2021 Kia Sorento – Test Drive, Review, Ratings, Specs
Filling the Niche with an Upscaled 7-Seater
What used to be a high-occupancy people mover is no longer the case. The all-new 2021 Kia Sorento has been completely transformed with luxury design treatments made inside out while continuing to offer exceptional cargo space and versatility in a 7-seater. With practicality in mind, the Kia Sorento comes equipped with a 281 horsepower turbo-charged 4-cylider engine, but for the more fuel savvy buyers, a hybrid powertrain is also offered that gets an exceptional combined 39mpg EPA rating.
What’s New for 2021
The Kia Sorento has been completely revamped that now offers a much more matured, muscular in a classical boxy cross-over SUV form factor. Interior space has also been refined and carefully crafted that even meets luxury expectations albeit a few minor design quirks. Its chassis dimensions has also been slightly increased to offer a roomier cabin space. Add the availability of a hybrid powertrain to the mix of new updates. Kia also plans to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the Sorento in the near future as well. Second row can also be configured with two captain seats for further customized use as well.
Powertrain
Standard configuration options gets you a 2.5L inline-4 engine outputting 191 horsepower or a 2.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine rated significantly more at 281 horsepower. Both engine options come with an 8-speed automatic transmission. A hybrid power-train variant is also made available with a smaller 1.6L Atkinson Cycle engine running in tandem with a 44kW AC induction motor.
The base 2.5L inline 4 achieves 24 and 29 mpg fuel economy while the more powerful turbocharged 2.5L 4-cylinder engine receives 22 and 29 mpg for city and highway EPA ratings respectively. Considering highway fuel economy is levelled with only slightly diminished EPA ratings in the city, the turbocharged engine variant makes it an attractable choice. Opting for the hybrid powertrain will offer the best and substantially better fuel economy of the three options at 39 mpg city and highway combined.
Interior Cabin and Tech
Interior cabin space impresses with luxury treatments from quilted stitching, wood grain paneling, interior ambient LED lighting and leather seats. The center console conveniently stacks a dedicated dual-climate controls, power-window buttons and a rotary dial for drive-mode selection for Normal, ECO, or SPORT mode. Other than a few minor design quirks namely the over-extended plastic panel from the instrument cluster and awkward geometries, the interior cabin is a place most will really like.
Digital amenities boasts a massive all-digital 12.3” instrument cluster and a larger 10.3” infotainment touchscreen fully compatible with Android Auto and Apple Carplay if upgraded to the higher SX trim. An upgraded 12-speaker BOSE audio sound system will also come with the SX trim as well. Base and lower trims will get a lower 8” infotainment screen in lieu but will still be compatible with both Android and Apple smartphone connectivity.
Apart from standard safety features including blind spot monitoring, cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and front collision avoidance system, KIA has also introduced some nifty tech features that separates itself from the competition with front-vehicle drive-away alert when the vehicle in front is pulling away at a red stop light as well as a traffic camera warning alert through its sound speaker system.
The Drive and Final Thoughts
Configured on our tester model is the SX trim equipped with the 2.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder All-Wheel Drive. With 281 horsepower, the KIA Sorento shows adequate power to spare and acceleration proved to be smooth and predictable thanks to the seamless operation of the 8-speed automatic gearbox. But under the rare occasion where quick power is needed, a bit of pre-planning is needed to wait for the turbocharger to spool up.
The revamped styling and upscaled cabin treatment are undeniably astounding for what KIA has to offer with the 7-seater Sorento. Our final 2021 KIA Sorento SX tester model comes priced in at $49,695 including freight and handling. More savvy buyers can opt for the X-Line trim that still comes with the 2.5L turbo charged engine minus the luxury amenities the SX has to offer namely the panoramic sunroof, larger 10.25” infotainment touchscreen, and synthetic leather seats for $4,500 less.
Specifications
- Vehicle : 2021 Kia Sorento
- Model : Sorento SX Trim
- Vehicle Type : mid-size Crossover
- Seating Capacity : 2+2+3 (2nd row captain seat configuration)
- Engine : 2.5L Turbocharged 4-cylinder
- Transmission : 8-speed Automatic
- Price as tested: $49,695
Pros
- Exquisite styling inside out
- Exceptional cargo capacity and interior comfort
- Excellent digital amenities especially with larger 12.3″ LCD instrument cluster and 10.25″ infotainment screen available in the SX trim
Cons
- Slight lag with the turbocharger
- Minor quirks due to over-designed interior