I test drove the 2016 Kia Sorento 2 weeks ago and the AWD powertrain is excellent. The interior styling and quality was also top-notch. The seats were extremely comfortable, more so than the 2015 Toyota Highlander. Kia makes some of the best SUVs in the industry along with Toyota, Hyundai and Ford. And their excellent AWD powetrains is the reason why the new Kia Sorento is the best selling SUV in Russia.
Definitely the best designed SUV of 2015/2016. Looks built like a tank! KIA are SUV specialists. KIA is a contract defence manufacturing company in South Korea, manufacturing armored vehicles. KIA's SUVs are one of the best in the industry.
Stefan Schmidt The 2016 Sorento is much better than the 2015 Toyota Highlander. More luxurious interior and the handling on the 2016 Sorento is far more responsive than the 2015 Toyota Highlander in my experience.
Excellent point about the turbo 4 engine vs. the 6 cylinder non-turbo! A lot of auto marketing out there push the fuel efficiency aspect of small 4 cylinder turbo units, but for obvious reason, ignore the reality; the drastic dip in economy when the engines are pushed hard (more turbo reliance = burning more fuel).
Why would Motormouth Canada review an US version of the Sorento? In the Canadian version, you don't have the UVO button besides the navigation screen...
I liked the interior on this SUV. I was impressed that the info screen was built into the dash. I have seen other SUVs,even high end ones,and the screen sticks up like an add on.
Thank you so much "Motormouth Canada" Every time I`m looking to purchase a new vehicle I always refer to your Great reviews. I`m in the process of buying the 2018 Kia Sorento LX Turbo here in Toronto. Thanks again. John W Toronto, Ontario
Nice review - very informative. As the proud-owner of a new 2016 Sorento EX, I think you hit all of the important points about the vehicle. I opted for the 2.0L Turbo engine in mine and I'm impressed, so far, with the mid-range 'punch' it has to pass other vehicles on the highway. I'm particularly pleased with the utter lack of noise and turbo lag when accelerating. Kia has really stepped-up its game and is no longer the cheap, disposable car it was 15 years ago. Anyone considering a mid-size CUV should take the 2016 Sorento for a test-drive. They won't believe they're driving a Kia.
Just rented one of these for a long distance drive and the interior ergonomics are spot on. The suspension and buzzy engine under hard highway acceleration, lane changes, etc... aren't the most refined though. I'm not a Kia fan solely because the image is still too value brand, but I totally get why these cars sell so well.
Motormouth Canada I really enjoyed this review along with your review of the new land rover discovery sport. According to the Kia website a fully loaded 2016 Sorento will MSRP for about $48K while a similarly equipped Discovery sport is about $55k. I have two young childern and a dog and will use the 3rd row occasionally. Which car would you buy and why? Thanks!
Hi Zack, Love your videos! I realize this review is a few years old, but any idea when the 2019 Sorrento will be available? They seem to have added a few interesting driver assist features for 2019. I've read that it may be available in spring of 2018. I live in Canada, by the way. Thanks and keep up he great work. Also love the watch channel!
Glad they improved the electric steering. I have a 2015 base model. Absolutely hate the steering. Couldn't imagine driving it on a long trip. Will be trading it soon for that reason.
Hope it's better than the 1st gen I had. Looked great on paper but I had to get rid of it after only 3 yrs, 12 headlight bulbs, 27 tail light bulbs, several interior light bulbs and 3 batteries. Kia didn't consider this unusual. I've never used roadside assist until Kia. I would consider it a tie for worst car I've owned (Ford Pinto was the other). Replaced Sorento with Ford Edge Limited AWD; absolutely the best car I have owned.
Have fun when that waterpump goes. It's built right into the engine and you'll have 2 minutes before the leaking fluids destroy your engine and you'll have to replace that too.
The only reason why 7-passenger sales are going to increase significantly is because Kia is forcing anyone interested in a V6 engine to pay for 3 rows of seating that is most likely not wanted nor needed. For that reason I hope Kia is wrong and it will likely help Ford to sale for Edges. And for that same reason the new Sorento is off my list of possible vehicles.
