A big perk of my job is doing vehicle reviews so that you can hear from a mom’s perspective what I think of the car, truck or SUV. Last week, a 2016 Kia Sorento was dropped off. Honestly, I got an email asking if I would like to review the Sorento – I said yes and with life happening, I didn’t even get a chance to do any research before it arrived. And another thing, I had this preconceived notion of Kia, which color me WRONG – i’ll talk about that later.
At first glance the 2016 Kia Sorento was a great looking vehicle. It wasn’t too huge and big bonus for our family of 6 – it sits 7 people. This was the only vehicle I drove for the 7 days it was in my possession.
As you may know, we virtual school – so I used needing to test out this crossover SUV as a good excuse to take a field trip to Fort Worth. The car handles great and by the end of our week, the kids had already asked if we could keep it forever.
Kia Sorento Review
Here’s what to love about the 2016 Kia Sorento:
Technology
Intelligent and responsive, the Sorento features available drive-assist technologies like Surround View Monitor (SVM), Lane Departure Warning (LDWS), Advance Smart Cruise Control (ASCC), and Blind-Spot Detection (BSD). Plus leading innovations like Clari-Fi Audio, engineered to automatically restore musics rich sound details. The Sorento is advanced technology at unexpected levels.
What does this mean? When you are driving down the highway and someone enters your blind spot – the Sorento detects this and shows you a flashing light symbol on your side mirrors. If you have your blinker on, like you are going to go into that lane and there is another car present, this car will fuss at you with a ding (though, I should say that fuss is welcomed and could save your life!)
I seriously was learning more about the technology in this vehicle on day 7 and even though I drove this car around 500 miles, I still don’t know everything it has to offer.
Navigation / Audio System
The user interface on the Sorento’s navigation and radio was by far the most user friendly I’ve ever experienced. It was very “don’t make me think”. I plugged my iPhone into charge via the USB plug and the phone was automatically recognized and started playing the music on my phone. Pairing with Bluetooth was a cinch.
My sister (Dallas Socials) and I went to a blogger event last week in Southlake. It was a drive and never having been there before, she said she would put it in the GPS. She too was impressed with how easy it was to navigate the navigation!
See the above message in the photo? When the low fuel light came on, this message popped up. (Don’t worry, I was parked when this photo was taken.) How cool is that? Do you know 1. How many times I have run out of fuel? TOO many times to note. 2. How great this would be while on a road trip? (And you KNOW we are a family that road trips!)
Panoramic Sunroof
Okay, this is totally the truth and cracks me up thinking about this. The sunroof / moonroof is SO well hidden, I didn’t know about it for the first few days. My husband was in the car, checking everything out. He pushed a button and then suddenly the roof reveals the moonroof. I figured it was just a moonroof. Then the next day, I wanted to show the kids. I pushed some button and BOOM – it was not only a moonroof but a su roof too. This takes up the majority of the ceiling in the SUV, giving it a very spacious feel.
This is what it looks like closed:
The company who delivers me the cars is AWESOME about giving me the down low on EVERY feature of the vehicle. Unfortunately, I wasn’t here at drop off to get my tour (hence, why this was such a surprise feature!)
Third Row Seating with a Smooth Ride
With 4 kids, the third row was used time and time again. My daughter and son both commented on how “not bumpy” the ride is. I’m not a typical third row passenger, but sounds like typically in the way back it’s quite bumpy. I did notice the smooth ride while driving. This vehicle is ultra quiet, it is just you and the road.
Perfect Size
With a large family, we have to have a car that will fit us all – which typically means a large vehicle. Parking a large vehicle is so annoying (though, I will say it does help with getting steps in each day since you have to park all the way at the back of the lot.) The Sorento fit into parking spots with ease. The back-up camera even had me braving a parallel parking job when we were in downtown Ft. Worth Water Gardens!
Here is What I Wish Was Different:
Easier Access to Third Row
This could easily be how we configured out car seats, so don’t give it too much thought – REMEMBER, we have 4 kids and 2 in car seats. But that said, I really wish there was easier access to the back row. Possibly a lever on the back of the car seat that pulls it up and down, rather than just a lever on the side of the second row seat.
Easier to Use Windshield Wipers
I don’t know what my deal was, so I am blaming the vehicle. I figured out the navigation in no time – but the windshield wipers I couldn’t for the life of me figure out. Nothing like annoying the kids with your windshield wipers on ALL the time. By the end of the rainy week, I realized on the Sorento – the wiper controls are totally opposite from my vehicle.
Go ahead and roll your eyes, TWO THINGS? Yes – this was the one major thing that sticks in my mind. I could wish for it to have a little more third row room, but then it wouldn’t be the perfect size car like it is now.
Why the Kids Like It
I asked my kids what they liked most about the Kia Sorento:
- I liked in the very back that you can control the air conditioning. (In the third row, there is a a/c control.) – Z, 11
- The music is LOUD and I like the built-in sunscreens on the window. – E, 9
- I liked it. I liked the window on top of it that goes *zhsshshshshs* (I think he means the sunroof.) – Izaiah, 4
- I want to buy it. I need a car. – Zeke, 3
Kia Sorento Overview
Here is an overview of everything you should know about the Sorento:
Price: Starting msrp $24,900
Gas Mileage: city/hwy 22/29 mpg
Third Row: Yes
Check out Kia’s amazing warranty:
10 years. 100,000 miles.CARS BUILT TO LAST. WARRANTIES TOO.We have a lot of confidence in the quality and durability of every new Kia that rolls off the assembly line. So much confidence, that we offer an industry-leading Kia 10-year or 100,000-mile warranty program.
The Kia 10-year/100,000-mile warranty program* consists of:
- 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty
- 5-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty
- 5-year/100,000-mile limited anti-perforation warranty
- 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan
Each provides coverage until either the yearly or total mileage figure is reachedwhichever comes first.
This warranty program applies on vehicles manufactured from 2008 on.
Learn More about the Sorento
Try this vehicle before your make any judgements! For some reason, I guess maybe the fact that Kia is more affordable then other brands – put in this preconceived notion in my head that Kia’s were cheap cars.
Never once in the 7 days did I feel that this crossover contain anything cheap. The Sorento is well built, handles extremely well and has a luxurious feeling when inside the suv
Have I peeked your interest? Learn more about the Kia Sorento at kia.com
Stay tuned for more family vehicle reviews!
