Kia’s is closing out another successful year, beating the auto industry’s 5 percent growth with U.S. sales up more than 6 percent. That’s quite an accomplishment in a highly competitive U.S. market, but easy to understand when looking at Kia’s recipe for success. The company invested in great design when it hired noted automotive designer Peter Schreyer 9 years ago. It followed up by building its first U.S. design center in Irvine, California and its first U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia. Kia has also redirected its branding efforts, leveraging high-profile marketing campaigns that focus less on price and more on design and quality. Over this time period Kia’s U.S. sales have more than doubled, with models like the Kia Sorento leading the charge (Sorento was the first Kia to sell over 100,000 units in a single year). Now, with an all-new 2016 Kia Sorento hitting showrooms, along with lower fuel prices and the ever-increasing hunger for SUVs we’re seeing at Kelley Blue Book, there’s every indication the new Sorento will contribute to Kia’s forward momentum.
The 2016 Kia Sorento picks up where the outgoing model left off, offering a two- or three-row SUV layout built on a unibody platform. But the new Sorento’s changes are immediately apparent, starting with body that is 3 inches longer and a wheelbase extended 3.1 inches. Both changes, along with a 2-inch lower floor pan, contribute to increased interior space, making the optional third-row seat more functional than its predecessor. Overall interior space is up by 1.5 cubic feet, with 2 more cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. The updated exterior looks more aerodynamic because it is, with a new rear spoiler, revised front and rear deflectors and a smooth underbody giving the Sorento a 0.33 coefficient of drag and reducing wind noise at highway speeds. A larger mesh grille sits between revised headlights, creating a more upscale look.
The interior design is similarly updated, creating a sense of improved quality as you slide behind the wheel. Soft touch material dominates the cabin, and tight gaps between interior panels contribute to the new Sorento’s premium impression. The base Sorento L features cloth seats but Nappa leather is available on upper trim levels. Other options include a 40/20/40 folding second-row seat and a 50/50 folding third row, along with heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a 14-way power driver’s seat with thigh extension, 4-way adjustable power headrests, dual zone automatic climate control, an 8-inch touchscreen with navigation and a panoramic sunroof. The 2016 Sorento also offers a new 12-speaker, 630-watt Infiniti audio system featuring ”CLARI-FI” technology to fill in the missing gaps from digital audio sources, such as MP3s and satellite radio. We gave CLARI-FI a careful test listen and came away impressed with its ability to improve the depth and quality of digital music.
Our driving experience in two top-trim Sorento SX-Ls included all of those features, plus an impressive list of high-tech safety and convenience items like lane departure warning, blind spot detection, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, radar cruise control and a smart power liftgate that sensed when we approached the Sorento from behind and opened automatically (no foot waving required). Our first SX-L was powered by Kia’s 3.3-liter V6, offering 290 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque. This engine, hooked to a 6-speed automatic, provided plenty of power as we scaled mountain passes around Reno and Lake Tahoe. It also gives the Sorento a 5,000-pound tow rating and is rated at 18 city mpg, 26 highway mpg and 21 mixed mpg in front-wheel-drive models
The other engine we tried out was Kia’s 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder. This is the Sorento’s first turbo option, and with its responsive 240 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque we liked it even more than the V6 (though towing capacity drops to 3,500 pounds). The turbo is rated at 20/27/23 mpg, which beats the V6 but isn’t as high as the base 2.4-liter engine’s 22/29/25 mpg (the base 4-cylinder generates 185 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque).
Regardless of engine or trim level every 2016 Sorento benefits from a greater use of high-strength steel and a 14 percent increase in torsional rigidity. Upgrades to the suspension, including a new front subframe and longer rear control arms with four-point bushings, help isolate the cabin from road imperfections. These updates, in combination with improved sound deadening material and a rack-mounted power steering system with Drive Mode Select (Sport, Normal and Eco) gave the new Sorento a confident and refined quality throughout our driving experience. Kia’s optional all-wheel-drive system ($1,800) was appreciated in the snowy weather conditions, with quicker reactions to individual wheel slippage and a lock mode that splits torque 50/50 between the front and rear axles (at up to 20 mph). Every AWD Sorento includes Roll Over Mitigation (ROM) and Cornering Brake Control (CBC) in additional to standard two-wheel-drive features like brake assist, electronic brake force distribution and hill-start assist.
Kia knows modern SUV buyers come with a wide variety of needs and demographics, which is why the 2016 Sorento comes in so many flavors. A base “L” model with the 2.4-liter engine and front-wheel drive starts at $25,795. That version includes a cloth interior and room for five, along with Kia’s 5-year/60,000-mile warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile drivetrain coverage. At the other end of the spectrum is the 2016 Sorento SX-L V6 AWD, with seating for seven and every premium feature mentioned above for $43,995. Between these two extremes are three trim level (LX, EX, SX) and a variety of standard and optional equipment to meet nearly any SUV buyer’s needs. Of course the SUV market has never been more crowded with exceptional product, but Kia’s new 2016 Sorento, with its combination of high-tech features, premium design, confident dynamics and high value should more than hold its own.
Karl Brauer has spent over 20 years working in the automotive industry as a writer, analyst, web designer, online business consultant and media representative.
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