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TheCarConnection.com was among the first publications to drive the new 2011 Kia Sorento, and to bring you a hands-on road test. Editors at TheCarConnection.com also will compare the 2011 Kia Sorento with other crossovers by researching other reviews from a wide range of reputable sources, when those outlets compile their own reviews.
High Gear Media drove a 2011 Kia Sorento provided by the manufacturer to produce this hands-on road test.
Likes:
- Right niche, right time
- V-6's brisk pace
- Good passenger and cargo space
- Optional flat-folding third-row seat
- USB, Sirius, and Bluetooth are standard
Dislikes:
- Dash plastics not premium-grade
- Handling on the soft side
- Four-cylinder won't be quick
- Third-row seat is kids-only
The crossover world is bracing for change with the arrival of the 2011 Kia Sorento. Formerly a truck-based SUV with frame rails and some real off-road capability, the new Sorento leaves the trails behind for a new mission that's all about toting families in car-like comfort. It's aimed at the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Edge-a mix of smaller and larger car-based utility vehicles. The Sorento fits in the Kia lineup between the small Sportage and the big Borrego SUV, and enters production later this year at a new factory in West Point, Georgia. It goes on sale during the first week in January with a base price of less than $20,000, and comes in LX, EX and EX V-6 versions.
Kia's new direction for the Sorento kicks off with attractive styling. The Sorento sits lower now, and it's taken on some of the cues from Kia's passenger cars, like the "Schreyer line" named for the chief designer Peter Schreyer, that splits headlamps from its grille. The headlamps and grille form a wide arc across the somewhat high nose, and wrap into a fairly deep wedge that defines the sideview. Kia dubs the sideview a "flying wing," and the vertical pillar at the tailgate does give it an aerospace look-as well as a passing resemblance to the Acura NSX. The passeger space is defined by a somewhat imposing dash: drivers face three big oval gauges with clearly marked faces, and a center stack with a large LCD screen flanked by big vents and footed by three big, round, useful climate-control knobs. It's a simple, clean look that's dulled only by some dull, open-grained plastic across the dash and the tops of the doors-and some unconvincing fake-wood trim on some versions.
