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Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento is a mid-size SUV. It was first launched in 2003, launched alongside competitors Nissan Murano and Honda Pilot. Sales of the Sorento have been strong, becoming Kia's best-selling model in the United States.
See Wikicars' comprehensive Kia Sorento Review.
Recent Changes
Styles and Major Options
Pricing
Today's actual prices for the Kia Sorento can be found at CarsDirect.
Sorento Trims |
||||
Base Model 2WD |
LX 2WD |
EX 2WD |
LX 4WD |
EX 4WD |
MSRP |
||||
$19,995 |
$22,595 |
$24,295 |
$24,595 |
$26,195 |
Invoice |
||||
$19,050 |
$21,420 |
$22,620 |
$23,270 |
$24,370 |
Gas Mileage
As seen on the FuelEconomy.gov website, the City/Highway MPG averages are as follows:
Trim |
|||
MPG |
|||
18/24 |
17/23 |
17/23 |
17/22 |
Reliability
Long-term reliability information is yet unavailable for the newest Sorento, but the 2004 model received all around Green ratings from Automotive Information Systems, indicating minimal problems in all categories.
Safety
Photos
Colors
Available colors will vary by trim, and a complete list is viewable at CarsDirect.com. Some of the possible combinations include:
Exterior
- Alpine Gray
- Black
- Ice Blue
- Radiant Red
- Silver
- Spark Blue
- White
Interior
- Beige
- Black
- Gray
Main Competitors
- Honda Pilot
- Volkswagen Touareg
- Nissan Murano
- Ford Explorer
- Chevrolet TrailBlazer
- Toyota Highlander
- Jeep Commander
- Mercury Mountaineer
- Nissan Pathfinder
Hybrid Models
There are currently no hybrid models of the Sorento in production.
Unique Attributes
Resale Values
According to Kelley Blue Book, "the Sorento is expected to hold about the same resale value as its closest competitors, at or just a few percentage points below the values projected for the Jeep Liberty, Hummer H3 and Nissan Xterra. With an expected 53 percent value retention rate at 24 months, the Sorento beats the Nissan Pathfinder, Ford Explorer and Mitsubishi Endeavor in resale value."
Criticisms
- "The ride is okay, based on our few-hour drive, though in 2wd the rear tires got skittish on gravelly curves at modest speed." - AutoWeek
- "The EX has splashes of 'woodgrain' trim, which is plastic doing a poor job imitating wood." - New Car Test Drive
- "The two-wheel drive Sorento models are powered by their rear wheels and don't offer the level of traction in ice, snow or mud provided by the front-wheel drive competitors. The V6 performs well but is only mediocre on fuel economy." - Kelley Blue Book
Current Generation: (2003–Present)
The Sorento has two transmission options: a 5-speed manual or 4/5-speed automatic transmission (pre-2005 models have a 4 speed automatic, whilst 2005 Sorentos come with a 5 speed tip-tronic style automatic transmission). Sorentos are equipped with a Hyundai-manufactured 3.5L 24-valve DOHC V6 producing 192 Horsepower at 5500 rpm, producing 217 ft·lbf of torque @ 3,000 rpm. The Sorento is very capable off-road, with an automatic 4-wheel drive system featuring low range gearing. A sport package is available for the LX base model which adds a 5 speed manual transmission, fog lamps, alloy wheels, step bars, a leather wrapped steering wheel, a roof rack and remote keyless entry. All American Sorentos also come with dual front airbags and dual side-curtain airbags in the front and rear. The 4x4 system is a shift-on-the-fly nob located usually on the lower panel to the left of the steering column. Three modes available are Two-Wheel Drive, Four-High, and Four-Low. On-dash indicators show when the Four Wheel Drive System is active.
Common features of the Sorento family are 4 wheel disc brakes (standard on all models) Optional ABS Braking System, and a 21.1-gallon fuel tank. Also standard is a battery saving feature which prevents wearing out the battery by leaving your headlights turned on (a shutoff engages when the key is removed from the ignition, even if the lights were left turned on). The chassis of the vehicle is also based on a ladder frame design which is more often used in building trucks. This lends a rigidity to the Sorento that other vehicles in its class lack, even at the same price point. (See Also: unibody)
Dimensions information from the Kia Motors Website:
DIMENSIONS | LX and EX |
Wheelbase | 106.7 in. |
Track, front / rear | 62.2 |
Length | 179.8 in. |
Width | 73.3 in. (LX) 74.2 in. (EX) |
Height | 68.1 in. (LX) 71.3 in. (EX) |
Ground clearance | 8.2 in. |
Approach angle | 28.4 degrees |
Departure angle | 26.7 degrees |
Head room (front/rear) | 39.7/39.5 in. 38.3/38 in. (sunroof) |
Shoulder room (front/rear) | 58.9/58.4 in. |
Leg room (front/rear) | 42.6/36.1 in. |
Hip room (front/rear) | 55.3/58 in. |
SAE volume, interior | 138.4 cu. ft. |
SAE volume, front seat | 57.6 cu. ft. |
SAE volume, rear seat | 49.4 cu. ft. |
SAE volume, cargo | 31.4 cu. ft. |
SAE volume, rear seat folded down | 66.4 cu. ft. |
Future Generations
The Kia Sorento will be redesigned for the 2008 model year, and it is possible it might be a rebadged Hyundai Santa Fe on the Sonata platform.
First Generation/Origins
Worldwide
Design quirks and oddities
Awards
See also
References
- http://www.internetautoguide.com/reviews/45-int/sport-utility-vehicles/kia/sorento/2004/
- http://www.autobuyguide.com/2005/09-aut/kia/sorento/
External links
This page uses content from Wikipedia; see Kia Sorento, which includes these contributors.