2016 Kia Sorento Limited V6 Review - Not Your Father's Kia [Video]
2016 Kia Sorento Limited V6
Kia gained a well-deserved reputation in the ’90s for cheap and nasty transportation, but lately they are the greatest social climber since Cinderella. “2016 Kia” and “1996 Kia” are totally different from one another. Even “2006 Kia” seems like a distant memory.
Unusual for a car company, Kia doesn’t shy away from its troubled beginnings in America, which can be seen both in its marketing toward the press and in its product portfolio.
The 2016 Sorento is a perfect example. While the model we were lent for a week is a solid contender to the Ford Edge, Toyota Highlander and even the Acura MDX, Kia also sells a model priced at $24,900, just above the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape.
Does this make the Sorento conflicted? Or is the Korean born, German designed and American built crossover the “just right” CUV?
Before we go further, let’s talk about the elephants in the room: the Hyundai Santa Fe twins.
Obviously, with Kia and Hyundai joined at the financial and technical hip, the Sorento is related to the 3-row Santa Fe and the 2-row Santa Fe Sport. However, instead of creating Kia copies of those models (like GM would do), the engineers split the difference and gave us a CUV between the Hyundai pair in size, available as either a 2-row or a 3-row crossover.
Exterior
The Korean marque’s latest modus operandi also includes updating products heavily and frequently, and so is the case with the Sorento.
Back in 2010 when Kia launched the new Sorento, it was the first Kia built in the United States and the first Sorento that didn’t look like an awkward copy of a first generation Lexus LX. For 2014, massive changes were made that turned the Sorento into a strong value alternative to the Edge, but with restrained exterior styling. For 2016, Kia brings yet another Sorento with massive mechanical changes and a much more stylish and dramatic exterior. While I still see a little Volkswagen-meets-Audi styling in the Sorento’s tail lamps, this kind of homage is more flattery than imitation — or maybe heritage considering Hyundai-Kia’s current head of group design. The front end is dominated by Kia’s distinctive three-dimensional “tiger nose” grille that uses protruding plastic “fingers” instead of slats or bars like most other crossovers.
Although the 2016 model receives a three-inch stretch over the 2014 Sorento, this is still a “tweener” crossover at 187.4 inches long. The Sorento is just about the same size as a 2-row Ford Edge despite the availability of a third row. That means the 7-seat Sorento is 4- to 5-inches shorter than the likes of the Toyota Highlander or Dodge Journey, but 8-10 inches longer than the average compact crossover, such as the RAV4.
Interior
Base model front seats lack power adjustment or adjustable lumbar support. LX trims can option up to a 10-way driver’s seat with 2-way lumbar support that’s standard on EX. SX and Limited trims get a 14-way seat with a power-extending thigh cushion and 4-way lumbar. Base seats are as comfortable as most entry compact crossovers, mid level seats are as comfortable as you find in the Jeep Grand Cherokee or Edge, and the top-end seats beat the Lexus RX and Acura MDX when it comes to comfort and adjustability.
The Sorento’s second row features thickly padded seats in every version with a practical 40/20/40 split-folding design. While the seats themselves are among the most comfortable in every class the Sorento competes, and headroom is generous, the crossover’s compact dimensions mean legroom is tighter than options such as the Edge, Highlander and Grand Cherokee, not to mention the full-sized options like the Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder. This means with the front seat adjusted for my 6-foot frame, I had about two inches of legroom in the middle row — adequate for sure, but not expansive like the larger crossovers where you will find several more inches of room. The reason for the less expansive midsection is that Kia reserves a surprisingly generous amount of legroom for the way-back.
Our tester’s third row actually sported more legroom than that found in the Toyota Highlander and only a hair less than found in the Acura MDX. This is the prime reason we find less room in the second row, but it does strike me as an unusual choice since the Sorento doesn’t gain any room in the second row if you delete the third. Although the third row bench is practically on the floor, Kia compensates with one of the plusher third row benches available. In top end models, they also grant the third row the same perforated nappa leather covering as the rest.
