CALGARY — When asked to test the 2016 Kia Sorento, Blain Fairbairn readily admits he wasn’t too excited.
“I don’t know much about Kia,” the Calgarian said. “I’ve never owned one, and I’ve never driven one, but I always thought of them as entry-level and didn’t have high expectations.”
His preconceived notion, however, was soon to be broken – and that happened the first time he laid eyes on the all-new Sorento.
“I was quite surprised at the exterior appearance,” Fairbairn explained. “It looked very sharp, more like an Acura MDX stuffed into a Toyota Venza – and I also thought it looked more like a larger wagon than a crossover.”
The cockpit of the 2016 Kia Sorento
Crystal Schick/ Calgary Herald, Driving
The Sorento has been around since 2003, and lasted in its first generation until 2010. That’s when Kia pinned the Sorento on its unibody Optima sedan platform and the vehicle grew in size.
Now in its third generation, for 2016 the Sorento has grown again, and it’s large enough to be called midsize, with room for five or seven passengers. Available in numerous different trim levels, the base LX features a 2.4-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine, or the powerplant can be upgraded to a turbocharged four-cylinder. All-wheel drive is also available in the LX range.
Next are EX and SX trims with all-wheel drive and either the turbo-four or a 3.3-litre V6 under the hood. The SX is top-of-the-line, with the SX+ V6 AWD seven-seater the ultimate of the bunch.
The rear of the Sorento
Crystal Schick/ Calgary Herald, Driving
The only available transmission across the Sorento range is a six-speed automatic.
Fairbairn’s tester was the $48,710 SX+ V6 AWD. That price includes the $1,715 delivery charge, plus an extra $200 for metallic white paint.
“As soon as I got the driver’s door open, I was impressed with the level of luxury and sophistication,” Fairbairn said of features such as the black Nappa leather seats with white contrast stitching. “Again, it certainly wasn’t what I would have expected to find in a Kia.”
It didn’t take him very long to become acquainted with the essential controls, and Fairbairn said everything was quite intuitive.
“I’ve had very little exposure to some of these new vehicle systems, including central information centres – I found this one quite easy to figure out, however,” he said.
The massive panorama roof of the Sorento
Crystal Schick/ Calgary Herald, Driving
Fairbairn was born and raised in Calgary, and the first car he legally drove was his dad’s Chevrolet El Camino. He notes that his own first car, a used 1978 Honda Accord, wasn’t quite so cool. But, he went on to own an eclectic collection of vehicles while he was single.
Fairbairn is now a family man together with wife, Lindsay, and two young daughters. In the driveway sits his 2005 Nissan X-Trail and Lindsay’s 2008 Hyundai Elantra. His top three purchasing considerations include capacity and utility, power and all-wheel drive capability.
He doesn’t have far to commute, but does drive around the city to attend meetings and will often move large, bulky objects. As a family, the Fairbairns enjoy taking short road trips and regularly tow a small tent trailer.
At 6 feet 2 inches tall, headroom for Fairbairn can be an issue. Such was not the case with the Sorento.
“It was easy to get into and out of,” he said. “And, thanks to the 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat, it was no issue to create ample headroom – I certainly fit the vehicle, and the seat was very comfortable.”
The helpful backup and overhead camera views
Crystal Schick/ Calgary Herald, Driving
When exiting the Sorento, Fairbairn said the seat would move all the way back, making it even easier for him to swing himself out.
In terms of the 290 horsepower and 252 lb.-ft. of torque produced by the V6 engine, Fairbairn said it was more than enough to meet his needs.
“I drove it mostly in Eco mode, and the few times I had to punch the gas I was impressed with the pick-up,” he said. “I did put it in Sport mode, but to be honest, didn’t notice too much of a difference.
“Regardless of the drive mode, the transmission was quite seamless in its gear changes, and it never hunted for a gear.”
Fairbairn drove the Sorento around Calgary for work and domestic duties, and loaded everyone into it for a road trip north to Edmonton to visit family. His kids loved the third-row seats (to accommodate seven passengers) and the panoramic sunroof. Even with the third row occupied, there was enough room in the cargo area to haul a large duffle bag and a few other items.
