tires with stiffer sidewalls which makes it more stiff. This makes sense in that lower profile tires also can improve handling characteristics which is proper on a higher performance car. This would translate into a better ride quality on the EX, but only slightly. Of course, you can damp the suspension to also effect ride quality, but we don't see any significant damping on the SX over the EX.

In test driving both cars, I really didn't find huge differences -- but there were slight differences nonetheless. Personally, I like road feel so even though I ended up with an EX, I did prefer the "harshness" of the SX. That said, my wife preferred the softer ride of the EX and she is the boss.....
 
#17 ·
I appreciate all your input.
So many of you have the SX turbo that I think I'll take another SX test ride soon.
A few have said that they feel that the EX has a more compliant ride compared to the "sport tuned suspension" of the SX.
If we go with the EX, we plan to get both the Premium & Technology packages.
Thanks
 
  • Like
Reactions: lewbar
#18 ·
I'd keep in mind that most car forums tend to have the "car enthusiast" type people on them. And most of those types will buy sporty performance over other things. Which translates here as the SX. So us room-zoom-kooks here may not be the best group of people to follow. >:D
 
#20 ·
The 2.0 T-GDI engine will treat you right, if you treat it right. Keep up on the maintenance and it will run great for a long time. Treat it poorly, and you will spend more $$ on repairs. Fortunately, treating it right is easy and really not that hard. Use the right oil, change at the right frequency, and use good quality fuel.
 
#26 ·
I owned a 2014 Mazda 3 sGT before this Sportage and I like Mazda's a lot. I first tried the CX-5 before I looked elsewhere. It had the same engine/transmission setup as my 3, but the ride quality and road noise was far inferior to the EX. The CX-5 did handle better, and if I was just going to use the car around town, it might have been an alternative. But that road noise just kills you on a long trip. Besides, the Sportage does look better, has a classier interior, and is more comfortable.

That said, at the time, the 2017 version was not available and I tested a 2016.5 model. The 2017 version is supposed to be quieter and more refined and does have the power tailgate. So perhaps it is more competitive. I did enjoy driving the Mazda more than the Sportage and there is a lot of performance equipment for the Mazda that you don't have with Kia. In addition, the Mazda forums are much more active and performance oriented than this one. One thing for certain, the infotainment system on the Mazda was much more user friendly than UVO because of the center dial. Once you became familiar with it, the use was automatic and you never had to take your eyes off of the road. In addition, I liked being able to get text messages on the screen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: User-Name
#30 ·
Update:

I really appreciate all the help you guys gave me here. I was swayed to the SX because of your enthusiasm.

I picked up my 2017 SX, Burnished Copper with Beige leather yesterday (Monday 6/26)

I love it !!!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top