Infotainment and Gadgets
Our model had the top-of-the-line 8-inch UVO navigation system paired with an Infinity surround sound speaker system. UVO still lacks the voice command functionality of your media library that you’ll find in most of the mass-market competition, but this is the only serious omission in this software. The UVO interface is snappy, supports scrolling/drag motions with your fingers, and the voice recognition software is intuitive. The display is large and easy to read in strong daylight and the user interface is sleek and modern. Although Kia has not released an official statement to this effect, it was implied that 2016 Sorentos will likely have an upgrade path to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto when I was at the Optima launch event a few weeks ago.
The new Sorento is available with all of Kia’s latest gadgets and gizmos brought down from their flagship sedan, including a 360-degree camera system a la Infiniti, full speed range adaptive radar cruise control, a 7-inch partial LCD instrument cluster, forward collision warning and auto brake hold. Coupled with the heated/ventilated seats, heated rear seats and heated steering wheel, the Sorento had arguably more luxury features than the Acura MDX I’m driving right now.
Drivetrain
The engine bay is another area where the “tweener” status of the Sorento is obvious. The Nissan Murano, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Edge don’t feature naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines. On the flip side, the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5 and other compact crossovers don’t offer turbo or V-6 options. Towing capacity ranges from 2,000 pounds in the base model to 5,000 pounds if you add the V-6 and all-wheel drive, putting the Sorento on essentially the same footing as most 3-row CUVs. Unlike most of the other crossovers, Kia includes a “lock” button that can lock the center clutch pack at low speeds. Although the differentials remain open units, engaging this mode makes the Sorento’s all-wheel drive system behave more like the always-on Subaru systems below speeds of 20 mph.
Drive
That bodes well for the Sorento in the mass market segment because Toyota’s latest Highlander is no slouch. Toyota shoes their mid-sized pony with 245 width tires even in the base four-cylinder model and no Highlander is marshmallowy soft anymore. Following form, Kia puts 235 width tires on all Sorento models (the Kia compensates by being several hundred pounds lighter), which is a big differentiator between it and the RAV4 crowd.
Even with the 235/55 tires and 19-inch wheels our model wore, the ride was well composed and didn’t feel upset until pressed hard in corners on broken pavement. Although the rear became momentarily upset in these situations, it was predictable, required effort to achieve and quickly settled down when I was done. The composed theme is furthered by the hushed cabin. As with other items on the Sorento, the sound deadening is another cost cutting measure on lower end models; LX-and-below trims lack the acoustic glass found in our tester. Looking on this another way, however, Sorento models over $31,000 (which is incidentally where the V-6 Highlander starts) will have sound blocking windows. This is something you normally don’t get until you step up to the likes of the Lexus RX and Acura MDX.
When it comes to the numbers, the Sorento scored exceptionally well in our braking tests, stopping from 60 mph in 118 feet with minimal fade in the second panic stop. The one significant thing that changes from the lower- to upper-end models: Kia swaps out the Kumho tires for some quieter and slightly grippier Michelins which help handling and braking distances. The one thing the tires can’t fix is the decidedly average 6.92 second 0-60 run or the disappointing 19.1 miles per gallon I averaged during my week. Admittedly the Sorento beat the V-6 Highlander to 60 and yielded exactly the same fuel economy average Kia claims, but the heavier Highlander and Pilot both manage to be slightly more thrifty with the gas card. Of course, Kia does have the more efficient turbo engine that gives up 2/10ths on the 0-60 run and the third row in exchange for a 22-percent improvement in fuel economy.
And that’s the rub with the engine selection: you can’t get the mother-in-law row with the boosted four, only the V-6 and rare 2.4-liter LX model with a $1,200 option box checked.