Motormouth Canada You're right on the different tuning but Kia has less hp AND torque. Santa Fe =260Hp/269ft lbs Sorento=240HP/260ft lbs Many manufacturers will have different tunes with the same engine but on different platforms. The same 2.0T also makes 273hp/269ft lbs in the Optima. It seems the heavier the vehicle, the less aggressive the tune. The Santa Fe sport 2.0T is 300lbs lighter than the Sorento 2.0L T I believe and the Optima is even lighter. Also, maybe the Sorento has a wider power band down low and the Santa fe just peaks higher torque. (without seeing a dyno its hard to say though)
+Rick V The peak torque numbers at a specific rpm may have little to do with how it feels and drives. You couldn't tell 9 lb ft of torque difference anyway.
Hard to trust long term reliability as I'm a Korean. For example I couldn't adjust wheel alignment due to the rust. They are still using cheap parts under the hood. Their attraction is always sneaky bells and whistles. Just matching the spec numbers when it's brand new.
Murano has more hp than the 4 cylinder and better mpg than a the Kia v6. Can’t beat Murano’s 11 speaker Bose sound system Murano’s interior was awarded t best interior. So it beats the sorento.
Hyundai/kia have gotten way overpriced and have way to many expensive options. They also have bad reliabilty on their electronics..nav, stereos, back up cams etc
I test drove the 2016 Kia Sorento 2 weeks ago and the AWD powertrain is excellent. The interior styling and quality was also top-notch. The seats were extremely comfortable, more so than the 2015 Toyota Highlander.
Kia makes some of the best SUVs in the industry along with Toyota, Hyundai and Ford. And their excellent AWD powetrains is the reason why the new Kia Sorento is the best selling SUV in Russia.
StealthTechz Yeah I think I'll end up buying the 2016 Kia Sorento over the 2015 Highlander.
StealthTechz Kia cars are extremely reliable
StealthTechz Kia makes high quality cars, period.
StealthTechz In JAPAN, Toyota Highlander is not popular.
Japanese like German SUVs
we have had several Kia's. Our family also drive Kia's. Fit and finish, price and warranty are hard to beat.
Definitely the best designed SUV of 2015/2016. Looks built like a tank!
KIA are SUV specialists. KIA is a contract defence manufacturing company in South Korea, manufacturing armored vehicles.
KIA's SUVs are one of the best in the industry.
Stefan Schmidt Yeah the 2016 Sorento is very nice!
Stefan Schmidt The 2016 Sorento is much better than the 2015 Toyota Highlander.
More luxurious interior and the handling on the 2016 Sorento is far more responsive than the 2015 Toyota Highlander in my experience.
David Bennett The 2016 Sorento uses the same steel used in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. That's higher grade steel than the 2015 Highlander.
Stefan Schmidt In Brasil, KIA SUVs are the most popular!
Just ordered a limited v6 with awd yesterday cant wait
Christopher Torres | How has the experience been?
Excellent point about the turbo 4 engine vs. the 6 cylinder non-turbo! A lot of auto marketing out there push the fuel efficiency aspect of small 4 cylinder turbo units, but for obvious reason, ignore the reality; the drastic dip in economy when the engines are pushed hard (more turbo reliance = burning more fuel).
Why would Motormouth Canada review an US version of the Sorento? In the Canadian version, you don't have the UVO button besides the navigation screen...
I liked the interior on this SUV. I was impressed that the info screen was built into the dash. I have seen other SUVs,even high end ones,and the screen sticks up like an add on.
Looks like a fantastic SUV. I'll be looking @ it closely next year. I like the Ford Edge as well.
Thank you so much "Motormouth Canada" Every time I`m looking to purchase a new vehicle I always refer to your Great reviews. I`m in the process of buying the 2018 Kia Sorento LX Turbo here in Toronto. Thanks again.
John W
Toronto, Ontario
Nice review - very informative. As the proud-owner of a new 2016 Sorento EX, I think you hit all of the important points about the vehicle. I opted for the 2.0L Turbo engine in mine and I'm impressed, so far, with the mid-range 'punch' it has to pass other vehicles on the highway. I'm particularly pleased with the utter lack of noise and turbo lag when accelerating. Kia has really stepped-up its game and is no longer the cheap, disposable car it was 15 years ago. Anyone considering a mid-size CUV should take the 2016 Sorento for a test-drive. They won't believe they're driving a Kia.
