By Derek Price
Automotive Writer
It’s not easy to stay competitive in the hotly contested world of crossover vehicles, but the Kia Sorento is managing to remain one of the best.
Of course, “best” is a relative term in a category where there just aren’t any bad vehicles these days. Most crossovers look and drive so much alike that only subtle differences set them apart.
Starting at $24,300, the Kia Sorento has all the strengths that make crossovers so popular: space, comfort and refinement along with decent fuel economy.
On the 2015 Sorento, three things impress me:
— The direct-injected V6 engine and six-speed transmission make a perfect couple. Acceleration feels smooth, confident and sophisticated with 290 horsepower and crisp shifts. Highway fuel economy of 25 mpg is a nice bonus with all that power.
— Kia’s digital interface, called UVO, is ridiculously easy to use. Most of today’s cars come with touchscreen systems that can add needless steps to complete simple operations, but I found UVO to be simple and intuitive when linking up with my iPhone. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to read a book to learn how to change the radio station, you’ll love this system.
— Kia’s warranty coverage is awesome. With 10 years or 100,000 miles of protection on the powertrain and five years or 60,000 miles on the basic warranty, it’s some of the best “peace of mind” in the car industry.
While my V6-powered test car was wonderfully devoid of weaknesses, there’s one thing I wish could be improved in the lineup: the four-cylinder base engine.
The 2.4-liter four-cylinder makes roughly 100 horsepower less than the six-cylinder does, but it’s only rated for 2 mpg better than the V6 at 27 on the highway. For that kind of power tradeoff, I’d prefer to get somewhere in the 30-mpg range, so the V6 seems like the much more appealing option to me.
Other than that, there’s just not much to complain about on this crossover.
The interior has a tight feel, comfortable seats and the kind of soft-touch materials that have become expected in this competitive class. Its body is attractive enough, if not particularly distinctive, and its steering and brakes feel spot on.
There aren’t many changes for 2015 because, frankly, this car doesn’t need them. It got a major update for 2014 that included a revised chassis and suspension, fresh interior and new powertrain, making it as close to an “all-new” car as you can get, really. All those improvements helped it remain a top contender.
For the 2015 model, the four-cylinder engine was tweaked to provide slightly better gas mileage — although still not as efficient as I’d prefer — and its UVO electronic system was updated to the latest version.
A large touchscreen interface is one of the Sorento’s strong points. Kia’s UVO digital interface is wonderfully easy to learn.
Overall, this crossover does what it’s supposed to do. It’s powerful, refined, comfortable and reasonably spacious for hauling families and all their stuff.
Pricing starts at $24,300 for the base LX model and ranges up to $39,900 for the luxurious Limited trim.
At a Glance
What was tested?
2015 Kia Sorento SXL AWD ($41,70o). Options: None. Price as tested (including $895 destination charge): $42,595
Wheelbase: 106.3 in.
Length: 184.4 in.
Width: 74.2 in.
Height: 68.3 in.
Engine: 3.3-liter GDI V6 (290 horsepower, 252 lbs.-ft.)
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Estimated Mileage: 25 highway, 18 city
RATINGS
Style: 7
Performance: 8
Price: 8
Handling: 7
Ride: 9
Comfort: 9
Quality: 9
Overall: 8
Video Review:
2015 Kia Sorento
http://bit.ly/2015sorento
Why buy it?
It’s one of many spectacular crossovers on the market today. Its long warranty coverage, great V6 powertrain and fully capable but easy-to-use electronics suite are its strongest points.