2016 Kia Sorento bowls a strike
Today’s test car is a 2016 Kia Sorento midsize SUV, a vehicle that fits nicely into a discussion about refinement as it pertains to automobiles.
Refined. What a great word!
When I was a teenager, my mom often said she wished I’d learn to be more civil and, yes, refined.
I first started to recognize automobile refinement back in the ’50s when I realized that our neighbors’ cars—Bill Wellington’s Cadillac and George Norton’s Buick—had nicer rides, more power, and plusher interiors than our Fords and Chevys.
Surely, they were more refined.
But refined has all sorts of connotations. Sophistication is part of it. So is class and being cultivated, tasteful, and polished. Then there are overtones of beauty and grace. Civilized? Definitely.
It’s one of those words like duende, which the late columnist George Frazier used to write about regularly as it pertained to both people and things.
You either had it or you didn’t.
The first time I drive a Jaguar, I immediately realized it had it.
The first time I drove in a Kia, several decades ago, I immediately realized it didn’t have it.
Now the question is: Can you develop it?
Rear seats have ample seat room and a clever-lever that drops the rear row flat for added cargo space.
Kia and Hyundai first claimed a spot on the US marketing landscape by proving they were reliable budget-priced vehicles. I often refer to their strategy of offering a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty as one of the industry’s great marketing campaigns.
Indeed, they proved they could build cars worthy of that backing.
Next, they became a value proposition, adding more content (another great industry word) than comparably priced competitors’ cars.
Today, Kia is developing a following in the upscale neighborhood with the Cadenza (larger sedan) and the “Fit for a King (Lebron James)’’ K900 luxury sedan. Hyundai is going even farther by planning a new luxury brand around the Genesis nameplate.
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Consumer Reports names Kia Sorento among best vehicles of 2016
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I found our Sorento to have all the contemporary bells and whistles, but perhaps not quite yet to be connected into a well-tuned orchestra.
My contemporaries begged to differ.
One of the pleasures of being semi-retired is the freedom to bowl for quarters in a Wednesday morning seniors pick-up tournament. Competitive? You’d better believe it.
An opinionated group? Ditto.
Among these folks, the Sorento generated as much interest—more in some ways—as some of the high-priced sports cars we’ve written about in recent months.
They liked the Sorento’s styling. They liked the quality of the interior. They wanted to know about the fuel economy.
Only a five-passenger? That’s no problem because it means there was more-than-ample cargo space.
You can get a base Sorento for $25,795 (including destination). That’s the L model. Move up through the LX, EX, SX to our SLX and you’ve got a starting price of $42,595. As tested, our SLX was $45,305 after adding a tech package ($2,500) along with front, rear, and cargo-area mats ($200).
Kia has made the Sorento, which is a smallish midsize SUV, available in either a five-seat or seven-seat configuration. The seven-seater only is available with the 3.3-liter V-6. Our five-seater came with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder that puts out 240 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque.
Power was OK, considering it was moving a 4,004-pound vehicle. Same with fuel economy. This version is rated at 19 miles per gallon in city driving, 25 on the highway, and 22 combined. We were close to that with 22.3 on the onboard computer.
THE INSIDE STORY: has a simple “plot’’—straightforward controls, quality materials, attractive layout, and all the bells ‘n whistles.
The interior was decidedly upscale with leather and soft-touch materials.
Rear seats have ample seat room and a clever-lever that drops the rear row flat for added cargo space. That came in handy on a trip to the building supply store to lug 15 boxes of tile home for a neighbor’s flooring project.
The radio-navigation system had Clari-Fi technology to reconstruct compressed digital music files. A surround view parking aid helped us parallel park in a tight spot in downtown Wakefield on a Saturday night.
Inside the cabin, the ride was quiet, a sign that Kia’s efforts to cut weight and stiffen the chassis with high-strength steel, new adhesives, and a redesigned rear suspension are all working.
The available forward collision warning, smart cruise control, and blind spot detection all helped the Sorento gain the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick+ rating.
Plus a lot of attention from my group.
It seems the Sorento may have it after all.
2016 Kia Sorento SXL AWD
THE BASICS
Price, base/as tested (with destination): $42,595/$45,305. Fuel economy, EPA estimated: 19 city/25 highway/22 combined. Fuel economy, Globe observed: 22.3. Drivetrain: 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, 6-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive. Body: 5-passenger, midsize SUV.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 240. Torque: 260 lb.-ft. Overall length: 187.4 in. Wheelbase: 109.4 in.
Height: 66.5 in. Width: 74.4 in. Curb weight: 4,004 in.
THE GOOD
Full technology and safety scores, well-appointed cabin, Kia warranty, hidden under-floor storage cubbies.
THE SO-SO
Average acceleration, personal aggravation with radio pre-sets.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A car I could live with for a long time.
ALSO CONSIDER
Ford Edge, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Murano, Toyota Highlander.
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