2020 Kia Sorento EX

[CincyDavid]

So, we have been shuffling cars within the family, and my wife has been driving the 19 VW GLI Autobahn. She has harbored a grudge against it since it wouldn't even make it up our street with a dusting of snow last winter. We also bought a 2nd home, and she REALLY wanted an SUVto haul stuff between the homes. Had a heck of a time finding a Sorento in the right trim package (EX) and a color my bride likes. The color is Everlasting silver, sort of an iridescent dolphin gray with blue undertones, and black perforated leather. I am NOT a fan of the black wheels but my wife likes it. Picking it up tonight, the dealer didn't have time to detail it last evening. So, bye-bye GLI, hello Sorento. 3.3L V6, 8 speed auto, AWD.

All of the dead bugs were on the BACK of it, apparently was backed onto the transport hauler. It just arrived yesterday afternoon at the dealer, he had been watching out for trim/color for us for about 8 weeks.

 

[mclasser]

That's one sexy ride

 

[PimTac]

Looks nice. Congrats.

 

[97prizm]

Looks nice. Black wheels are in right now

 

[JustN89]

Awesome car! That's a great powertrain combo, too!

 

[Danno]

Have a 2016 Sorento V6 AWD SX in the fleet.
Nice ride, really enjoyed it, passed it on to the middle son.
2020 has the 8-speed vs 6-speed, improved AC heat controls, and new DRLs.
The AWD system is second to none. Here's an interesting video on the AWD system.


Hope your wife enjoys it! The V6 has some good get up and go.

 

[jstert]

please school me on the kia sorento. i was very impressed with a test drive of a 2018 lx fwd 4 cyl. i prefer simpler base models. 4cyl vs 6cyl? new vs cpo? thanks.

 

[CincyDavid]

My wife insists on leather and sunroof, which led to the V6 and EX trim level. The dimensions are almost identical to the Grand Cherokee, aside from the 3rd row of seats. The fuel economy is very close to the Pentastar powered GC...our 2011 Hemi-powered GC with the old 5 speed transmission gets relatively poor gas mileage but has a TON more torque than the Kia or the V6 GC.

There are $4000 rebates on the 2020 model, helped push us to the Sorento instead of the Telluride. I'm under the impression that the '21 will be a new model, with no more V6. I like tried-and-tested drivetrains. Our old Sportage with the 2.7L V6 has 197k miles and is running strong. It also has the coldest A/C of any of our cars.

 

[jstert]

hi cincydavid, it’s interesting that you mentioned the jgc, because i’m cross shopping both the jgc and sorento online. thanks.

 

[CincyDavid]

I think the JGC is one of the few vehicles that is completely class-neutral...you can roll up at the country club or the city dump, and nobody bats an eye. Modern version of an Oldsmobile 88. We have had great luck with the one we have but my wife didn't seem interested in getting another.

 

[CincyDavid]

By the way, this is the "newest" new car we've ever bought...there is a full date on the door jamb...rolled out of the plant Aug 21st, 2020, delivered to the dealer on the 26th, took it home on the 27th.

 

[PimTac]

By the way, this is the "newest" new car we've ever bought...there is a full date on the door jamb...rolled out of the plant Aug 21st, 2020, delivered to the dealer on the 26th, took it home on the 27th.

That is really new. That’s fresher than most produce in a grocery store.

 

[KCJeep]

Looking at a Sorento for my wife as well. She's been in a minivan since 1999 so I guess she'd due for a change. Sad to hear the v6 is going away, we want that power for boat pulling.

 

[CincyDavid]

The V6 is part of what drove me to this particular model. And no CVT helped too.

 

[CincyDavid]

Lower trim levels seem to be available, EX and SX trims are thin on the ground where I am, at least.

 

[CKN]

I would wait for the 2021 personally-

2021 Kia Sorento Engines Include 2.5L Turbo Four, 1.6L Hybrid

The 277-hp turbocharged four-cylinder makes less power but a lot more torque than the outgoing Sorento's V-6.

www.caranddriver.com

 

[wbwanzer]

Congrats on the new vehicle.

I have a '19 AWD Sorento 'S' trim that I got last December. I like it a lot. I have no problem with turbos as I've had two already, buy I wanted the naturally aspirated V6 for the Sorento. But that upcoming 2.5 turbo sounds interesting. I like that mine doesn't have start/stop or CVT. I enter all of my fuel fill-ups in Fuelly and I'm averaging 23.7 mpg. On a road trip I can hit 27.5. Those are real mileages, not dashboard mileages. I find that Kia over estimates the mileage by 10%, which I find disappointing. I few percent would OK, but 10%?? My wife's Seltos shows mileage that is optimistic by 10% also. Oh well.

I like that I can shift it myself if I want to or use Sport mode which I also like. Last winter we only had one snow that was more than four inches. I took the Sorento out and avoided tracks and went for virgin snow on hills and it did surprisingly well. I just used the center locking diff the other day on a three mile hilly dirt road (soft roading) to a trail head. No problems. But truth be told, a regular sedan probably could have done the same thing. But I got to use the center locking diff button

All in all, I think it's a very good vehicle. I hope yours treats you well.

 

[CincyDavid]

Quickie follow up...took a load of stuff to our home in FL, barreled down I-75 at 80+ MPH, and according to the car's calculations, we got 26 MPG. Might be a little optimistic, but it's a HUGE improvement on the Grand Cherokee with the Hemi...that beast only gets maybe 17-18 in all highway use.

 

[wbwanzer]

Hope that you're liking it. We have a '19 Sorento V6 and a '21 Seltos. Both show 10 percent optimistic fuel economy vs actual calculation.

 

[JTK]

Nice!

Do you plan on running a winter set of wheels/tires?

Reason I ask is, this one might suck in the snow even with AWD/4x4 because of the OEM tires.