2014 Sorento first drive

[afty]

A few interesting tidbits from Automobile Magazine's First Drive.

• Even thought it looks pretty much the same, it's actually riding on a new platform shared with the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.
• The uplevel engine is a direct-injected 3.3l V6, down from the port-injected 3.5l in the previous model.  The 3.3l engine actually makes more power, but fuel economy is slightly worse (18/25 vs. 20/26).  I'm guessing the previous 20/26 figure is inflated (we average about 19 mpg combined in ours), and they'll have similar mpg numbers in reality.
• They found the steering feel artificial just off center.  I've found the same thing in our 2012 Sorento.

Overall I've been pretty happy with our 2012 Sorento.  It's been totally reliable, maintenance costs are cheap, the engine is smooth and powerful, and we got a lot of features for the $25k we paid for it.  My only complaint is that the ride is too stiff.  It's not a car you fall in love with, but it's practical and works well as a family car.

[Speed_Racer]

I rented a Sorento once - I was very impressed considering I'm not a Kia fan. Lots of room (I used it when moving to Vegas) and decent pep. Still looks sharp when optioned out.

[afty]

Yeah, it's a nice looking car.  Until recently, it was Kia's best selling car, though it's been overtaken by the Optima now.  It's also a good size -- slightly bigger than the compact CUVs (RAV4, CR-V, etc.) but much more manageable than the "midsized" ones (Highlander, Pilot, etc.). 

[Laconian]

It's amazing how rapid Kia/Hyundai's product cycle is. The Sorento was "all new" just so recently - if it was made by GM, they'd let the car simmer as-is for at least four more years...

[TurboDan]

It's amazing how rapid Kia/Hyundai's product cycle is. The Sorento was "all new" just so recently - if it was made by GM, they'd let the car simmer as-is for at least four more years...

I have a lot of respect for KIA. Their cars lately look consistently look and I never hear about any reliability horror stories anymore. They're good bang for the buck.

[Colin]

Certainly unusual to keep the body styling the same and change the platform and almost everything underneath.......... but as this is, in my opinion, one of the better looking SUVs in its class, why not? I prefer the looks to those of the new Santa Fe.

It's had pretty good reviews in UK, too.. though of course we only get it with a 2.2 diesel.

[Speed_Racer]

Interestingly enough, you can find pre-facelift models w/ a manual transmission (though not 4wd). Kinda neat for a bigger SUV.