Day-by-Day Review: 2011 Kia Sorento EX-V6

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2011 Kia Sorento

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So, last week I was driving a vehicle available in just two trims: the 2010 Acura RDX, with or without Technology Package. This week I move from the perhaps overly-simplified in terms of option choices to the perhaps overly complex — the 2011 Kia Sorento.

The Sorento is available in 15 different trim levels, according to Kia’s ordering guide. That breaks down to five four-cylinder models and ten six-cylinder models to choose from. It’s something more and more manufacturers are doing now –offering the four-cylinder engine in one of the higher trim levels — which is great, as it means you no longer have to get the six-cylinder if all you wanted was that sunroof or leather seats.

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Keeping with the tradition of fully-loaded, this week’s tester is an EX-V6 Luxury model with all-wheel drive, seven seats and a six-speed steptronic transmission. From perusing around the car, it looks like the only thing that is really missing is a power rear lift-gate, since luxuries such as navigation, heated seats, dual-zone climate control and more are present.

For those purists that insist that there must be a manual transmission, Kia even offers you that in the most basic, front-wheel drive, four-cylinder model — just like the old days! Ironically, the manual transmission is rated for poorer fuel economy than the automatic, and I suspect finding one in stock at a dealership may be a challenge.

That base model starts at $23,995 and includes some interesting amenities and features such as: Electronic Stability Control, Hill Ascent Control, six airbags, 17-inch wheels, air-conditioning, heated front seats, voice activated Bluetooth and steering wheel mounted audio controls.

Option out the Sorento and you arrive at my tester’s $39,195, which adds quite a few extras including: a third row for seven passenger seating, leather, navigation, a 3.5-litre V6 engine, smart key push button start and entry, and a panoramic sunroof that spans nearly the full roof of the vehicle.

2011 Kia Sorento EX-V6 Luxury
MSRP as tested (excluding destination): $39,195

For more information on Kia and the Sorento visit Kia Canada

Day 2

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The interior of the new 2011 Sorento, at least in the trim that I am driving, polarizes me. I’m not really sure whether I love it or hate it; well, I am sure I don’t hate it as it is pretty good, but I can’t say I love it.

Hard plastics, yes they are here, but that is not a big deal: everything looks really nice and well put together. My tester has 100km on it so it is fresh from the factory; the plastic around the shifter creaked the first day I drove the car, but that has gone away, so maybe it just needed to settle. I do wish for some softer elbow padding though, as the centre console armrest is fairly hard.

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Interior lighting is good. Kia saved some coin by putting ambient lighting around the switches rather than lighting up each switch individually but it works okay. The gauge cluster is easy to read, perhaps not quite bright enough in the sun, though.

Leg room for the front is certainly plentiful and if you are a big person you will have no issues with your knees hitting the centre console. Rear seat space is good too and the middle row reclines a bit for more comfort.

But therein lies some of my dislikes: if you tilt the middle row back too much you cannot fold the third row flat, and getting to the third row — now there is an adventure. With the front passenger seat too far back, the middle row seat will not flip forward either, and then it is impossible to get to the rearmost seats, so it could become a real hassle to use that third row.

With the third row seats up and ready for use cargo space is laughable; I couldn’t fit my lunch bag in there so I had to flip the seat down. Also with the seats and headrests up — let’s just say you should be glad there is a backup camera.

Besides the seat niggles I think the interior is comfortable and appealing, but perhaps a little on the quirky side. The quirkiest thing is probably the visor lighting system. Flip down the visor and you have a mirror hidden behind a sliding panel, slide it and… no light? Oh, right: to get light, you have to flip a switch… each time. Odd indeed.

Day 3

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After a long-weekend highway trip, I have had a lot of time behind the wheel of the Sorento and a better understanding of its dynamics. Are the seats too firm? My co-driver commented that the passenger seat was very firm, but the driver’s seat seemed okay to me.

The programming of the gas pedal is typical Kia, and by that I mean it is very aggressive on initial tip-in. If you aren’t used to it, you end up with jack rabbit starts as the vehicle jumps forward quickly almost as soon as you place your foot on the pedal.

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The V6 engine produces a good amount of power, and is quiet and smooth on the highway and around town, but the Sorento’s weight is evident on steeper hills as the transmission still needs to downshift to keep momentum up.

That leads me to believe the four-cylinder option may be a little strained as most fours are in vehicles this large. Typically, the six comes close to matching the four for fuel economy, while surpassing it in all other areas in vehicles of this girth.

The ride is comfortable and quiet with very little road or wind noise even on a windy day out on the highway. The steering is nicely weighted when out on the road but is a little heavy at slower speeds, making the Sorento feel larger than it is at times.

The Navigation system in the Sorento is one of the fastest I have ever had the pleasure to use: get off at the wrong exit and it is able to recalculate while you are on the off-ramp! The system allows you to program while moving as well — perhaps a little dangerous, but I let my passenger do the programming. A lot of systems lock you out completely unless you are stopped.

Day 4

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I’ll be honest: I don’t have much else to say about the Sorento. It is a crossover worthy of a place on your shopping list; certainly, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you did not take a look at it, mainly because of the price factor.

You get quite a bit of content in the Sorento for your dollar, and that is the biggest selling point. Gas mileage was not bad for the week, either, although not anywhere close the optimistic published ratings of 11.1/7.9 L/100km (city / highway) — in mixed (mostly highway) driving, I averaged 11.9L/100km.

At the start of the week I was averaging over 13L/100km and attempted to be very light on the gas pedal, which drastically reduced consumption. On a long highway trip, I averaged 10.5L/100km, which isn’t horrible but also nowhere near 7.9L/100km.

*Rating out of 5: