Pros: Smooth transmission, serious off-road ability, price, torque, options, fit and finish, torque
Cons: Plastic wood trim, gas mileage
The Bottom Line: Excellent bang for the buck. Very capable off-road. Attention to hardware details. Nice standard options list. Appealing design. Somewhat thirsty.
(This review was originally accidentally placed in the 2003 Kia Sorento category. This does have an update that the other does not.)
Options:
We chose the additional options available for the EX: ABS, tow package, load leveling, Luxury Package (Includes leather seats, leather and wood steering wheel trim, heated front seats, automatic climate control, AM/FM 6-disc in-dash CD changer, dusk-sensing headlamps, chrome rear garnish, chrome outside handles, and torque-on-demand 4x4 system, leather), Side Step bars, and spoiler.
Price:
Retail with options was $30,070 (or very close to that).
Purchase price with rebates: $25,800. This included $1500 manufacturer's rebate with an additional $1000 for being a Subaru owner; there's a campaign by Kia driven by an effort for market conversion.
We initially came out to our new vehicle to find it had been scratched/gouged already. The dealership bent over backwards having the door completely and professionally repainted and going as far as to drive the vehicle some 2 hours to our house. (www.dickhannahkia.com) - see Kalon Wiggins.
Background:
We live on the side of a canyon with a 1/4 mile, switchback - and sometimes snow-covered - driveway that heads up some 200+ feet in elevation. At times, we see up to 18 inches of wet snow with drifts up to 3 feet. Once out of the driveway (during Fall and Winter), ice consistently covers parts of the road we travel to work - some 25 miles away.
Consequently, we've nearly always owned AWD or 4WD drive vehicles. In this category, we've owned a 4-Runner, Subaru Legacy GT Limited, the AWD Civic, a Forester, a GMC, and an Audi S6. All were considered fairly capable AWD/4WD vehicles. Surprisingly, the 4-Runner had the most difficulties making it up the driveway.
Consequently, we were looking for a vehicle that had both AWD and 4WD low. There's a lot of ice where we live, and as was the case with the 4 Runner on the ice, by the time you realize you need to shift into 4WD, it's often too late.
Needing this option combination immediately limited our possibilities significantly. To name a few, the Ford Expedition, the Land Rover series, and the newest 4-Runners - all were competitors. The Expedition was immediately out of contention purely based upon size alone. My wife is not taken with large SUV's.
Initially sitting in the Kia Sorento EX, we were both impressed with the general fit and finish. There wasn't the typical thin plastic trim and lack of fit that you sometimes see in cars trying to cut costs. The sound system was on par with the price range; it had 6 disc, 6 speaker system and an easily adjustable equalizer based upon the type of music you were playing. Tone and range was quite good and didn't overpower the cabin. The seating was comfortable - especially with a driver's side lumbar support. Leather was not top notch, but definitely not cheap either. Nice touches like extra receptables for cell phones as well as factory tinted windows in the rear added to the vehicle. Road noise was quite low; the engine was hushed and didn't have the "booming" quality you sometimes get coming from the cargo area. The cargo area is fairly large with the rear seats in normal position - 37 cubic ft, I believe. The rear seats fold to 60/40 and can be individually configured. Room in the rear seats is quite comfortable - enough to have 3 people comfortably in the back.
What also impressed me was the quality of hardware components available with the EX. The trailer hitch setup was top notch and truly could support its towing capacity: 3500 lbs. An Eaton carbon-fiber limited slip is an option not common on many lower priced SUV's and contributes greatly to it's potential in slippery situations. The Eaton Corporation has a long history of solid construction of componentry. Additionally, the Borg-Warner AWD system is not a cheap item either. Each EX automatically receives skid plates as well as side and rear curtain air bags. Thoughtful design functions like potential angle of accent/descent, an extremely smooth automatic, and full-size wheels play a role in off-road performance.
In a lengthy 16 vehicle test - which included a Sorento LX - by 4Wheel magazine ((http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/roadtests/ 131_0302_year/index14.html) indicated that it had the best performance in hill climbing out of ANY of the vehicles. It was also the lowest priced vehicle of the group. Stated by the editors was "that if it had more options it would have contended for the top spot". The EX is better appointed than the LX.
Current Impressions (8/04) (9/04):
I'm quite happy with its performance so far. It is quite capable off-road. Its Low is truly a low 4WD and not just a slower AWD mode. We recently had 70+ tons of gravel dumped on the driveway, and it had absolutely no difficulties getting out. It is very smooth shifting, and its gas mileage has gotten slightly better than we expected. We have approximately 1100 ft elevation rise between home and work, and we're seeing around 18 mpg. There seems to be a significant reduction when we drive the same routes at 65 mph - which I suppose is to be expected. I've heard that there's a 25% decrease in gas mileage between driving at 65 mph versus 55 mph. 60 mph seems to be what it prefers in rural driving.
Its engine noise isn't at all obtrusive and everything appears to be working fine (at 1700 miles). The Mitsubishi V6 is strong and easily pulled my motorcycle and trailer over a 5000 ft mountain pass on a trip to Bend, Oregon. I could feel the self-leveling feature working as the vehicle cornered much better than I expected it would with a trailer. Generally, the ride gets a little unsettled on bumpy roads mid-turn, but that is fairly common with truck-based frames. I've not found the steering to be too light once you're used to it; it is speed sensitive and becomes heavier at higher speeds and is actually quite responsive.
(10-04)
I have noted a humming or a muted "howl" as I am in 4WD low - more notable when I first purchased the vehicle.
A panel van (about 3500 lbs) became stuck at the bottom of the aforementioned driveway. Instead of using my 4wd 1966 GMC truck (with Detroit lockers and positrac), I decided to give the Kia a try at towing them out. I instructed the driver to put it in neutral and off we went. The Sorento had no issues whatsover pulling this vehicle out. I used 4WD low. There wasn't even any slippage on the off-camber and steeply inclined corners. The driveway climbs 200 ft from bottom to top within 2 tenths of a mile.
Interestingly, the "howling" in 4WD seems to be disappating somewhat. It was not affected by pulling out the vehicles - except maybe to lessen slightly.
I've changed the rating to "Excellent".
(02/05)
With some fairly serious snow tires, we went up into the mountains on an often twisting scenic pass that connects to major canyons. It was snowing heavily, and snowfall amounts were about 15 inches - untracked. The Sorento had no difficulty navigating this snow depth and in fact, did not need 4WD Low. Even at a complete stop, the AWD was easily sufficient to move forward without slipping. I suspect that 4WD Low could handle more snow, although the pan was dragging somewhat as it was.
(05/05)
After nearly 14,000 miles, the "humming/howling" that occurs in 4WD low has also mutated to include 2nd gear in AWD when climbing. It appears, too, that the transmission is not as tight as it was in the beginning. It seems to almost slip once in awhile. Additionally, we've noted that the side mirrors' reflective surface is poor and the at night, it seems like they need a wash.
We're going to take the vehicle in to the dealer under warranty soon. I'd still recommend it - even strongly - but would also advise utilizing the bumper to bumper warranty early. More updates after the dealer visit.
(06/05)
Taking it in to the dealer for a checkup turned out to be low stress event. The service manager was very friendly and took detailed notes about my concerns. Turns out, the transmission is completely electronic and takes a second or two when engaging between gears - like from 1st to reverse. The service manager agreed that the mirrors were "frosty" and had them polished and offered to have them immediately replaced if they gave me any more trouble. They couldn't hear the low gear howl but offered to ride with me up a hill of my choice in the future. Upon returning to my vehicle, it was completely washed AND waxed.
(11/05)
As time has progressed, the aforementioned low-gear howl has disappeared. This winter, we've had several opportunities to see what the vehicle will really do in the snow. A friend and I went up into the Jefferson Wilderness area. Our drive up a gravel road to where the trailhead began became increasingly deep with untracked snow. We noted that there were no further tracks up ... but many turn-around marks. We continued along, finally needing to shift into 4WD low. The traction was impressive. Albeit shod with excellent snow tires, the Sorento had no difficulties plowing through snow that was well up over the driving lights and touching the bottom of the drivers door. Later, after snowshoing further up the hiking trail, we came back to find many vehicles had followed our sole tracks up, but none had ventured further.
(03/06)
Waking up to a late Spring freeze (with light snow), we noted that the prior night's heavy rain had frozen completely. Branches frozen solid littered the driveway up. Waves of water were frozen solid as they cascaded down the corners. We piled into the Sorento and crawled on up the 1/4 mile switchback. "Hmmm, maybe it wasn't as slippery as I thought." At home again, I decided to take a 2000 Civic with studded Nokias up. To my surprise, I couldn't barely turn the car around to start up the hill - much less go up it. In the house, my musing was interrupted by my wife calling (from the Kia) en route to Woodburn to say that she'd seen 14 cars in the ditch so far in a period of less than 18 miles.
Bottom Line:
Obviously, this is not a Land Rover or Lexus for luxury. However, it's not that far off. If you reduced these vehicles to 25k what would you have? Probably a Freelander or a Toyota Rav4. Overall, it's an excellent buy for the money. It's general quality seems to be incongruent with its price (in a good way). Name recognition is not the same, but remember what Toyota and Honda turned out their first few years. When I compared with a 4Runner with equal options, there was a $13,000 gap. Is it worth the difference? I don't think so.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $25,800
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: EX (see review for options)
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