2023 Kia Sorento

Pros

• A lot of features, both built-in, and add-on
• The second and third rows have a lot of space for your legs.
• An infotainment system that looks good and is easy to use

Cons

• Not as small or cheap as the model before this one.

With the optional turbocharged engine, the Sorento is crazy fast for such a small SUV. We were especially impressed by how fast it went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and how the power increased as the car went faster. This Sorento is a bit faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan, which is about the same size, and a little quicker than the Honda Passport, which has a V6 engine. The Sorento is fine getting around other cars or onto highways. The new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which can shift in slow traffic or while merging at full speed, is just as impressive.

Slowing down in the Sorento is easy because the brake pedal is well-balanced and easy to use. The Sorento stopped from 60 miles per hour at 121 feet, which is shorter than the average for its class. We wish the steering were more precise; how it handles it makes us feel confident.

For such a small SUV, all three rows of seats are more comfortable than you might think. Our top-of-the-line test car had front seats that could be heated, cooled, and adjusted in many ways. Even though they were stiff, the captain’s chairs in the second row were more comfortable and supportive than the bench seats in other SUVs. Even though they are small and close to the ground, the third-row seats are suitable for sitting. Even though the touch-sensitive buttons don’t work well, the dual-zone climate control is easy to use.

The ride comfort at a slower speed could be better because vibrations keep coming into the cabin. At highway speeds, the 20-inch wheels and low-profile tires on the Sorento we tested added to the noise from the road. The Sorento is easy to drive on the highway and makes you feel safe and comfortable.

Even though the Sorento is small, all three seats have enough room for an adult. Even SUVs with two rows, like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, have more room for legs in the second row. There will be plenty of room for taller adults. Even adults can sit in the third row, though it’s hard to get back there. Other than that, it’s easy to get into the Sorento.

Many of Kia’s easy-to-use features are also in the Sorento, so even people unfamiliar with the brand will be fine getting around inside. The big windows and clear sightlines throughout the cabin make it easy to see what’s happening. High-definition photos can be taken with the optional surround-view camera system, which is helpful in tight spaces.

Our top-of-the-line test vehicle had a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a Bose audio system with better sound, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation. Even though the pictures are clear and exciting, some on-screen buttons seem small. The Bose sound system played many different songs, but it could have been better, and we never found a sweet spot. Sorento’s voice command system is the least impressive technology because it doesn’t work well with natural language and can’t be changed.

With the eight USB ports and wireless charger, passengers’ electronic devices won’t run out of power. Even though there is no wireless internet, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility are built in. The wide range and usefulness of Sorento’s high-tech driver assistance systems are impressive. We had no false alerts and nothing to complain about, except for a rear cross-traffic alert that went off too often.

When the third row is up, there is only room for 12.6 cubic feet of cargo, about five rows of shopping bags. The Subaru Ascent is more extensive and has up to 17.8 cubes, while the Volkswagen Tiguan, its closest competitor, only has 12 cubes. When the third row is folded down, the Sorento can hold between 38.5 and 45 cubic feet, depending on how far the second-row seats are moved forward. That is more than the bigger Honda Passport and Toyota RAV4 (up to 37.6 cubic feet) (41.2 cubes). When all the seats are folded down, the Sorento has the same cargo space as the Honda CR-V, which is 75.5 cubic feet.

Another good thing about the Sorento is that it has storage space inside. Even though it’s less creative than Honda’s CR-V and Passport, it has a lot of innovative storage options in all three rows. The current generation of the Sorento can pull 3,500 pounds, which is standard (the last-generation capacity stood at 5,000 pounds). Sorentos that don’t have turbocharged engines can pull up to 2,000 pounds.

The EPA says that the all-wheel-drive Sorento with the turbocharged engine gets a combined 24 mpg (22 city/27 highway mpg), but we got an average of 25.2 mpg on our 115-mile test loop that included both city and highway driving. Also, the Sorento doesn’t need premium fuel because it has a turbocharger. Even though it didn’t get as good gas mileage as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, the Kia Sorento did better on our test route than the Honda Passport and Subaru Ascent.

The Kia Sorento is durable and well-equipped, just like we’ve come to expect from Kia cars. Even though some complex plastic parts exist in the Sorento cabin, the whole vehicle has a high-end look and feel. Even with options that bring the price of an SX Prestige X-Line up to $44,290, the Sorento still looks and feels like a good value for the money, despite being closer in price to larger, more capable SUVs.

The Sorento has one of the best warranties: 5 years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and ten years/100,000 miles powertrain. Roadside assistance is becoming more common after five years and 60,000 miles.

The Kia Sorento is as fun to drive as a small SUV can be, thanks to its optional 2.5-liter turbocharged engine. The Sorento is physically addicting because it has so much power and can get up to speed quickly. Think of the Sorento trip as a miniature version of the well-known Telluride trip.

Since there was always a tradeoff, we thought that the old Sorento was being asked to do too hard jobs. The 2018 Sorento is a big deal in the small SUV market because it is so powerful and flexible.

When this article was written, Kia had yet to make official statements about the 2023 Sorento. If anything changes, we’ll change our recommendation, but the mid-level S trim is the best deal based on the Sorento from last year. The price is fair, and if you go up from the base LX, you get some great extras, like a giant touchscreen and a power driver’s seat.

Kia Sorento variants

The following unofficial numbers are based on the Sorento from the year before. We expect the lineup for the 2023 model to be the same, and we’ll update this section when we know more.] There are five trim levels for the three-row Kia Sorento: LX, S, EX, SX, and SX Prestige. You can also get an X-Line body kit on S, EX, and SX Prestige models. As was already said, Kia should have a new X-Pro trim by 2023.