So.... just how firm are those front seats? I've read that the Chev Traverse and and Buick Enclaves are very comfortable. Seats, sound system and headlight illumination are critical for the long drives I do several times a year.
One thing I read about the Sante Fe is that you cannot dim the instrument panel low enough for comfortable night driving. Does the Kia suffer from the same control?
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I noticed the dash lighting issue in the Santa Fe, actually. My issue was that the blue radio display didn't dim as much as I'd have liked it to, and the glare was distracting on unlit/rural roads. Now, that was in a 2007 model, so I can't say if they've improved on that. And come to think of it, I noticed the same thing in a 2007 Elantra, too, I think it was.
Re: Santa Fe vs. Sorento and interior lighting...
I notice the same thing with our '10 Santa Fe - the main display on the center console is backlit in bright blue (as are the rest of the controls), but also note that the speedo/gauge cluster is backlit in white, so you can turn down the interior lights quite dim and still have an easily visible gauge cluster. It can be offending if left on maximum brightness, and I wish the center display was a little dimmer, but it's not a deal-breaker. Speaking of lighting, it is worth mentioning that the headlights on the Santa Fe (as with perhaps many other new cars) is excellent - the breadth of vision that the projector beams provide is noticeably better than that on typical reflector-style headlights, and the crisp beam cutoff looks sharp and prevents offending light from blinding oncoming drivers. I'm sure the Sorento would be similar.
The interior of the Santa Fe is aimed at a more luxury-oriented buyer as opposed to the sportier Sorento. For instance, they use fake wood-coloured trim in the Santa as opposed to the black finishes in the Sorento. The whole dash layout and passenger space in the Santa Fe, especially with tan interior is very bright and airy, whereas the Sorento is darker, sportier, and meant to be a little more aggressive - choosing between these two vehicles is really a matter of preference as the mechanicals are almost identical. As some have mentioned, pricing is a little hotter on the Hyundai, which to me makes it an attractive deal, considering it has all the new hardware that the Kia gets under the sheetmetal.
On a functional note, the C-pillar on the Sorento looks as though it would cause a significant blind spot, whereas rearward visibility is excellent in the Santa Fe through the larger windows. Regardless, this vehicle is dead-easy to park - turning radius is what one would expect of a svelte midsize sedan, which is to be expected considering the real meat-and-potatoes of this CUV are in fact the Sonata/Magentis sedans. It just seems odd being able to make such a tight turn in a vehicle this large...yet another pleasant feature of CUV's as opposed to SUV's.
