Looking for comments about the Kia Sorento

[BrentK]

I'm looking for a mid-size SUV, and the Sorento looks pretty good to me (good price, lots of good comments from owners). I was wondering if any of you have any experience with the Sorento that you can share with me to help me make my decision.

Also, anyone know if it's easy to do an oil change on a Sorento? (Easy in the sense that I don't need to jack up the vehicle, and everything is within reach without having to disassemble other parts first.)

 

[arkainzeye]

take a look here


http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/[email protected]!make=Kia&model=Sorento

 

[BrentK]

Although forums like that one are good, I thought I'd try asking the question in this forum because you guys are more likely to tell-it-like-it-is and not give a standard "I love my Kia" response.

 

[SteveD2]

I hate to state the obvious, but they're cheaper for a reason. I think you'd be much better off looking for a nice used SUV...

 

[Titanium_Alloy]

We have 96 Kia Sportage and very pleased with it. I looked at Sorento recently just because of curiosity and it looks very good in both mechanical and appearance aspects. It comes with transmission and power steering cooler. Engine is very nice 3.5 V6, unlike these 5+L V8 on American cars. 10 year/100 miles power train warranty and a good price make it a very good competitor. I believe transmission is made (or a version of) Mitsubishi and has 5 speed (most American and Japanese (i.e. Toyota) SUVs has only 4 speed). Transmission has a dipstick and a drain plug so servicing it would be a breeze. I'm not selling Kia or affiliated with the company besides owning one. I can honestly say if I were to buy mid-size SUV it would definitely be Sorento.

Regards,


Added: Kia depreciates rather fast so if you think on keeping this car for a long time it's a great choice. If, on the other hand, you plan on using a car for 3-4 years it probably wouldn't be a best choice in terms of return value. Japanese & German depreciate the least in a short term, thus they would give better value in short term.

[ June 21, 2004, 03:19 PM: Message edited by: Titanium_Alloy ]

 

[dkcase]

Sorento, Liberty, Suzuki

Comparison report on the Sorento with the Jeep Liberty, and Suzuki XL-7, from Motor Trend.

They thought it was good.

I have a Liberty.

 

[seotaji]

the model year ending at 02-03 had toyota tranny's, 04's have one that is kia made.

the kia made tranny's have the worst performance and most complaints.

 

[D Stewart]

STAY AWAY ___ VERY FAR AWAY !!!
A rental agent here bought some for his fleet. He says they almost bankrupted him.

 

[dkcase]

I saw some new sales figures yesterday.

If I remember correctly, for the new month they were reporting, Kia outsold Mazda.

Mitsubishi had plummeted.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by Titanium_Alloy:


Added: Kia depreciates rather fast so if you think on keeping this car for a long time it's a great choice. If, on the other hand, you plan on using a car for 3-4 years it probably wouldn't be a best choice in terms of return value.

---

Better yet, consider buying one a year or two old and letting the first owner eat the ugly part of the depreciation.

 

[Ray H]

Kia and Hyundai mechanicals are now essentially the same. The Kia Sorento 5sp automatic transaxle is the same Hyundai-built (their own design, by the way, not a reworked or licensed Mitsubishi design - the only thing they all share is use of Mitsubishi-licensed SP-III ATF) unit used in the Hyundai XG350 and the Kia Amanti sedans. That 3.5L cast iron block V-6 is also a shared component, but IS a derivative of the old Mitsubishi 3.0L V-6. (Hyundai's new generation all-aluminum V-6 and I-4 motors are totally in-house designs.)

 

[k1xv]

OK, here comes my KIA jokes.

When they first started marketing the KIA in the USA, a friend of mine said that "KIA" stood for "Killed in Accident".

Another friend, whenever referring generically to cheap Korean cars with strange names ending in vowels, always mentions the fictitious "KIA Tincanna 1.3 liter Sport Coupe".

All that being said, the quality of Korean products is not bad for the price, and some of the warranties seem to go on forever. Many of the drive trains seem to use variants of Mitsubishi designs. I think I might prefer a Hyundai in this market segment, or a clean used Honda or Toyota.

 

[Jim Spahr]

Have you looked at the Hyundai Santa Fe with the 3.5 V6? I personally would prefer a good used Jeep Liberty or a Honda CR-V over a Santa Fe or Sorento. A long warranty doesn't mean a good warranty. They are only as good as the dealership. Also you don't want your car stuck in a service shop when you need to be driving it.

 

[rpn453]

I would stay away. Even if Hyundai is making decent cars now (which they could be, we'll find out in a few more years), I don't believe they deserve to exist as a car company after their history.

 

[seotaji]

quote:

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I don't believe they deserve to exist as a car company after their history.

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Hyundai had their Pony, Ford had their Pinto, etc...

So by your logic GM, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Toyota, i.e. all automakers, shouldn't exist b/c they put out crap products too? Some still produce crap on wheels.

You should probably sell your cars and walk from now on, but the company that made your shoes might have a soiled history too. :roll:

Most, if not all, automakers have decided that fighting/settling legal claims is cheaper than issuing a recall on defective cars. It's despicable, yet it's still a common practice.

Don't take this as an attack, just as a reminder that nobody's perfect.

 

[rpn453]

quote:

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Originally posted by seotaji:
So by your logic GM, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Toyota, i.e. all automakers, shouldn't exist b/c they put out crap products too? Some still produce crap on wheels.

You should probably sell your cars and walk from now on, but the company that made your shoes might have a soiled history too. :roll:

---

I figured I'd get a response from that one!

Those companies have all made decent vehicles, with occasional problems, but Hyundai has made only problems in the past. I consider them to have been very negligent in what they did, and I don't forgive that. They were an embarassment to engineering.

The shoes I'm currently wearing are some Nike hikers that I've had for about 10 years. They're not shoes I wear every day, but they've seen a lot of miles and I respect them.

 

[MikeR]

In case you're still looking..

Our '01 Elantra had a killer warranty and needed every bit of it. All the repairs were free, but the rental car and the wasted time were definitely not.

We traded for a new '03 Xterra and couldn't be happier. Well, there's the gas mileage...

After the Elantra fiasco, my advice is to buy something that will be desirable and reliable in 10 years. If you don't keep it for that long, at least it will still have some resale value when you want to get rid of it. Hyundai/Kia aren't quite there yet.

MR