AVIS 2020 Kia Sorento review

[ls1mike]

Had some travel for work this past week to Philly.

They gave us a 2020 Kia Sorento.
It was ok, nothing particularly special about it. Did what is was supposed to do.

Was a loud car, and very slow. My two biggest complaints.
It did get decent gas mileage in the city.
Was very floaty on the highways there.
Radio was pretty good.
Fit four adults and our luggage just fine. Was actually pretty comfortable. No one complained.
In my opinion, it had decent brakes for what it is.
Also had good visibility and nice turning radius which I appreciated in the city.

Had 19,000 miles on it.
Not sure it would be my first choice as I have driven the CR-V, RAV-4 and Equinox, but at a price point
I am sure it would work for a small family who wanted a crossover.

It was black...I didn't take any pictures because I forgot.

 

[missingcurlybracket]

Own the same generation (2016MY) in LX trim, bet they have the same 2.4L engine - slow but I like to think of it as not any worse than the old minivan I used to drive.

Great does-everything-alright car but doesn’t particularly excel at anything - it’s the perfect size for me being a few inches longer than a typical compact crossover so I can fit myself (car camping), my bike, longer items, 7-people etc.

If I didn’t fancy the idea of venturing farther off-pavement, I wouldn’t mind another - except 100% it would have to be the V6 for the oomph and given the era’s 4-cylinder’s (2.4, 2.0T) spotty reputation - newer is of course better but still has to be watched. Hyundai/Kia’s no-immobilizer is probably the big reason to skip these between insurance limitations/cost and break-in risk even if it does have an immobilizer/push start. And that anti-theft update they’re pushing out seems to have some bypass too. (I shelled out for an aftermarket security system)

IMO, solid interior switchgear/no rattles yet, flexible interior configurations with fold-flat seating, storage cubbies, solid 6-speed conventional automatic (not sure about the newer 8 speed - definitely not a fan of the DCT in the redesign), solid AWD and traction control, third row is serviceable, good highway cruiser but definitely more ponderous than the Sonata it replaced. Heck, the 2.4 didn’t outright suck towing a U-Haul cross-country but of course, not a strong suit.

I got it for the size, interior space (especially compared to the similarly-sized Outback), AWD, traction control behavior and cost - by itself it’s been a good, reliable car that’s taken everything I’ve thrown at it and I’m coming on two years of ownership in a week!

If I were to go back and do it over though, I wouldn’t get it again.

 

[IndyIan]

Own the same generation (2016MY) in LX trim, bet they have the same 2.4L engine - slow but I like to think of it as not any worse than the old minivan I used to drive.

Great does-everything-alright car but doesn’t particularly excel at anything - it’s the perfect size for me being a few inches longer than a typical compact crossover so I can fit myself (car camping), my bike, longer items, 7-people etc.

If I didn’t fancy the idea of venturing farther off-pavement, I wouldn’t mind another - except 100% it would have to be the V6 for the oomph and given the era’s 4-cylinder’s (2.4, 2.0T) spotty reputation - newer is of course better but still has to be watched. Hyundai/Kia’s no-immobilizer is probably the big reason to skip these between insurance limitations/cost and break-in risk even if it does have an immobilizer/push start. And that anti-theft update they’re pushing out seems to have some bypass too. (I shelled out for an aftermarket security system)

IMO, solid interior switchgear/no rattles yet, flexible interior configurations with fold-flat seating, storage cubbies, solid 6-speed conventional automatic (not sure about the newer 8 speed - definitely not a fan of the DCT in the redesign), solid AWD and traction control, third row is serviceable, good highway cruiser but definitely more ponderous than the Sonata it replaced. Heck, the 2.4 didn’t outright suck towing a U-Haul cross-country but of course, not a strong suit.

I got it for the size, interior space (especially compared to the similarly-sized Outback), AWD, traction control behavior and cost - by itself it’s been a good, reliable car that’s taken everything I’ve thrown at it and I’m coming on two years of ownership in a week!

If I were to go back and do it over though, I wouldn’t get it again.

The specs don't really show the 38.8 cuft cargo space of the Sorento to be much bigger than the Outback's 35.5 cuft but I imagine it has a little more head room. I thought about the Sorento in 2018 as it was quite the deal, but we could only get the 7 seater with the V6 here...
We don't tow heavy enough for the V6 to be an asset, so I guess I am happy with the Outback and its mileage. I would buy it again. It does what we want well enough and so far has been mechanically good.

 

[missingcurlybracket]

The specs don't really show the 38.8 cuft cargo space of the Sorento to be much bigger than the Outback's 35.5 cuft but I imagine it has a little more head room. I thought about the Sorento in 2018 as it was quite the deal, but we could only get the 7 seater with the V6 here...
We don't tow heavy enough for the V6 to be an asset, so I guess I am happy with the Outback and its mileage. I would buy it again. It does what we want well enough and so far has been mechanically good.