Roof-mounted controls
Crystal Schick/ Calgary Herald, Driving
“If the third row had been folded down, there’d be plenty of capacity to haul lots of gear,” he said.
The Sorento’s road manners were appreciated – the brakes felt responsive, the steering well connected and the ride firm but well suspended.
“I thought it was a bit louder than it might have been while we were driving on the highway, but I think that was the tires,” he said. “It had a very tight turning radius, which was nice, and there were no major blind spots.”
Fairbairn concluded, “It was a very competent vehicle, and I think it would appeal to a wide audience. It would be a great vehicle for families, and especially for those who don’t want a minivan.
“Kia blew my notions out of the water, because it wasn’t a vehicle I would have associated with luxury. I think this vehicle is outstanding value for the money.”
The easy-to-read centre gauge
Crystal Schick/ Calgary Herald, Driving
DRIVER’S JOURNAL
Day One: Picked vehicle up in the evening. Sorento was much more rounded and longer than I expected. Upon opening the driver’s side door I was really impressed with the LED lighting and lit logo on doorsill – premium touches that surprised me for a Kia. Once settled in I got on the highway, switched on the adaptive cruise control and the car virtually drove itself. Gauges and cluster very intuitive and informative. Bluetooth connectivity to my phone was very inconsistent; don’t know if it was my phone or the car that was the issue.
Day Two: Got to spend a bit more time in the car with the daily commute and picking up kids. Kids and I love power lift gate (for different reasons), super convenient for our weekly trip to the grocery store. At one point it looked like the tailgate was going to hit the garage door, but I tapped it lightly and it automatically lowered, a handy feature. The interior of the car is very impressive.
Day Three: Took it around town for a couple of meetings in the beltline. As a daily driver it’s a very comfortable, enjoyable car. 360-degree live view makes tricky parallel parking much easier, should prevent scratched rims, too. Took a bit of getting used to, but once comfortable it made parallel parking in tight spots a breeze. Great sunroof, runs almost the entire length of the car and is deeply tinted so there’s no glare from full sun.
Handy window covers keep the bright Prairie light out
Crystal Schick/ Calgary Herald, Driving
Day Four: Seem to discover something new in the car every day, like the integrated sunshade in the rear doors – only seen that in an Audi before and thought it was a great idea. Spent some time on Deerfoot and Stoney during rush hour. The adaptive cruise control doesn’t work so well in these conditions as it’s too start/stop. Minor annoyance in that the key fob unlocks the driver’s side door only – pressing it twice like my fob doesn’t do anything. This means I have to open the driver’s door and hit the unlock button to allow others to open their doors. Couldn’t see an obvious Child Lock on the passenger doors that explains this, but maybe there’s an answer in the manual. Friend stopped by and thought it was an Audi or BMW.
Day Five: More daily driving. In Eco mode, the fuel economy ranged between 11.9 to 12.4 L/100 km. Passed a previous-generation Sorento on the street and was struck by the drastic difference in the redesigned model. Much less boxy compact SUV and more luxury wagon/SUV styling.
Day Six: A cold morning with frost on the car and the interior gauge reading -1 C. Car heats up very quickly and the heated steering wheel was super nice – although the contrast between the warm rubber material and the cold plastic was very pronounced, would be nice to have one material with the entire steering wheel heated. Wouldn’t want to have adults in the third row for too long as legroom is limited. Plenty of legroom in the second row, however.
Day Seven: Drove it to Edmonton for the weekend and averaged an impressive 9.7 L/100 km in Eco mode. Road noise was a little louder than I would have expected, but the premium sound system helped mitigate that. Intuitive and reliable GPS made it easy to get around town. Placement of 12-volt outlets and USB throughout the car made setting up the portable DVD player in the back easy. The many luxury touches like the exterior LED lighting on the driver’s side door handle again surprised me for a Kia.
All said, I’m very impressed with everything the car has to offer when considering the price point. Seems like a great deal for what you get if you’re not concerned with brand cachet. It’s a little more luxury and less utility for my needs at this point, but it would definitely be something I’d consider in a few years.