Hey, would you recommend this for a 3-row suv?
Just rented one of these for a long distance drive and the interior ergonomics are spot on. The suspension and buzzy engine under hard highway acceleration, lane changes, etc... aren't the most refined though. I'm not a Kia fan solely because the image is still too value brand, but I totally get why these cars sell so well.
Definitely looks better than the last one
Motormouth Canada I really enjoyed this review along with your review of the new land rover discovery sport. According to the Kia website a fully loaded 2016 Sorento will MSRP for about $48K while a similarly equipped Discovery sport is about $55k. I have two young childern and a dog and will use the 3rd row occasionally. Which car would you buy and why?
Thanks!
Hi Zack, Love your videos! I realize this review is a few years old, but any idea when the 2019 Sorrento will be available? They seem to have added a few interesting driver assist features for 2019. I've read that it may be available in spring of 2018. I live in Canada, by the way. Thanks and keep up he great work. Also love the watch channel!
Glad they improved the electric steering. I have a 2015 base model. Absolutely hate the steering. Couldn't imagine driving it on a long trip. Will be trading it soon for that reason.
Hope it's better than the 1st gen I had. Looked great on paper but I had to get rid of it after only 3 yrs, 12 headlight bulbs, 27 tail light bulbs, several interior light bulbs and 3 batteries. Kia didn't consider this unusual. I've never used roadside assist until Kia. I would consider it a tie for worst car I've owned (Ford Pinto was the other). Replaced Sorento with Ford Edge Limited AWD; absolutely the best car I have owned.
Have fun when that waterpump goes. It's built right into the engine and you'll have 2 minutes before the leaking fluids destroy your engine and you'll have to replace that too.
+Carlos Choy ....and I'm talking about the Ford Edge.
Nice, thanks!
Santa Fe 7 seater review
waht about the 2nd row..u did not take good shots. like vents, arm rest ..etc.
www.kia.ca ?
Everything looks perfect except that KIA badge !!!!!
Bipin Sebastian its bad, but u can get after market grills n its looks bad ass.
***** v
The only reason why 7-passenger sales are going to increase significantly is because Kia is forcing anyone interested in a V6 engine to pay for 3 rows of seating that is most likely not wanted nor needed. For that reason I hope Kia is wrong and it will likely help Ford to sale for Edges.
And for that same reason the new Sorento is off my list of possible vehicles.
You are wrong about the 2.0 turbo engine the Santa Fe has more bhp 264
Jonthearm Same engine, tuned slightly differently. Kia went for more low end torque.
Motormouth Canada You're right on the different tuning but Kia has less hp AND torque. Santa Fe =260Hp/269ft lbs Sorento=240HP/260ft lbs
Many manufacturers will have different tunes with the same engine but on different platforms. The same 2.0T also makes 273hp/269ft lbs in the Optima. It seems the heavier the vehicle, the less aggressive the tune. The Santa Fe sport 2.0T is 300lbs lighter than the Sorento 2.0L T I believe and the Optima is even lighter.
Also, maybe the Sorento has a wider power band down low and the Santa fe just peaks higher torque. (without seeing a dyno its hard to say though)
+Rick V The peak torque numbers at a specific rpm may have little to do with how it feels and drives. You couldn't tell 9 lb ft of torque difference anyway.
Hard to trust long term reliability as I'm a Korean. For example I couldn't adjust wheel alignment due to the rust. They are still using cheap parts under the hood. Their attraction is always sneaky bells and whistles. Just matching the spec numbers when it's brand new.
looks so much like the new jaguar XE, even the rims too...
You need glasses.
2016 already? Desperate much ?
I want one
It's looks like a freakin van!
Murano has more hp than the 4 cylinder and better mpg than a the Kia v6. Can’t beat Murano’s 11 speaker Bose sound system Murano’s interior was awarded t best interior. So it beats the sorento.
Kia really put shame on Ford and Chevrolet
Hyundai/kia have gotten way overpriced and have way to many expensive options. They also have bad reliabilty on their electronics..nav, stereos, back up cams etc
i guess they don't want to be seem as the "cheap and cheerful" brand any more.
and depreciation =P
Sorry to say but your wrong again it has less torque
I'm eagerly waiting for your video review.
270 hp