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The new Kia Sorento pitches camp in one of America’s hottest segments. Will it match RAV-4, CR-V, Equinox and the other big Sellers?
29 Comments on “What’s Wrong With This Picture: Got a Clouseau? Edition...”
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The Pink Panther drove a waaaaaaaay cooler ride. It was auctioned off on eBay. That I would have bought it if I had had the cash. Favourite car from my youth.
Seriously, what’s wrong is that this CUV is totally indistinguishable from countless other CUVs on the road.
Kia’s actually making attractive looking cars now… even if they are Honda knockoffs.
So they went from a rear-drive platform to the Santa Fe platform. Good riddance, I say. The Santa Fe is a better car than the previous Sorento.
But will it blend?
The headlights scream Saab while the rest of the vehicle looks like a blend of Ford and Subaru. The grill could have been better, but at least it isn’t ugly.
irl headlights scream new Lexus RX.
Nice to see Kia coming up with a cohesive look. This isn’t a perfect implementation of the Forte and Magentis’ grille, but it’s a nice change from the more tortured and overly-busy look that just about everyone else is doing.
The Magentis, by the way, looks great, so does the Forte. Other than the lame-duck Rio and lamer-duck Optima, Kia’s got a good lineup.
I think I’m definitely in the minority saying that I much preferred the older Sorento. I’ve never owned one, but probably would have considered a 5spd diesel (again, big minority) if they’d ever brought one over. As it is, I may pick up an 03-05 5spd (I believe they still had the 5spd for ’05) in the next year or so as a winter beater…
Fact still remains that Kias are plagued with mechanical problems. I’ve had very low mileage Kia’s in inventory with nothing but nightmares, months after the cars were sold. I will not stock any dealers with them, any longer, and to back up my claims, financial institutions will not finance them used either. There is a much bigger problem to deal with than styling.
Decent looking car…but I still have a deal-killing issue with putting my wife and kids in a car whose nameplate stands for “Killed In Action.”
If you want a big RWD-based ute, I’d rather go with a one-year-old Explorer or TrailBlazer.
My first thoughts upon seeing the picture not even reading the details or looking closely were. “Oh crap… another hideous Subaru”. I actually think it would flow well with subie’s new styling theme as the next forester. As for how it looks as a Kia… I’m glad to see the Koreans are moving up in the world, even if its only to the next level of bland.
@John Holt :
“Kia’s actually making attractive looking cars now… even if they are Honda knockoffs.”
Honda knockoffs? nonsense.
Kia hired Audi chief designer since 2006. http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2006/07/26-peter-schreyer-kia-design/
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@FreedMike
Don’t worry, This car already awarded the maximum 5 stars safety rating from the crash safety experts, Euro NCAP.
http://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing-news/index.php/2009/08/26/new-kia-sorento-achieves-5-star-safety-performance/
And, Killed In Action is a ‘K.I.A’, not Kia.
The name “Kia” derives from the Sino-Korean words ki (“to come out”) and a (which stands for Asia), it is roughly translated as “arise or come up out of Asia” or “rising out of Asia”
FreedMike wrote:
“If you want a big RWD-based ute, I’d rather go with a one-year-old Explorer or TrailBlazer.”
I think you’re thinking of the Kia Borrego. The Sorento is a RAV4/CR-V competitor IIRC.
@Bob12
Actually, It is not true. Kia sportage is a direct competiotor of RAV4/CR-V.
*Hyundai Tucson / Kia Sportage = Compact SUV
Toyota RAV4 & Honda CR-V class
*Hyundai Santa Fe / Kia Sorento = Midsize SUV
Toyota Highlander & Honda Pilot
*Hyundai VeraCruz / Kia Borrego = Fullsize Luxury SUV
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Kia Sportage is a ‘Twin’ of Hyundai Tucson.
Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage are direct competiotor of RAV4 & CR-V.
http://automobiles.honda.com/tools/compare/select-competitor-similar.aspx?ModelName=CR-V&ModelYear=2010&AICGroupNum=5096&AICNum1=27760&LastState=%2Ftools%2Fcompare%2F%3FModelName%3DCR-V%26ModelYear%3D2010%26AICGroupNum%3D5096%26AICNum1%3D27760%26LastState%3D&Filter=&Mode=&Photo=
Hyundai Tucson = Honda CR-V = Toyta RAV4 ; Same Class
http://www.euroncap.com/small_off_road_4_4.aspx
The Tucson/Sportage are slotted below the Santa Fe/Sorento in the lineup.
The name “Kia” derives from the Sino-Korean words ki (”to come out”) and a (which stands for Asia), it is roughly translated as “arise or come up out of Asia” or “rising out of Asia”
Man, the temptation to make a “coming out” joke is almost too hard to resist.
Over lunch I watched a late-model Mitsubishi Outlander drive by, and I think I see the Kia’s resemblance to it, especially in the front-end.
I also saw a CTS wagon, which I’m not sure about.
LOL.. that’s the killer question…
“But will it BLEND?”
v7rmp7li :
September 25th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
The name “Kia” derives from the Sino-Korean words ki (”to come out”) and a (which stands for Asia), it is roughly translated as “arise or come up out of Asia” or “rising out of Asia”
Kinda like the Imperial Japanese Fleet and the Mongol Hordes?
Maybe “Killed In Action” IS an apt monicker after all… :)
Sorry, it was too good to pass up…
Bob12 :
September 25th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
FreedMike wrote:
“If you want a big RWD-based ute, I’d rather go with a one-year-old Explorer or TrailBlazer.”
