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 to be surprised by a spunky South Korean.

• The 2011 Kia Sorento is a redesigned crossover that competes on price with compact-class stalwarts like the 2011 Honda CR-V and 2011 Toyota RAV4 but competes for driving feel with larger, costlier midsize crossovers such as the Honda Pilot and Chevrolet Equinox. The first U.S.-built vehicle from rapidly expanding Kia, a division of South Korean carmaker Hyundai, 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.        

• Should you wait for the 2011 Kia Sorento? Yes. 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 Georgia. The 2011 Sorento is worth waiting for if you fancy a modestly sized crossover that squeezes in a third-row seat for times you need to haul 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: The 2011 Sorento merits crossover credentials by blending SUV design cues with a car-like chassis. This unibody construction, in which body and frame form one unit, contrasts with old-school SUV design, in which the body is bolted to a separate frame. Unibody is lighter for better fuel economy; it’s today’s prevailing SUV design. Body-on-frame is heavier-duty and stronger for towing and hauling; today, it’s 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 and 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 supplanting jelly-bean contours. The handsomest view takes in the grille, which sweeps into the headlamps and is inset with a distinctive “tabbed” frame. Another visual highlight is large taillamps that illuminate with a crosshatch subsurface. Less flattering is dated-looking black plastic cladding that girdles the lower body. The wagon-like roofline tapers to the rear, a shape that favors style over cargo volume. The rear end itself has echoes of the Audi Q5 compact crossover, evidence perhaps of former Audi designer Peter Schreyer’s hand in the 2011 Sorrento styling. Against the competition, the 2011 Sorento is a bit of a ‘tweener: larger than most compact-class crossovers but smaller than the midsize norm. It’s among the few compact crossovers to offer three-row seating. The 2011 Kia Sorento debuts with a four-model lineup: base, LX, EX four-cylinder, 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 a four-cylinder and V-6 engine. 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 four-cylinder models use a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 172 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque. Exclusive to the EX V-6 is a 3.5-liter V-6 with 273 horsepower and 247 pound-feet. The base model comes only with a six-speed manual transmission; all other 2011 Sorentos 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 snow traction than rear-wheel drive. Optional on all but the base model is all-wheel drive (AWD) that normally operates in front-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 not available on all AWD crossovers. Unlike its predecessor, the 2011 Sorento isn’t meant for off-roading so its AWD system hews to 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 a broader range of 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 large fixed glass pane over the rear seats and a generously sized tilt/slide-opening moonroof over the fronts. 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 with redundant controls for not only the audio system, but for the cruise control and Bluetooth hands-free cell-phone connectivity included on all models. All 2011 Sorentos also come with iPod control via auxiliary and 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. Sonar rear-obstacle detection is standard on EX models, optional on the LX. EX models come with a power driver’s seat and pushbutton ignition via a keyfob that need not be removed from purse or pocket. They’re also the only models 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. 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 won’t be announced until shortly before the vehicle goes on sale early in 2010. Kia does say the 2011 Sorento base model will start under $20,000. It says a “typical” model will retail for around $25,000 and that a fully optioned 2011 Sorrento EX V-6 will edge above $30,000. That range would place 2011 Kia Sorento pricing $1,000-$2,000 below rival 2011 compact crossovers of similar specification. Note that to these prices you’ll need to add the manufacturer’s destination fee, which will be about $700 for the 2011 Sorento. And AWD will add an estimated $2,000.

• In any case, don’t be fooled by that sub-$20,000 starting point: 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 and will go for closer to $21,000 once the destination fee is added.

• 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. You’ll create a typical $25,000 2011 Sorento by equipping a front-wheel-drive LX with the third-row seat (an estimated $700), and by opting for the Convenience Package, which includes desirable options such as rear sonar, rearview backup camera, and heated front seats.

• Move up to the 2011 Kia Sorento EX, stick with its standard features and front-wheel drive, and you’ll also land around that $25,000 mark. The EX comes 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.  The EX is available with a Premium Package that includes leather upholstery, heated front seats and rearview camera. 

• Top of the line is the 2011 Sorento EX V-6. By virtue of its standard V-6 engine, Kia sources suggest it’ll demand a premium of $2,000 or so over a similarly equipped EX four-cylinder model, though you also get the third-row seat and rear air conditioner controls as standard.

• The Limited Package available on EX models includes the content of the aforementioned Premium Package, plus navigation, a 10-speaker Infinity audio system, 18-inch chrome-finish wheels, and interior accent “mood” lighting. Order the Limited Package on an EX V-6 model and you’ll also get the panoramic sunroof; that looks to be the combination that’ll nudge the top-line Sorento over $30,000. (Note that rear DVD entertainment, which 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 but 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 manual-shift mode doesn’t markedly enhance throttle response with either engine, though 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 and you 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 brightwork. Just a short reach away are controls for audio and climate system and for accessories like the seat-heaters. Everything’s clearly identified in no-nonsense white-on-black typeface, 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 intrudes, however, with 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 on bumps and composed on wavy surfaces -- but they may be disturbed by rude noises. Open the throttle on 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; the affect is pinched-stall rather than big-box. 

2011 KIA SORENTO FUEL ECONOMY

• EPA mileage ratings for 2011 models were not released in time for this review, but Kia does propose some 2011 Sorento fuel-economy estimates.

• It projects four-cylinder models at 21/28 mpg (city/highway) with front-wheel drive and 20/28 with AWD. It estimates the EX V-6 will rate 20/28 with front-wheel drive and 19/27 with all-wheel drive.

• Note that the four-cylinder engine beats the V-6 by no more than 1 mpg in city or highway estimates. This is an instance in which the fuel-efficiency advantages of a smaller engine are offset by the gas it consumes to furnish expected performance. The less-stressed V-6 is proportionally more efficient. In effect, the bulk of savings to the four-cylinder Sorento owner will come not in fuel economy but in the lower initial cost of the smaller engine.  

• Overall, Kia’s mileage estimates for the 2011 Sorento represent good but not exceptional numbers for the compact-crossover class. They soundly beat most midsize crossovers – the notable exception being the heavily hyped 22/32-mpg rating of the four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Chevrolet Equinox. 

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.

• 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 goes 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 27 percent through the first nine months of 2009, Kia sales were up 5 percent. It was in fact one of just three brands to register a sales increase; the others were Hyundai (up 1 percent) and Subaru (up 10 percent). In the U.S., Kia outsells such makes as Mazda, Volkswagen, and GMC.

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 166-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, 21/27 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 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 available “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.