2007 Kia Sorento Review

Kia’s midsize SUV is the proverbial horse of a different color: Cloaked in a body that looks more like a crossover lives a real, four-wheel drive truck. With 260 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque, it matches or exceeds its closest SUV competitors. While it’s not quite as pure an off-road vehicle, it’s no wimp. With 8.2 inches of ground clearance, it’s only an inch shorter than the 2007 Jeep Liberty. Inside, design and quality ensure mundane driving is as comfortable and enjoyable as commuting gets. The Sorento has what it takes to be a mule, but wears a prettier face. While the nearly $30,000 price tag might make some people blanch, the Kia is a worthy vehicle for money.

By Bob Beamesderfer Photo credit: Oliver Bentley

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Kia sent us a four-wheel drive Sorento EX equipped with the Luxury Package. Standard features include the 3.8-liter V-6 motor, five-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive with low range, front, side and driver’s knee airbags, antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, tire-pressure monitoring system, eight-way power driver’s seat, keyless entry, auto-dimming rearview mirror, underbody skid plates, trailer wiring connector, roof rack and fog lamps. Base price is $26,865, including $670 destination charge. The $3,000 Luxury Package includes full time Torque on Demand 4WD, premium sound system, sunroof, leather, heated front seats, automatic dual zone climate control and automatic headlights.

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With 262 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, the V-6 does a good job of moving the roughly 4,400-pound Sorento off the line, but you know the weight is there. The 3.8-liter engine is mated to a five-speed transmission, which is nice and smooth in automatic mode. It held steady on a long climb without any hunting. The manual shift mode offers more performance, but the electronics upshift if the driver doesn’t, sometimes sooner than what’s ideal. In either mode, the engine had plenty of power on the freeway. Kia’s Torque on Demand automatic 4WD system had no trouble with moderate off-pavement terrain. Unfortunately, all this power drains the gas tank. We averaged 14.6 mpg in city, highway and off-road driving.

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Handling is nimble enough at slow speeds on tight mountain single track or in parking lots, but the too-soft suspension wallows in turns at city driving speeds. There’s less of that on higher speed sweepers, but only on smooth roads. That’s OK for long trips, but it doesn’t inspire car-like confidence. Speed-sensitive steering is quick enough at slow speeds, a bit vague at higher speeds and there’s more understeer than we’d like. Brakes are spongy and initial response is disconcertingly slow, but stepping harder on the pedal brings the two-ton truck to heal reasonably fast. Off-pavement, the softness of the suspension is a benefit.

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None of the roof pillars obstruct any critical portion of the driver’s field of view. Front and side visibility is very good. Even with rear-seat headrests, visibility to the sides behind the driver is good. Rear view and side mirrors could be bigger to improve visibility to the sides and below the windows, but they’re adequate. Rear visibility is as good as you’ll find in an SUV like this. Kia offers a back-up system as an option, a good idea if you have small children who won’t be visible unless they’re several feet behind the vehicle.

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Fun to drive in a 4WD vehicle such as the Sorento isn’t defined by its on-road persona so much as how it deals with the rough stuff. On a narrow, unpaved trail that lead from a ridge to a small valley, the truck took all of the ruts, rocks and steep humps in stride. On road, it’s fun to drive in manual shift mode because it gets to speed quickly without flooring the accelerator, but gas mileage suffers. With ABS, stability and traction control, the Sorento makes driving on compromised surfaces very easy, but don’t intrude on getting the job done. On pavement, we never knowingly engaged either the stability or traction control.

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Seats are very comfortable and supportive with good bolstering. The driver gets an eight-way power adjustable bucket, while the passenger only gets a manual with less adjustment Head rests adjust for height and angle. There is plenty of hip, shoulder, head and leg room for all but the tallest drivers or passengers (think NBA player). Getting in and out is easy even without using one of the grab handles above each door. Tilt-adjust steering wheel features leather wrap. The gear shift is a large plastic affair, not pretty but functional. Padded armrests on the doors and a nicely padded armrest on the center console.

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Rear seats are comfortable; less head and leg room, but still adult-sized on the left and right. Center seat leg room is much less because the center console intrudes and the seat back isn’t as plush. There are armrests on each door and a fold-down center armrest. Getting in is a bit harder because the backseats sit just in front of the rear axle, but it isn’t difficult. Plastic cladding on the door covers part of the wheel arch so that when the door is open, there’s a cleaner surface to climb over. Rear seat passengers feel the bumps more sitting over the axle, but it’s still a good ride.

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Inside the Sorento is reasonably quiet. Some wind noise from the front of the vehicle is present, but it’s muted. Road noise is fairly minimal on grooved concrete and low on smoother surfaces. In manual shift mode, there’s plenty of engine and transmission noise, but that’s part of the fun, right? In ‘D’ it runs along quietly enough. On very bumpy surfaces, the larger of the split rear seatbacks rattled at its latch, but it rarely occurred in normal on-road driving. Michelin’s all-season Latitude Tour tire is quiet, but that’s typical for all-season rubber.

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Easy describes loading the Sorento. With the rear hatch open, load height is below waist level and the floor is flush with the opening. Four tie-down rings are in the floor. Rear seats easily fold down from the side doors and lay flat after removing the headrests. The Sorento has nearly 32 cu. ft. of cargo room with the rear seats up; about double with the seats down. The hatch is easy to open and close, and has an assist grip. The rear window opens independently for easy loading of light items. A 12-volt power socket, tonneau cover, storage bins and space under cargo floor round out the back area.

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Build quality is quite good and in keeping with modern standards, and what’s expected of a vehicle at this price. Seams are tight and even. Exterior trim is tight, with the only loose piece being the small insert in the lower grill opening. Inside, seams are also tight and even, and everything feels solid.