A funny thing happened when I took this Sorento out on my quick drive loop. The loop takes less than an hour but provides a decent mix of freeway/highways and twisty canyon roads. Anyway, about that funny thing. On the way back to the office, "Rio" by Duran Duran came on the radio (yes, I was listening to the '80s satellite station). And in addition the fine ladies and the cool yacht in that video, I was reminded how far Kia had come in less than 10 years. I remember doing a road test on the first-generation Rio and my feeling was I'd rather buy a two-year old Honda Civic instead. But like its parent company Hyundai, Kia has turned themselves around. Follow the jump for my quick take on the new Sorento.
The Styling:
Handsomely sculpted, the new Sorento could almost pass for an premium brand crossover. And even though the dash and door tops are covered in hard plastic, the tasteful graining and lack of sheen had me thinking they were soft-touch vinyl instead, until I did the requisite tap test. Key touch points such as the door armrests are nicely finished (those feature stitching to match the seats) and the various controls have a quality feel to their actions.
The Drive:
From the crisp "thunk" of the door closing, to the heft of the steering weighting (which I like) to the firmness of the suspension, the Sorento felt more German than Korean. The tauter suspension calibrations allowed me to have a little fun in the canyons, grooving along at a brisk (but not crazy) pace as I settled into the rhythm of those familiar turns. But as Chris Walton pointed out in his full test, the Sorento can be a bit stiff legged on sharper impacts, like the kind you may experience on the poorly/not maintained roads you'll find around greater Los Angeles. The robust, 276-hp V6 partners well with the smooth six-cog automatic. No need to flat-foot it for a downshift as the tranny is alert and also smart enough to hold a lower gear while moving up grades. And this spirited, three-row, midsize crossover was even pulling some pretty good mileage numbers; according to the trip computer the Sorento was averaging over 21 mpg.
The Comfort and Features:
Another aspect of the Sorento reminded me of German brands -- the firm, well-shaped front seats. My back has been bugging me the last few days (compressed L4 disc gets ornery sometimes) but I was comfortable in the Kia. One thing that struck me odd in this feature-laden ride (dual-zone auto climate control, keyless ignition/entry, back-up camera) was the single-setting front seat heaters. Yep, either on or off. But to their credit "on" is toasty enough but not bun burning. The ride is quiet at freeway speeds and comfortable except on badly broken pavement.
By carguy622
on August 12, 2010
07:02 AM
You've come a long way baby...
Amazing how far Hyundai and Kia have come in the last decade. Each new model seems like a quantum leap from the previous one.
I'm not fond of the rear end styling on the Sorento though. It's too blocky and bland. Other than that, seems like a nice car.
By subytrojan
on August 12, 2010
08:51 AM
Nice blog entry, JDP!