2016 Kia Sorento
WHAT WE LIKE: Eight months and 17,500 miles into our long-term Kia Sorento’s life with us, its logbook is overflowing with praise. Such as, “The Sorento strikes me as a Korean version of a Jeep Grand Cherokee.” Okay, it isn’t quite yet on that mountaintop, but you have to agree it’s a compliment.
What you notice first about the Sorento is the cockpit’s remarkable serenity, how isolated it is from road noise, and how reassuringly solid this crossover feels. As far as we could tell, most of the minor wind noise is being generated by the optional crossbars on the roof.
Kia is also getting better at interior appointments, although the company remains famous for offering a few dazzling surfaces that act as distractions. That’s the case here. Notice the rich, creamy headliner fabric flowing down the A-pillars. And there’s a lovely slash of high-gloss black plastic across the top of the dash, around the window switches, and around the door pulls. Unfortunately, the majority of the dash surface is a pebbly vinyl that would look good only in a contractor’s truck. Its principal feature is its uncanny ability to latch onto dust, dirt, and pieces of paper towel.
The center stack also looks a little downscale, but the rotary temperature controls and the HVAC switchgear are large and easily learned. In fact, all control relationships are pretty much bang-on. What’s more, the seats are surprisingly firm and so far have elicited zero complaints.
There are three driving modes: Normal, Eco, and Sport. The latter remaps the transmission so that kickdowns manifest sooner and harder and upshifts are delayed until higher revs. It’s not particularly sporty, but it offers useful engine braking on downhill grades.
The split second-row seats slide and recline. Slid to their rearmost stops, those seats offer legroom that will satisfy NBA stars. Really, it is remarkably comfortable back there, more than in a dozen more expensive SUVs. There’s also a 110-volt AC outlet in the rear, plus 12-volt and USB ports. What you won’t find, strangely, is your own fan control, because that’s located to the right of the folks who might have occupied the third row. Wouldn’t you expect the second seat to be inhabited far more often? With rear seats flattened, the cargo area extends a full six feet. No problem storing a bike back there. Heck, two campers could sleep back there.
We also love the panoramic sunroof, which is standard on the SX V-6 model. That the sun shade also automatically extends and retracts makes the whole system practical and desirable. Speaking of shades, the second-row side windows are fitted with you-pull-’em blinds, in case you’re asked to ferry the Queen to the bingo finals.
What has surprised us the most about the Sorento is that roll/dive/squat are adequately damped, at least for this soft-life crossover, and the ride is as close to perfect in this vehicular niche as you are likely to find. Looking at the 19-inch Kumho Crugens (isn’t a crugen a type of pastry?), we never would have dreamed the ride could be so supple. In fact, what the Sorento feels like is a very well-developed station wagon.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE: This may sound facile, but the Kia Sorento is one of the blandest, most universally generic-looking crossovers extant. It looks like its exterior shape coalesced from a team of 30 stylists, all too willing to head home at 3 p.m. When you lose your Sorento in Costco’s lot, you’ll wind up searching for it by color, not shape. Prepare to make accidental unlawful entry into other folks’ vehicles.
Despite the 3.3-liter V-6’s 290 horsepower, the Sorento feels rather languid, even though 60 mph is achieved in a not-so-bad 7.1 seconds. Step-off is especially poky, but at least it makes it easy to drive smoothly, and the V-6’s low levels of NVH comprise a double bonus. Observed fuel mileage so far is 21 mpg.
The steering’s heft is fine, on-center feel is excellent, and tracking is satisfactory. But the steering delivers little info about the tire-to-road interface. Worse, the electric power assist seems to fluctuate, as if tuned in steps instead of one fluid arc. It means that even if you summon a perfect steering angle on turn-in, you’ll be making corrections moments later. On the upside, the column itself is generously adjustable for reach and rake. Another oddity: Before the brakes bite, there’s a funny dead spot on initial application of the pedal. But it’s another quirk easily mastered.
You can buy a Sorento SX AWD (the second-highest trim level) at a base price of $40,995. On our long-term model, we added the roof crossbars ($225), a cargo net and tray ($165), the auto-dimming mirror ($350), a tow hitch ($395), and a windshield-washer heater ($250). All of that pushed the as-tested price to $42,180. If you’re saying, “That’s a lot for a Kia,” well, we said it first.
WHAT WENT WRONG: In Livingston, Montana, the Sorento suffered a flat right-rear tire. Changing it was a breeze until it came time to return the spare back up into its hidey-hole beneath the cargo area. That’s when it will hang up on the optional tow hitch—every damn time—becoming a sweaty ordeal requiring a two-person team not prone to cursing. Plus, be willing to sacrifice one T-shirt.
So far, nothing on our Sorento has broken. It has undergone two scheduled services, and that’s it. On the other hand, the automatic cargo-hatch opener is prone to balk and fuss, as if it’s about to stage a coup. Also, someone gently backed into the Kia’s rear hindquarters, breaking a section of red reflective plastic—not all of it, just half of it. It’s difficult to notice, so we’ll have to decide whether it’s worth replacing.
WHERE WE WENT: Apart from a trip to Chicago, the Sorento was pretty much a homebody. Until, that is, road warrior Mad Max Mortimer aimed its grille west, checking out Mount Rushmore and eventually depositing the car with the editor of our Montana Desk, where nothing at all was happening. Since then, the Sorento has accomplished a serene trip to Livingston, Montana, the home of reclusive writers and Hollywood celebs, all of whom eventually migrate to the Murray Bar, as did we. As this is written, the Sorento is headed to Milwaukee by way of Denver, then back to the Montana Desk, where nothing at all is still happening.
