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Last updated 10/24/2024 - Originally published 10/24/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Continental is a 153-year-old German conglomerate that produces world-class tires and has a presence across the globe. On the other hand, we have the South Korean Kumho Tire, a sub-brand of the Chinese firm Doublestar, which was established in 1960 and rolls out tires for passenger cars, SUVs, CUVs, light trucks, and 4x4s just like its German counterpart. Both tire makers offer a vast range of tires under different categories like all-season, all-terrain, all-weather, winter, summer, and ultra-high-performance. With the CrossContact LX25 on one side, let’s pit the Crugen HP71 on the other to know which is a better all-season, year-round performer between the two.
Engineered for SUVs, CUVs, minivans, and light trucks, the Continental CrossContact LX25 and Kumho Crugen HP71 are great all-season tires that offer reliable handling, traction, durability, and longevity throughout the year in different weather conditions like dry, wet, and light snow. They come with solid limited manufacturer tread life warranties that underline their high durability and longer service lives. So, which of these two is a better option? Let’s compare Continental CrossContact LX25 vs. Kumho Crugen HP71 tires based on our proprietary SimpleScore to know what’s right for you.
Continental CrossContact LX25 tires
Developed for SUVs and CUVs, the CrossContact LX25 was introduced five years back in 2019. Offering great year-round performance, the Conti comes with a smart pitch-sequenced tread pattern that resists sound waves from entering the cabin, so you enjoy a quiet, comfortable, and vibration-free ride. Thanks to its optimized tread design, the all-season tire offers great traction, grip, handling, stability, and durability in dry, wet, and light snow. To elevate the oomph factor, the tire features an optional outlined white lettering or black sidewall besides a smart-looking tread pattern. While the EcoPlus technology lowers rolling resistance to boost fuel efficiency and wearability, the continuous center rib and solid shoulders ensure precise handling, cornering, and stability. Featuring QuickView Indicators, the CrossContact LX25 gives drivers ‘visual insight’ into the tire condition for alignment. Backed by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the Conti is covered by Continental’s Total Confidence Plan which includes a 60-day trial and 3-year roadside assistance among other facilities.
Scoring an 8.7 SimpleScore, the CrossContact LX25 promises great performance with fantastic grip, traction, stability, and handling, along with a longer service life.
Kumho Crugen HP71 tires
Introduced in 2017, the Kumho Crugen HP71 is an all-season SUV tire that provides fuel-efficient city rides without compromising grip, traction, cornering, and handling performance. Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, the Crugen HP71 assures great traction, handling, and braking performance in dry, wet, and light snowy conditions. While the variable pitch technology limits noise and vibrations from filtering into the cabin, the optimized tread pattern boosts grip and wearability. The symmetrical tread design with circumferential grooves and sipes ensures the tire quickly evacuates water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and boost wet traction. The strengthened outer tread and center rib of the Crugen HP71 not only improve steering response and stability but also boost its high-speed cornering. Backed by a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the Kumho all-season tire is also covered by a 30-day satisfaction guarantee program and road hazard protection.
With an 8.7 SimpleScore, the Kumho Crugen HP71 is all in for reliability, traction, handling, stability, and wearability throughout the year.
Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Kumho Crugen HP71 tires on traction
Traction allows your vehicle to remain grounded in different driving conditions like wet, dry, snow, and ice, without skidding. Traction is directly proportional to your safety, which makes it the most critical aspect of tire selection.
Boasting an 8.6 traction score, the Continental CrossContact LX25 has EcoPlus Technology under its belt that guarantees improved grip, traction, and fuel efficiency thanks to the wide grooves and dense siping that mitigate the risk of hydroplaning and boost wet performance.
Contrarily, the Kumho Crugen HP71 scores an 8.3 in traction thanks to four wide grooves that flush out water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and improve wet braking. The presence of sipes adds another tangent to its winter performance as it clears the thin water film over the snow for increased winter braking and traction.
The CrossContact LX25 nudges ahead of the Crugen HP71 with a better traction score.
ADVANTAGE: Continental CrossContact LX25
Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Kumho Crugen HP71 tires on handling
The fun and safety of driving lie in the control you have over the vehicle. A good set of tires returns improved control by ‘communicating’ better with the steering so you can get a more precise response.
Boasting an 8.9 handling score, the Continental all-season tire features a wide footprint that puts more rubber on the surface, leading to improved steering response and stability. Not to mention the deep sipes and continuous center rib that provide the necessary grip required for high-speed cornering.
On the other hand, the Kumho Crugen HP71 features an optimized tread pattern that not only reduces noise and vibrations but also improves handling and stability in dry, wet, and light snow. Based on the above, it scores a healthy 8.6 out of 10.
Continuing its great performance, the Conti wins the handling battle too.
ADVANTAGE: Continental CrossContact LX25
Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Kumho Crugen HP71 tires on longevity
All-season tires are not only preferred for their excellent traction, braking, and grip in different weather conditions but also for their long-lasting tread.
Boasting an 8.8 longevity score, the CrossContact LX25 impresses with its strong 70,000 limited manufacturer tread life warranty for T- and H-rated sizes and 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for V-rated ones. It all becomes possible thanks to its EcoPlus Technology which limits uneven wear and promotes uniform wear throughout its lifespan. Lastly, it is covered by Continental’s Total Confidence Plan which is inclusive of road hazard, customer satisfaction trial, and flat tire roadside assistance coverage.
Similarly, the Kumho Crugen HP71 proves to be slightly on the better side in longevity as it scores 8.9! Thanks to its symmetric tread pattern and optimized design, it continues to promote even wear throughout the year. It is backed by a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
With a marginally better longevity score, the Crugen HP71 finally beats the CrossContact.
ADVANTAGE: Kumho Crugen HP71
When to use each
All-season tires are the most preferred tire type across the USA thanks to their superb capabilities of performing in different driving conditions like dry, rainy, and light snow. The long service life and strong mileage warranties are other aspects of its popularity. However, if the weather in your region is highly unpredictable, you can pick all-weather tires that offer better winter performance without compromising on dry and wet attributes of the all-seasons.
Meanwhile, if the temperature consistently remains below 45 degrees Fahrenheit you need dedicated winter tires to combat the freezing temperatures.
Which one should you choose?
In a nutshell, the Conti is a better performer than the Kumho in traction and handling, while the latter is slightly better than the former in longevity. Interestingly, the Continental CrossContact LX25 comes with a longer mileage warranty than the Kumho Crugen HP71 but falls short in SimpleScore’s durability test. Let’s get on to the most crucial aspect of most buyers, the price!
Comparing the prices of the 245/60R18 105H tire size, the Continental CrossContact LX25 costs around $231 per tire, and four such tires cost $924, while the Kumho Crugen HP71 costs around $197 per tire, and four such tires cost $788 (a difference of $136).
Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Continental CrossContact LX25 if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Ford Escape, Jeep Cherokee, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain
- Prefer better traction (8.6 vs 8.3)
- Want better handling (8.9 vs 8.6)
- Want longer mileage warranty (70,000 vs 65,000 miles)
- Want Continental’s Total Confidence Plan (limited warranty, flat tire roadside assistance, customer satisfaction trial, and mileage warranty)
Conversely, you should choose the Kumho Crugen HP71 if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Toyota Rav4, Cadillac Escalade, and Audi Q7
- Want a more affordable tire
- Prefer a longer service life (8.9 vs 8.8)
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.