What is it?
The
first time we saw a Kia Sorento
was back in 2003, when it was a body-on-frame SUV with a forgettable exterior
and handling straight from the 1990s. But the last time we saw the Sorento --
just a few days ago -- we discovered a premium crossover with far more than
just a 100,000-mile warranty to get buyers into the seats.
The
2016 model is very much a product of the company's push upmarket in terms of
design, materials and features that also brought us the surprisingly talented
and smooth K900 luxury liner. This isn't the Kia of what seems like just
yesterday.
With
the 2016 redesign, Kia has stretched
the Sorento in length and width, adding more than 3 inches to the wheelbase to
create more useable space inside while adding soft-touch materials to the clean
and uncluttered cabin. On the engineering side, Kia has increased torsional
rigidity by 14 percent compared to the outgoing model, while adding plenty of
high-strength steel to improve handling.
In
terms of design, the front fascia has received the corporate "tiger
nose" grille, with the exterior also gaining chrome details designed to
add a luxurious feel to the body. The lines of the new crossover try to paint a
series of horizontal lines, meant to visually convey motion and stability, with
the slabby doors of the outgoing model giving way to more sculptured surfaces.
The low-set skirts try to make the redesigned Sorento appear to sit lower
visually, while the low-profile roof rails and the rear spoiler cap also work
to add a sense of motion to the overall design.
An
all-new engine is on board: a turbocharged 2.0-liter GDI four-cylinder good for
240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, sending power to all four wheels via a
six-speed automatic transmission. A naturally aspirated 2.4-liter inline-four
continues in the lower trim levels, producing 185 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque,
while at the top of the range, there is a 3.3-liter V6 good for 290 hp and 252
lb-ft of torque. All three engines are offered with front-wheel drive or
all-wheel drive, while it's the V6 Sorento
that offers a third row of seats... preferably for smaller passengers since
this is still a midsize crossover half a dozen sizes down from the Chevy
Suburban.
There
are plenty of luxury features on the menu, including heated and ventilated
front seats, heated rear seats, premium napa leather surfaces like those on the
K900, a panoramic sunroof and a 630-watt, 12-speaker Infinity audio system with
Clari-Fi music restoration technology. A 4.3-inch color touchscreen is standard
on the Sorento, while an 8-inch capacitive color touchscreen is optional and
includes a backup camera, in addition to downloadable apps from iTunes like
iHeart Radio, Yelp and Pandora. The infotainment system includes functions like
Geo-fencing, Curfew Alert, Speed Alert and Driving Score, the latter of which
offers feedback to improve fuel economy.
In
terms of safety tech, the state of the art has evolved since the debut of the
second-generation model five years ago, and the 2016 Sorento offers a
surround-view monitor, a forward collision warning system, smart cruise
control, blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert, as well as brake
assist, hill-start assist, traction control and electronic brake force
distribution. The last four systems are standard on the Sorento, with the all-wheel
drive models also featuring cornering brake control and rollover mitigation.
The
Sorento is offered in a choice of five flavors: L, LX, EX, SX and SXL, with the
base model starting at $25,795 and stretching all the way up to $43,995 for the
SXL V6 model. We spent a week with the Sorento SXL equipped with the new turbo
engine, and it is this engine that Kia hopes will tempt
most buyers by offering a middle step between the older 2.4-liter I-4 and V6.
What's it like to drive?
The
turbo 2.0-liter TGDI is the star of this show, offering smooth power delivery
though a very nicely spaced automatic gearbox that behaves in the way all
automatic transmissions should. There is a predictable surge of power on the
throttle as the turbo seamlessly adds boost, and, coupled with the good chassis
response, the Sorento is a surprisingly
agile performer on back roads.
The
solid feel of the chassis at speed combined with impressive sound insulation
give the Sorento
the feel of a smaller and higher-riding K900; softer works well here, and we
wouldn't expect sports-sedan feedback here or paddle shifters, found on some
other midsize family haulers.
Do I want it?
The
latest Sorento is a luxury
crossover operating in stealth mode, even though everything is out in the open,
including the expensive-looking exterior and genuinely cozy interior. The turbo
2.0-liter with 240 hp makes the V6 almost redundant, even though buyers will
have to go for the slightly beefier engine to get a third row of seats, so it
makes plenty of sense for Kia to add this midrange powerplant to the lineup.
Our Sorento started at
$42,595 and was optioned up to $45,305 with the Tech package, which included
HID headlights, advanced smart cruise control, forward collision warning and a
surround view monitor, in addition to carpeted floor mats, ending up with an
out-the-door price of $45,305. There is a whole naval task force of midsize
crossovers in this segment, some of them positioning themselves as premium, but
few of them actually achieve a luxury-sedan feel with the effortlessness that
the Sorento does.
With a
starting price of $42,595, the AWD Sorento is no small
purchase, but its competition needs just as much if not more thrown at them to
offer up an interior this nice with handling and feel that won't be as
convincing.
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