Months in Fleet: 8 months Current Mileage: 17,575 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 21 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 18.8 gal Fuel Range: 390 miles
Service: $238 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $15
Specifications >
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: $42,180 (base price: $25,795)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 204 cu in, 3342 cc
Power: 290 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 252 lb-ft @ 5300 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 109.4 in
Length: 187.4 in
Width: 74.4 in Height: 66.5 in
Passenger volume: 143 cu ft
Cargo volume: 11 cu ft
Curb weight: 4378 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 7.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 19.5 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 33.9 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.6 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.9 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.7 sec @ 91 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 121 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 174 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.80 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 17/23 mpg
C/D observed: 21 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
5 years/60,000 miles bumper to bumper;
10 years/100,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/100,000 miles corrosion protection;
5 years/60,000 miles roadside assistance
Kia’s crossover SUVs have become fully competitive at the right time. The market for high-riding, roomy, and all-weather-capable machines has never been stronger, including in the heady days of sub-one-dollar gas in the 1990s. And today’s crossovers are more comfortable, more versatile, and more efficient than pretty much anything of comparable size two decades ago.
When we first encountered this third-generation Sorento, we stated that buyers couldn’t do much better in terms of value, style, quality, and capability in the three-row-SUV segment. Two subsequent short exposures at our Ann Arbor headquarters confirmed that Kia had indeed cooked up something savory. But would those impressions hold up over a full, 40,000-mile long-term test?
We restrained ourselves when we spec’d our Sorento, going for the penultimate $40,795 SX trim level rather than the full-hog SX Limited, a.k.a. the SXL. (The Sorento starts at $25,795.) So we’re missing out on some chrome exterior trim, wood interior accents, front-seat ventilation, nappa leather upholstery, and second-row heated seats—absences that cause us to lay our head on the non-heated steering wheel and weep. We’ll have to be comfortable with our crossover’s fancy 19-inch gunmetal-finish wheels, 14-way power driver’s seat, panoramic sunroof, regular leather, LED tail- and accent lights, and other goodies.
Other items baked into our particular Sorento as standard include a third-row seat; dual-zone automatic climate control; a 110-volt household electrical outlet; an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, real-time traffic, and Bluetooth connectivity; proximity entry and start; and a 7.0-inch TFT screen in the gauge cluster. Oh, and SX-exclusive red-painted brake calipers, which are very important. To all of that we added $1385 in small items—among them a tow hitch, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a washer-fluid heater—for a final tally of $42,180. Okay, life ain’t so bad.
As for the engine, our choice was simple: The SX is available only with a 3.3-liter V-6, although the Sorento line also offers a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder (L and LX) and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder (standard in the EX and SXL). The V-6 suits us just fine. While the Sorento’s 2.0T is strong enough to pull around 4200 pounds (or more) of CUV, the market’s swift adoption of downsized turbocharged engines means we don’t get to play around with naturally aspirated six-cylinders much these days, and the six is rated to tow 5000 pounds versus the 2.0-liter’s 3500. Our observed fuel economy so far—19 mpg—isn’t stellar, but it matches the EPA combined rating and is only 1 mpg lower than we saw in our test of an AWD turbo four-cylinder model.
Initial commentary has largely been positive. “This might just be the best modern Kia,” wrote our very first logbook commenter, online editor Alexander Stoklosa. “Big bounds forward in ride quality,” opined technical director Eric Tingwall, referencing an occasional bugaboo in previous Sorentos, “and the body control is spot-on.” The crossover’s interior roominess, general comfort, and solid structural feel have also drawn compliments, as have the interior materials, which wouldn’t be out of place in a vehicle with a luxury badge on the nose.
Not all has been rosy, however, and the steering has come in for the most complaints. The system in the SX (and in the SXL) differs from other Sorentos in that it mounts the electric-assist motor on the steering rack rather than on the column, in the interest of providing better feel. We’re not sure Kia should have gone to the trouble of developing two setups. The early returns show the steering in our Sorento to be afflicted by numbness and a tendency to require minute corrections during straight-line cruising, as are some other Kia vehicles. In addition, multiple drivers have commented on the steering’s “notchiness,” as when you’re holding the wheel in a steady curve (think cloverleaf ramp) and making small inputs, you can feel the boost ebb and flow. “It’s as if the EPS [electric power steering] was tuned to follow stair steps rather than a smooth curve,” said Tingwall.
All in all, our long-term test is off to an auspicious start, and the Sorento hasn’t created any outright detractors. Of course, we have 35,000 more miles to cover—and plenty of logbook pages to fill.
Months in Fleet: 3 months Current Mileage: 4997 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 19 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 18.8 gal Fuel Range: 360 miles
Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Specifications >
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: $42,180 (base price: $25,795)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 204 cu in, 3342 cc
Power: 290 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 252 lb-ft @ 5300 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 109.4 in
Length: 187.4 in
Width: 74.4 in Height: 66.5 in
Passenger volume: 143 cu ft
Cargo volume: 11 cu ft
Curb weight: 4378 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 7.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 19.5 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 33.9 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.6 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.9 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.7 sec @ 91 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 121 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 174 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.80 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 17/23 mpg
C/D observed: 19 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
5 years/60,000 miles bumper to bumper;
10 years/100,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/100,000 miles corrosion protection;
5 years/60,000 miles roadside assistance