I found the Sorento has a bit more height inside as noted (but hey, SUV vs. wagon bodystyle!) and a cargo area that’s more squared off. Laying down with the seats folded, I found I only fit in an Outback (2015 I believe) at an angle which I was surprised by given it’s close in overall size whereas I can lay straight in the Sorento.

But otherwise what put me off a comparable Outback at the time was a lower budget (OB’s we’re usually valued a bit higher), being potentially prone to cam carrier leaks, CVT, worrying about parasitic power drain - the example I sat in with the 2.5 + CVT drove nicely but had fit/finish issues and cam carrier + headgasket leaks sadly. (but I’ve sat in nicer 2015’s so not it’s fault) I would have liked the 3.6R, I test drove a 2013ish one with the 3.6 and conventional auto and thought it fun but it wasn’t meant to be. I couldn’t really justify the price premium of either 6-cylinder at the time.

 

[IndyIan]

I found the Sorento has a bit more height inside as noted (but hey, SUV vs. wagon bodystyle!) and a cargo area that’s more squared off. Laying down with the seats folded, I found I only fit in an Outback (2015 I believe) at an angle which I was surprised by given it’s close in overall size whereas I can lay straight in the Sorento.

But otherwise what put me off a comparable Outback at the time was a lower budget (OB’s we’re usually valued a bit higher), being potentially prone to cam carrier leaks, CVT, worrying about parasitic power drain - the example I sat in with the 2.5 + CVT drove nicely but had fit/finish issues and cam carrier + headgasket leaks sadly. (but I’ve sat in nicer 2015’s so not it’s fault) I would have liked the 3.6R, I test drove a 2013ish one with the 3.6 and conventional auto and thought it fun but it wasn’t meant to be. I couldn’t really justify the price premium of either 6-cylinder at the time.

Yeah the early and mid 2010's weren't subaru's best years it seems. I hoped at 2018 they had got everything sorted out, and so far they have (knock on wood)... Subaru canada atleast seems to take reliability and customer satisfaction seriously and has done a couple minor fixes out of warranty and for free that aren't bad enough for real recalls, which is nice.
My uncle had the 5 seater version of your Sorento and liked it, but it started having the odd missfire/hiccup on a long sustained climb? Dealer finds nothing of course, but offered a good trade in value, so he got a new one. I'm not sure I would've done that, but they liked the SUV.

 

[ls1mike]

Own the same generation (2016MY) in LX trim, bet they have the same 2.4L engine - slow but I like to think of it as not any worse than the old minivan I used to drive.

Great does-everything-alright car but doesn’t particularly excel at anything - it’s the perfect size for me being a few inches longer than a typical compact crossover so I can fit myself (car camping), my bike, longer items, 7-people etc.

If I didn’t fancy the idea of venturing farther off-pavement, I wouldn’t mind another - except 100% it would have to be the V6 for the oomph and given the era’s 4-cylinder’s (2.4, 2.0T) spotty reputation - newer is of course better but still has to be watched. Hyundai/Kia’s no-immobilizer is probably the big reason to skip these between insurance limitations/cost and break-in risk even if it does have an immobilizer/push start. And that anti-theft update they’re pushing out seems to have some bypass too. (I shelled out for an aftermarket security system)

IMO, solid interior switchgear/no rattles yet, flexible interior configurations with fold-flat seating, storage cubbies, solid 6-speed conventional automatic (not sure about the newer 8 speed - definitely not a fan of the DCT in the redesign), solid AWD and traction control, third row is serviceable, good highway cruiser but definitely more ponderous than the Sonata it replaced. Heck, the 2.4 didn’t outright suck towing a U-Haul cross-country but of course, not a strong suit.

I got it for the size, interior space (especially compared to the similarly-sized Outback), AWD, traction control behavior and cost - by itself it’s been a good, reliable car that’s taken everything I’ve thrown at it and I’m coming on two years of ownership in a week!

If I were to go back and do it over though, I wouldn’t get it again.

That is pretty spot on, ours had some rattles, but rental...and Philly is a big pot hole.
I mean compared to early 90's stuff, it wasn't slow, but the ways things are now I expected a bit more.
Again for what it does it gets the job done with little hassle. Biggest thing is it was pretty comfortable and that can
overcome some shortcomings.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Is that the smaller SUV? Budget gave us one as an upgrade. Really easy to drive. Liked it a lot.

 

[Zee09]

Loud I don't like.....
Nice review

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

Is that the smaller SUV? Budget gave us one as an upgrade. Really easy to drive. Liked it a lot.

Sportage is the smaller one, Sorento is the middle sized one and Palisade is the big one. (Seltos and Soul are the smallest ones)