I think you’re thinking of the Kia Borrego. The Sorento is a RAV4/CR-V competitor IIRC.
Isn’t the Borrego the size of a Tahoe or Expedition?
@CyCarConsulting
Granted, it’s a test sample of one, but we rented a Kia Sedona minivan this summer and drove 2,800 miles around Utah, Montana, etc. and the thing was flawless. It was by far better than the last Chrysler minivan we rented (although that’s not saying much).
As for being Honda knockoffs? Can’t be. While not necessarily beautiful, Kias definitely aren’t ugly. They obviously need to try harder. Apparently, Kia designers manage to keep their eyes open while on the job.
v7rmp7li: thanks for the info.
FreedMike: I did a quick glance at the size and weight specs of the Borrego, Explorer, and Tahoe at Edmunds. The Borrego looks to be closer to the Explorer than Tahoe.
I was pretty sure the previous generation Sorrento was also a Fwd midsize crossover. FWIW I test drove a Sorrento back in 2003 because I could buy one new for roughly the same price as a 1 year old used Mitsubishi Montero I also had my eyes on. While the Sorrento wasn’t awful, it wasn’t good either, and the Mitsubishi blew it away, leading me to a couple years of Montero bliss until I couldn’t take the fuel costs anymore…
Freedmike – the Borrego is almost identical in size to the Explorer.
Hang on, I can see… yes! There it is on the horizon! Brand identity! Identity ahoy! Well done to the good ship Kia for producing a bunch of cars that look half decent and have some looks in common so that they look like they belong together.
This is something that GM could take a lesson in, however they’re still in the doldrums when it comes to this – you hear me GM? Stick a Chevrolet badge on a Daewoo and it STILL LOOKS LIKE A DAEWOO.
at first glance i see a subaru competitor.
We got a 07 KIA Sedona from Carmax 6 months ago. After comparing minivans it was second only to the Odyssey for the features we needed and the $$$ saved at purchase made the decision for us. A lot of the Moms who ask me about it think it is an Ody – I guess being a look a like is part of the KIA strategy.
The previous generation Sorento was a decent truck, but too “American” for my tastes. In other words, it was smaller than an Explorer, but it floated like an Expedition. Obviously, handling was lousy, thanks to this… but at least it was available with the venerable 4D56 diesel Hyundai-Kia licensed from Mitsubishi and used in their Starex/i800 vans.
The Santa Fe is light years better, in every respect. Except off-roading… the Sorento’s ladder-frame and low-range box gave it an edge in this regard… but who takes a brand new midsizer off-roading, anyway?
I was pretty sure the previous generation Sorrento was also a Fwd midsize crossover.
Nope, the old Sorento is old-school, rear-drive, body-on-frame, much like the FJ and (sort of) the Suzuki Grand Vitara. The Sportage is the unibody trucklet, as is this new Sorento.
I do question what the point of this vehicle is, as it can’t be much bigger than the Sportage. I’m guessing it’s supposed to be an equivalent to either the Santa Fe, which begs the question: “Why?”. Hyundai already has the Santa Fe, so why give Kia a model that competes with it?
“Fact still remains that Kias are plagued with mechanical problems. I’ve had very low mileage Kia’s in inventory with nothing but nightmares, months after the cars were sold. I will not stock any dealers with them, any longer, and to back up my claims, financial institutions will not finance them used either. There is a much bigger problem to deal with than styling.”
Funny. I drive a 2007 Kia Optima and though the interest rate was a tad bit higher than it would’ve been new, I haven’t had any mechanical problems.
The Santa Fe is light years better, in every respect. Except off-roading… the Sorento’s ladder-frame and low-range box gave it an edge in this regard… but who takes a brand new midsizer off-roading, anyway?
I do. Our 2008 Santa Fe has romped down some pretty gnarly forest trails, and slogged through foot-deep mud holes that would make an urban cowboy cringe. It’s no rock-crawler for sure, but it’s not a complete poseur either. As unibody vehicles go, this one’s built like a tank.
Edit: The Sorento’s loss of ladder frame will probably cost it towing capacity. The old one was rated 5,000lb vs. 3,500 for the Santa Fe (in North America). That’s a critical difference for us campers… it means the difference between a pop-up tent and a dual-axle ultralight.
Fact still remains that Kias are plagued with mechanical problems. I’ve had very low mileage Kia’s in inventory with nothing but nightmares, months after the cars were sold. I will not stock any dealers with them, any longer, and to back up my claims, financial institutions will not finance them used either. There is a much bigger problem to deal with than styling.
Woah… somebody’s puppy got run over by a Kia!
I don’t see a single “fact” among these comments, just a bunch of non-specific rants and some patently false statements (like the one about banks not financing used Kias).
The Peter Schreyer Kia designs go, the Sorento is decent, but a bit on the bland side (but then again, most crossovers tend to be bland or ugly).
The best of Kia’s lineup is the Soul and the Forte Koup, but the upcoming Optima and VG will be the stars of Kia’s lineup look-wise (hopefully, the smaller RWD sedan will have the same design element as the Optima and VG).
@ John Holt
Who would ever want to copy awkward/jellybean looking Hondas?
The new Kia Sorento pitches camp in one of America’s hottest segments. Will it match RAV-4, CR-V, Equinox and the other big Sellers?
The new Kia Sorento pitches camp in one of America’s not-so-hot segments. Will it match Highlander, Pilot, Equinox and the other not-so-big Sellers?
Fixed.