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Head-to-head Updated

Continental CrossContact LX Sport vs Kumho Solus KL21 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 562 + 14 owner reviews. How we score

CrossContact LX Sport leads, 56–53 Narrow edge

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Continental CrossContact LX Sport
Tire AContinental

CrossContact LX Sport

All Season

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 48 · 562 reviews

“CRV-Hybrid Touring owners, how do you like your OEM tires? I'm a proud new owner of a '26 ST and I have the Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires on my car. I'm not crazy about them. I'm wondering if I should upgrade to Michelin Defenders or something. Thoughts? The Touring comes with the Continental Cross Contact LX Sport (not to be confused with LX25) or the Michelin Primacy A/S. I sorta wish I would have pushed them to switch me to the Primacy A/S. Read more”

Kumho Solus KL21
Tire BKumho

Solus KL21

All Season

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 46 · 14 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 59

    Dry

    CrossContact LX Sport +7
    52
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX SportSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 58 (est.)
    Reviews found online5444

    CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 62.2 (est.) + 40% × 54 = 59

    Solus KL21: 60% × 57.9 (est.) + 40% × 43.6 = 52

    No road tests of dry for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 61

    Wet

    CrossContact LX Sport +5
    56
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX SportSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online5751

    CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 63.1 (est.) + 40% × 56.7 = 61

    Solus KL21: 60% × 60 (est.) + 40% × 51.1 = 56

    No road tests of wet for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 63

    Snow

    CrossContact LX Sport +11
    52
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX SportSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online5739

    CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 57 = 63

    Solus KL21: 60% × 60.5 (est.) + 40% × 39.1 = 52

    No road tests of snow for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 61

    Comfort

    CrossContact LX Sport +10
    51
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX SportSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online5743

    CrossContact LX Sport: 40% × 66.4 (est.) + 60% × 57.3 = 61

    Solus KL21: 40% × 63.5 (est.) + 60% × 43 = 51

    No road tests of comfort for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 64

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX SportSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online61–

    CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 60.7 = 64

    No road tests of noise for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 40

    Treadwear

    Solus KL21 +16
    56
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX SportSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 51 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online2350

    CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 50.8 (est.) + 40% × 22.9 = 40

    Solus KL21: 60% × 60.6 (est.) + 40% × 50 = 56

    No road tests of treadwear for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 46

    Handling (owners)

    CrossContact LX Sport +2
    44
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX SportSolus KL21
    Reviews found online4644
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental CrossContact LX SportKumho Solus KL21
Relative Score 56 53
Dry 59 52
Wet 61 56
Snow 63 52
Comfort 61 51
Noise 64 –
Treadwear 40 56
Handling (owners) 46 44

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

CrossContact LX Sport

± 8

Solus KL21

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A CrossContact LX Sport

Pros

  • Low road noise and exceptional cabin comfort
  • Strong handling and reliable grip in wet and dry conditions
  • Confident performance in light snow and winter weather

Cons

  • Disappointing tread life and faster-than-expected wear
  • Occasional reports of reduced traction in heavy mud or specific slick conditions
  • Higher price point relative to the longevity experienced by some drivers
All owner themes in the CrossContact LX Sport review

Tire B Solus KL21

Pros

  • Impressive treadwear and longevity reported by many users, with several achieving over 30,000 to 40,000 miles
  • Good ride comfort and low road noise under normal driving conditions
  • Affordable replacement pricing compared to premium tier brands

Cons

  • Extremely poor grip and significantly increased braking distances on fresh or compact snow and ice
  • Isolated reports of extreme premature wear or complete tread failure under 20,000 miles
  • Structural deformation issues reported by at least one user
All owner themes in the Solus KL21 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Continental CrossContact LX Sport

Mixed

Community sentiment regarding the Continental Cross Contact LX Sport is mixed, with drivers frequently noting it as a standard factory OEM equipment on various SUVs and EVs. While some owners praise its low road noise, comfort, and solid dry handling, others criticize it for poor wet traction, quick tread wear, and issues like flaking or chunking. Many drivers consider replacing them with alternatives from Michelin, Pirelli, or EV-specific options once worn.

swedespeed.com ·1 upvote ·2026-03-14

“I'm a fan of the Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActives, picked those over the Cross Climate 2s for my XC90 . Not a fan of the Continental CrossContact LX Sports on the wife's 2025 XC60 . Handling in wet feels like absolute garbage, but can't justify swapping them out just yet, but plan to put the WeatherActives or Cross Climate 3s, that's if they come to the States, on her ride when tread is down. Both vehicles ride on 20" rims. I'm also a fan of Vredsteins Quartrac Pro+ and the Nokian Remedy WRG5. Looks like Nokian's Encompass AW02 are in the same vein as the Cross Climate 2 design.”
mbworld.org

“My tires were over inflated at purchase - with rears on my 2020 GLC 300 SUV showing 41.5 PSi, and the fronts were ~ 38.5 PSI. Checked cold tire pressure around sunrise this morning with temperature around 50 degrees. Using a high quality tire pressure gauge checked all tires this morning - and reduced pressure in all four tires to 35 PSI. Before the ride was ok but a bit stiff. Just curious if anyone is running these 18" tires and what you feel works best for your GLC 300's. I'd like to hear your thoughts & comments re: inflation pressure. 235/60 R 18 Continental Cross Contact LX Sport Tire size Inner fuel door pressurre table”
bobistheoilguy.com ·3 upvotes ·2022-10-17

“A broken screw went partially into the tire tread, cutting one of the metal wires / belts in the casing. The tire is not losing air. I am concerned the damaged wire belt could lead to a tire failure. The open divot, deeper than the tire tread, also concerns me since it can get packed with debris, damage the other intact wire, or open the hole even more or further puncturing it. Tire is 2 years old with 17k miles so it's in great shape. Continental Cross Contact LX Sport 245/50 R20. This is on my wife's Pilot so I want her to have a reliable tire with no possibility of having a failure due to this damage, if that is likely here. What do you guys think?”
Top themes
#factory OEM tire#premature tread wear#wet weather handling#EV efficiency comparison#tire pressure optimization#replacement upgrade options

Based on 27 community posts

Tire B

Kumho Solus KL21

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental CrossContact LX Sport B · Kumho Solus KL21
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available395
Rim diameters16″ – 22″17″ – 20″
Tread depth9/32″—
UTQG480 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common33

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental CrossContact LX Sport

Kumho Solus KL21

Narrow edge: Continental CrossContact LX Sport — better snow, comfort and dry. Pick the Kumho Solus KL21 if treadwear matters most to you. Kumho Solus KL21 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Solus KL21 scores 56 vs 40 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental CrossContact LX Sport scores 63 vs 52 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental CrossContact LX Sport scores 61 vs 51 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental CrossContact LX Sport scores 59 vs 52 on dry.

Tire A · Continental CrossContact LX Sport
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Tire B · Kumho Solus KL21
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CrossContact LX Sport or Solus KL21?

Which is better in the wet, CrossContact LX Sport or Solus KL21?

Continental CrossContact LX Sport, 61 vs 56 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, CrossContact LX Sport or Solus KL21?

Continental CrossContact LX Sport, 59 vs 52 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, CrossContact LX Sport or Solus KL21?

Continental CrossContact LX Sport, 63 vs 52 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, CrossContact LX Sport or Solus KL21?

Continental CrossContact LX Sport, 61 vs 51 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, CrossContact LX Sport or Solus KL21?

Kumho Solus KL21, 56 vs 40 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology