2011 Kia Sorento Review and Prices

by Chuck Giametta

 2011 KIA SORENTO BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Kia Sorento is the best crossover SUV for you if you’re ready for a surprise from South Korea by way of the American South.

• The 2011 Kia Sorento competes on price with compact-class crossovers such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAVC4 but has the driving feel of larger, costlier midsize SUVs, such as the Honda Pilot and Chevrolet Equinox. It’s the first U.S.-built vehicle from rapidly expanding Kia, a division of South Korean carmaker Hyundai. Kia offered no model-year 2010 version of the 2003-2009 Sorento, concentrating instead on producing the redesigned 2011 model at its new factory in rural West Point, Georgia.

• Should you wait for the 2011 Kia Sorento? Yes. Wait for the 2011 Sorento if you fancy a modestly sized crossover that squeezes in a third-row seat for times you need to carry a couple extra kids home from swim lessons. It’s pleasant to drive, affordable, and styled just assertively enough so dad won’t feel stigmatized – Kia’s term – behind the wheel.     

2011 KIA SORENTO CHANGES

• Styling: Against the competition, the 2011 Kia Sorento is a bit of a ‘tweener: larger than most compact-class crossovers, such as the Honda CR-V, but smaller than the midsize norm, typified by the Ford Edge. It’s also among the few compact crossovers to offer three-row seating. The 2011 Sorento is a crossover because it blends SUV design cues with car-like, unibody construction in which body and frame form one unit. This contrasts with old-school SUV design, in which the body is bolted to a separate frame. Unibody is lighter for better fuel economy and is today’s prevailing SUV design. Body-on-frame is heavier-duty and stronger for towing and hauling and today is the province mostly of pickup trucks. The made-in-South Korea 2003-2009 Sorento was body-on-frame and seated five. By comparison, the 2011 Sorento seats up to seven yet is some 400 pounds lighter. It’s about a half-inch shorter in wheelbase (the distance between front and rear axles) than its predecessor, but its body is 3.2-inches longer and slightly wider and lower. Styling is more modern, too, with trendy chiseled edges instead of jelly-bean contours. The handsomest view takes in the grille, which sweeps into the headlamps and has a distinctive “tabbed” frame. Large taillamps that illuminate with a crosshatch subsurface are another visual highlight. Less flattering is the dated-looking black plastic cladding that girdles the lower body. And a wagon-like roofline that tapers to the rear favors style over cargo volume. The rear end has echoes of the Audi Q5 compact crossover, evidence perhaps of former Audi designer Peter Schreyer’s hand in the 2011 Sorrento’s styling. The 2011 Kia Sorento debuts with a four-model lineup: base, LX, EX, and EX V-6.

• Mechanical: The 2011 Kia Sorento gets in step with the crossover-SUV pack not only by virtue of its unibody design but also with a powertrain that’s basically front-wheel drive and features four-cylinder and V-6 engines. The previous Sorento had a rear-wheel-drive-based powertrain and featured two V-6 engines. The 2011 Sorento also has a modern independent rear suspension versus its predecessor’s solid rear axle. Essentially, the 2011 Sorento adopts the engines and underskin engineering of the Hyundai Santa Fe, a crossover SUV built by the parent company at its own plant in Alabama. The 2011 Sorento’s base, LX, and EX models use a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 175 horsepower and 169 pound-feet of torque. The 2011 Sorento EX V-6 gets a 3.5-liter V-6 with 276 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. (Torque is most of what you really feel as you press the accelerator.) The 2011 Sorento base model comes only with a six-speed manual transmission; all other 2011 Sorento models have a six-speed automatic with a floor shifter than can be flicked to mimic manual gear control. All 2011 Sorentos come with front-wheel drive, which places the weight of the engine over the front tires for better traction on slippery surfaces than rear-wheel drive. Optional on all but the base model is all-wheel drive (AWD). It normally operates in front-wheel drive but automatically reapportions power to the rear wheels when the fronts lose traction. That’s standard crossover practice, but Kia’s AWD system also includes a dashboard button that locks in a 50/50 front/rear torque split to provide extra traction at low speeds, a feature absent on some AWD crossovers. Unlike its predecessor, the 2011 Sorento isn’t meant for off-roading so its AWD system sticks with the crossover norm and doesn’t include low-range gearing. Towing capacity is a class-average 3,500 pounds with the V-6, 2,000 pounds with the four-cylinder.   

• Features: The 2011 Kia Sorento follows the Hyundai/Kia strategy of overwhelming like-priced competitors with standard features – and sometimes with features rivals don’t offer at all. In the latter category count the panoramic sunroof optional on the 2011 Sorento EX V-6; it essentially replaces most of the steel roof with a generously sized tilt/slide-opening moonroof over the front seats and a large, fixed glass pane over the rears. Every 2011 Sorrento comes with air conditioning (dual-zone automatic on EX models), a trip computer, and a height-adjustable driver’s seat. Also standard is a tilt/telescope steering wheel. It features redundant controls for the audio system and also for the cruise control and Bluetooth hands-free cell-phone connectivity included as standard on all models. All 2011 Sorentos also come with iPod control via auxiliary as well as USB ports. Standard safety equipment includes head-protecting curtain side airbags for the first two seating rows, four-wheel antilock brakes, and an antiskid system. Standard on all but the base model are heated mirrors with LED turn-signal indicators. Optional on all but the base Sorento are heated front seats and a rearview backup camera that displays on a portion of the inside rearview mirror. Rear-obstacle sonar detection is standard on EX models, optional on the LX. EX models also come with a power driver’s seat and pushbutton ignition via a keyfob that need not be removed from purse or pocket. EXs are also the only 2011 Sorentos available with leather upholstery or the navigation system, which features voice-activation. The 50/50 split-folding third-row seat is standard on the EX V-6, optional on the LX and EX four-cylinder models. Only the EX V-6 can be ordered with an optional a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. All 2011 Sorentos have alloy wheels -- 17-inchers on base and LX models, 18s on EXs.

2011 KIA SORENTO PRICES

• The 2011 Kia Sorento pricing pits its four-cylinder models against four-cylinder versions of the Toyota RAV4 and against the Honda CR-V, which comes only with a four-cylinder engine. The four-cylinder Sorrentos generally deliver more standard and optional features per dollar than those and most other four-cylinder crossovers, but to get competitive performance in the Sorrento line, you have to move up to the EX V-6 model, where the South Korean’s price advantage narrows versus V-6 rivals.

• The 2011 Sorento base model is priced from $20,790. (Prices in this review include the manufacturer’s destination fee, which is $795 for the 2011 Sorento. Note that the 2011 Sorento base model is a stripper designed to snare price-based Internet searches. Limited to front-wheel drive and manual transmission, it’ll account for no more than 5 percent of 2011 Sorento production.

• The lion’s share of 2011 Sorento sales – as much as 50 percent, says Kia -- will be the LX model. This is the level at which such basic amenities as an automatic up-down power driver’s window, illuminated vanity mirror, and rear-seat center armrest kick in. The 2011 Kia Sorrento LX is priced from $23,190 with front-wheel drive and from $24,890 with AWD. Kia says the typical LX buyer will order a front-wheel-drive version with the third-row seat, a $700 option that must be ordered along with the Convenience Package, a $1,000 option that includes desirables such as rear sonar, rearview backup camera, and heated front seats. That would boost an LX to $24,890 with front-drive and to $26,590 with AWD.

• Move up to the 2011 Kia Sorento EX and the base price is $25,390 with front-wheel drive and $27,090 with AWD. EX models come with the 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic-on headlamps, rear spoiler, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, pushbutton ignition. These EX four-cylinder models are available with a $1,500 Premium Package that includes leather upholstery, heated front seats and rearview camera.

• Top of the line is the 2011 Sorento EX V-6. It starts at $27,990 with front-wheel drive and $29,690 with AWD. It comes standard with the third-row seat and rear air conditioner controls.

• The Limited Package available on EX four-cylinder and EX-V6 models encompasses the content of the aforementioned Premium Package, plus the navigation system, a 10-speaker Infinity audio setup, 18-inch chrome-finish wheels, and interior accent “mood” lighting. This increases the price of an EX four-cylinder by $3,500, to $28,890 with front-drive and to $30,590 with AWD. To get the Limited Package on an EX V-6 you must also order the panoramic sunroof, a potential $4,700 hit that nudge the top-line Sorento to $32,690 with front-drive and $34,390 with AWD. (Note that rear DVD entertainment, a $1,000 option that includes a ceiling video screen, isn’t available in combination with the panoramic roof.)

2011 KIA SORENTO TEST DRIVE

From behind the wheel:

• Kia touted the previous Sorento’s off-road ruggedness. It unapologetically pitches the 2011 replacement as basically a station wagon aimed at young families with children under 15 years old. That demographic will be pleased by this new crossover – so long as it can live with middling performance from the four-cylinder engine and doesn’t expect surplus rear-seat leg room.

• For outstanding acceleration, you’ll need to shell out for the V-6. With power numbers usually found in more expensive midsize crossovers, this eager 3.5 delivers no-fuss thrust for easy overtaking, freeway merging, and climbing mountain grades. The four-cylinder is far less liberating. It easily maintains a 70-mph cruise but takes its sweet time getting there. It can’t muster the muscle for stress-free two-lane passing or on-ramp charges, either. And in anything but gentle acceleration, it’s notably more ragged in sound and feel than the V-6. The automatic transmission is suitably reactive, and though manual-shift mode doesn’t markedly enhance throttle response with either engine, it is useful for torque-braking on long descents. (Downhill brake control to limit speeds on short, steep declines is standard.)      

• Any 2011 Sorento happily arrows down the road with Super Chief stability. You’ll glance at the speedometer to discover you’re traveling 20 mph faster than your senses imply. Changing direction is a little less sanguine. Traction and balance are good in turns -- the 18-inch tires feel slightly but usefully grippier than the 17s – and the degree of noseplow and body lean isn’t troubling. But steering that’s so locked-in on straightaways suddenly feels artificially weighted and unnatural as you bend the Sorento into a corner. Instead of a nice, linear progression it’s as if you’re tugging the steering wheel off-center and working against springs that want to pull it back on-center. This behavior is no deal-breaker but by no means is it an asset.

Dashboard and controls:

• The front seat of a 2011 Kia Sorento is a decidedly pleasant place to be. The driver sits before a sporty steering wheel with uncommonly easy-to-use toggles and buttons for audio, cruise, and Bluetooth functions; navigation-equipped models get a voice-activation button, too. A tri-oval arrangement of main gauges is ringed in rich-looking bright plastic. Just a short reach away are controls for audio and climate system and for accessories like the seat-heaters. Everything’s clearly identified, and only the navigation buttons could be criticized as slightly undersized. The optional Infinity audio is balanced, bright, and defined even at low volume – the mark of a well-engineered system.     

• The driver gets an unobstructed view of the principal instruments and controls but has to crane around the steering-wheel rim to see buttons for AWD locking, rear washer/wiper, hill-descent, stability control, rear park assist, and dashboard lighting. Interfering with the view aft is the top of the third-row seatback; fold it down and full rear visibility is restored.             

• Kia claims “value is the new cool” and the 2011 Sorento carries the message in perceived quality of interior materials. The décor is grown-up, gimmick-free, with just enough flourish to qualify as tastefully contemporary. The leather-wrapped steering wheel and perforated leather upholstery are satisfying to the touch. Even the base cloth seating features appealing vinyl-covered bolstering. Heavily grained, matte-finished panels do a magician’s job disguising just how few padded surfaces there really are. Reality returns, however, in the cut-rate look and feel of the center-console plastic.     

Room, comfort, and utility:

• Given Sorento’s solid feel and confident cruising demeanor, driver and front passenger could be forgiven for believing they’re in the bigger, costlier Honda Pilot. Great head room, generous seat travel, and wide, comfortable buckets support the illusion. Rear seaters enjoy no such fantasy. The second row is squeezed for foot room and knee space, and though its seatback adjusts for rake, the split bench lacks the fore-aft movement common in today’s best crossovers. That may be a concession to the presence of the third-row seat, itself a knees-in-the chin, headroom-challenged cell ill-suited to anyone out of grade school.  

• Oddly, the front center armrest is elbow-bruising hard while the rear-center armrest is princess-pillow soft. Luckily, no one’s going to be jarred by a rough ride -- Sorento’s absorbent over bumps and composed on wavy surfaces. Rude noises may offend, however. Apply generous throttle with the four-cylinder and its uncouth growl prompts you to lift early. Open the unusually large moveable portion of the panoramic roof and the resulting wind roar compels you to shut the thing. Pebbly or coarse pavement forces tire noise into the cabin, too, an intrusion most evident with the 18-inch tires.

• Cargo volume skews compact-crossover rather than midsize-SUV. There’s 72.5 cubic feet with both rear rows folded, 37 cubic feet with the third-row absent or folded. Behind the third-row seatback is room enough for a few grocery bags but little more. The rear tub into which the third row folds becomes a covered storage compartment on five-passenger Sorentos. In any configuration, the load floor is high and the rear sidewalls slope inward as they rise so you’re dealing with a pinched stall rather than a big box.

2011 KIA SORENTO FUEL ECONOMY

• The 2011 Kia Sorento fuel economy is generally a happy story for four-cylinder versions, which essentially match the EPA mileage ratings of smaller, four-cylinder compact crossovers. Ratings for the EX-V-6 Sorento are basically equal to those of midsize V-6 crossovers, which tend to have slightly more rear-seat room than Sorento.

• The 2011 Sorento with the four-cylinder engine and manual transmission rates 20/27 mpg (city/highway). Four-cylinder models with automatic transmission rate 21/29 with front-wheel drive and 21/27 with AWD. The 2011 Sorento EX V-6 rates 20/26 with front-wheel drive and 19/25 with all-wheel drive.

2011 KIA SORENTO SAFETY AND RELIABILITY

• The 2011 Kia Sorento had not undergone government crash testing in time for this review, but Kia expects it to earn the maximum five stars for driver and passenger protection in both frontal and side impacts. The Hyundai Santa Fe, which employs the same structural engineering and safety features as the 2011 Sorento, rates five stars in the government testing (safecar.gov).

• The government also tests for rollover resistance. Rollovers are a leading cause of fatalities in crashes involving SUVs, pickup trucks, and other vehicles with a high center of gravity. The Hyundai Santa Fe rates well for rollover resistance, earning four of a possible five stars; no SUV tested earns five stars.

• The Kia brand rates about average in surveys of initial quality conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, the leading automotive consumer-polling firm (jdpower.com). In surveys of problems experienced during the first 90 days of ownership, Kia rated below average for powertrain and accessories quality and average in most other quality categories.
  

• In J.D. Power surveys that measure problems experienced after three years of ownership, Kia buyers rated the brand below average for overall dependability. Like every Kia, the 2011 Sorento is coved by one of the industry’s most generous warranties: 5-years/60,000-miles bumper-to-bumper, 10/100,000 powertrain.        

• Quality and dependability results for the 2011 Sorento won’t be known until well after it goes on sale. For its part, Kia, which originated as a bicycle maker in South Korea in 1951 and began selling cars in the U.S. only in 1994, says its buyers cite utility and value as their top purchase considerations. Kia officials say they want to expand the brand’s focus beyond price, practicality, and warranty to include quality, design, and technology. The transition, they say, is spearheaded by the 2011 Sorento.

2011 KIA SORENTO RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Kia Sorento went on sale Jan. 2, 2010.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE KIA SORENTO

• Near-term – possibly within the 2011 model year, certainly by model-year 2012 – look for Kia to expand the Sorento lineup. To make the stronger engine available at a lower price, it’ll likely add an LX V-6 model. At the top of range, expect a new model – probably tagged SX -- that signals its status with unique appointments and quite likely a monochromatic look instead of black cladding.  

• The redesigned Sorento won’t challenge the popularity of the CR-V, RAV4, or Ford Escape, the top sellers among compact crossovers with volumes well over 100,000 annually. But Kia’s market share is climbing. In an auto market down 21 percent overall for 2009, Kia sales were up about 10 percent. In the U.S., Kia outsells such makes as Subaru, Mazda, and Volkswagen.

2011 KIA SORENTO COMPETITION

• Chevrolet Equinox: Technically a midsize crossover, Equinox is a bright spot for Chevrolet, offering good looks and great ride quality. It favors a huge, comfortable rear seat and five-passenger capacity over compromised second- and third-row space and seven-passenger status. Equinox’s base 182-horsepower four-cylinder engine trades some performance to rate an impressive 22/32 mpg with front-drive and 20/29 with AWD. Actually, the tepid acceleration of the available V-6 is more disappointing, given its 264-horsepower output. It rates 18/25 with front-drive, 17/24 with AWD. Base prices start around $23,000 and range to just over $32,000 before options. Equinox was redesigned for model-year 2010 and could undergo a freshening for model-year 2013.

• Honda CRV: Strictly a five-seat compact-class crossover, and limited to a sometimes overworked 180-horsepower four-cylinder engine, but a formidable presence as America’s top-selling SUV. The CRV excels for accommodations, build quality, and handling. Fuel-economy of 21/28 mpg front-drive and 21/27 AWD is good but might be better with a less-taxed engine. Base price range is around $23,000-$31,000, but there are no options to drive up costs. CRV is due a mild facelift and perhaps some new features for model-year 2011 and is on track for a full redesign in model-year 2013.   

• Toyota RAV4: Competes in the compact-crossover class, but a good match for Sorento size-wise and also available with “occasional-use” third-row seating. Sorento may actually be a bit more refined than the RAV, but the Toyota fights back with its own strong value story, a smoother, livelier 179-horsepower four-cylinder engine (22/28 mpg; 21/27 with AWD), and its own robust 269-horsepower V-6 (19/27, 19/26 AWD). Base price range is around $22,300-$29,000 before options. Next full redesign: around model-year 2012.