The Sorento’s biggest advantage is, as expected, the value proposition. At the high-end it is nearly $10,000 less than an Acura MDX despite having a longer powertrain warranty. In the midline trims, you get more features than a Highlander for the same price and, again, a longer warranty. Even at the bottom of the Sorento food chain, where it’s a step up from the Escape and RAV in terms of price, the Sorento compensates with a bigger cargo area, optional third row, and, you guessed it, a longer warranty. This is the biggest change for Kia over the last 10 years. They went from justifying their cheap interiors and me-too styling with “we’re cheaper!” taglines to giving you an ostensibly better product than the competition for the same dollar. That is perhaps the truest version of value.
Short-term value was Kia’s hallmark last decade with low starting prices and below average reliability. However, this seems to be a different Kia. The Korean company’s predicted reliability metrics are now at traditional Japanese levels with even Consumer Reports projecting a happy ownership experience. For the less badge conscious, the Sorento is a screaming deal. For folks like me watching from the peanut gallery, I’m wondering how long it will be before Kia starts pricing their wares like the frankly impressive cars they are today. If Kia keeps this up, they won’t have a problem jumping the last hurdle: convincing Toyota/Honda shoppers to visit a Kia dealer.
Kia provided the vehicle, insurance and one tank of gas for this review
Specifications as tested
0-30: 2.7 Seconds
0-60: 6.92 Seconds
1/4 Mile: 15.25 Seconds @ 92 MPH
More by Alex L. Dykes
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- Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh A prelude is a bad idea. There is already Acura with all the weird sport trims. This will not make back it's R&D money.
- Analoggrotto I don't see a red car here, how blazing stupid are you people?
- Redapple2 Love the wheels
- Redapple2 Good luck to them. They used to make great cars. 510. 240Z, Sentra SE-R. Maxima. Frontier.
- Joe65688619 Under Ghosn they went through the same short-term bottom-line thinking that GM did in the 80s/90s, and they have not recovered say, to their heyday in the 50s and 60s in terms of market share and innovation. Poor design decisions (a CVT in their front-wheel drive "4-Door Sports Car", model overlap in a poorly performing segment (they never needed the Altima AND the Maxima...what they needed was one vehicle with different drivetrain, including hybrid, to compete with the Accord/Camry, and decontenting their vehicles: My 2012 QX56 (I know, not a Nissan, but the same holds for the Armada) had power rear windows in the cargo area that could vent, a glass hatch on the back door that could be opened separate from the whole liftgate (in such a tall vehicle, kinda essential if you have it in a garage and want to load the trunk without having to open the garage door to make room for the lift gate), a nice driver's side folding armrest, and a few other quality-of-life details absent from my 2018 QX80. In a competitive market this attention to detai is can be the differentiator that sell cars. Now they are caught in the middle of the market, competing more with Hyundai and Kia and selling discounted vehicles near the same price points, but losing money on them. They invested also invested a lot in niche platforms. The Leaf was one of the first full EVs, but never really evolved. They misjudged the market - luxury EVs are selling, small budget models not so much. Variable compression engines offering little in terms of real-world power or tech, let a lot of complexity that is leading to higher failure rates. Aside from the Z and GT-R (low volume models), not much forced induction (whether your a fan or not, look at what Honda did with the CR-V and Acura RDX - same chassis, slap a turbo on it, make it nicer inside, and now you can sell it as a semi-premium brand with higher markup). That said, I do believe they retain the technical and engineering capability to do far better. About time management realized they need to make smarter investments and understand their markets better.
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This car makes no sense at $46,000. When you load up a Kia to top spec like this, you may as well get something else that'll have better resale value and a non-discount badge.
I saw one of these for 49 large. I'm sorry but that is insane money for any Kia crossover with average performance, fuel economy and steering. The 32-35K versions make a lot more sense. For 50 large I would much rather have the new XT5 or even the MDX with far more luxury pedigree and superior more powerful engines.