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By Lyndon Conrad Bell
Anybody paying attention can plainly see Kia is undergoing a renaissance. Bound and determined to remake its image, the company is going about it in quite the time-tested way. Kia’s marketers are now selling sizzle. And while that approach has been successfully employed in the past for many products with absolutely no substance underneath, in the case of the 2011 Kia Sorento, the steak is quite satisfying too. The first Kia vehicle to be built in the brand-new state-of-the-art factory in West Point, Georgia, the fact that the 2011 Sorento was conceived with North America in mind is unquestionable. One look sends that message loud and clear. Crisp lines, brawny shoulders, bright chrome details, an angled window line, and huge fog lamps give the Sorento presence. It’s a vehicle you’ll look back at in an admiring fashion as you lock it up and walk away after parking.
Two engines are available to power the 2011 Sorento––a 175-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline four that generates 169 ft-lbs of torque and a 276-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6, that makes 248 ft-lbs. Both run on regular fuel.
Both engines also route their output to the ground via an all-new six-speed automatic transmission designed by Kia engineers. A six-speed manual transmission is also offered with the price-leading base four-cylinder, front-wheel drive model. For all-wheel drive configurations, Sorento employs a locking center differential to distribute power evenly under slippery conditions at low speed.
And while Sorento ain’t exactly up to mounting trails at Moab or wrestling over rocks on the Rubicon, in its natural habitat, (suburban byways and highways) Kia’s Compact Utility Vehicle is pretty tough to beat. Its MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link, fully independent, rear suspension systems endow the Kia with above average handling, plus a smooth and comfortable ride.
Body roll is nicely controlled when changing directions and the brake pedal is firm, responds well to modulation and delivers remarkable assurance. On the highway, the Kia more than holds its own with either engine, although neither is exactly a paragon of smoothness. Naturally, the V6 offers the most oomph, but the four does an admirable job as well. In fact, if you never drove the V6, driving the four would strike you as more than adequate. Particularly since Kia’s product planners saw fit to endow both engine choices with the full range of available equipment. In other words, you won’t be denied leather and the good stereo just because you opted for the more fuel-efficient engine.
Go up one notch to LX-spec and you’ll find an automatic up and down driver’s window function, an illuminated vanity mirror, an EcoMinder Indicator to assist with fuel efficient driving habits, and a second row arm rest with cup holder. Step up to the EX trim and you’ll roll with dual automatic temperature controls, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift-knob. Various option packages offer such niceties as a video monitor in the rear-view mirror to aid reversing, a voice-activated nav system, and an Infinity surround audio system pumping 550 watts through 12 speakers.
Starting at $19,995 for the four-cylinder front driver with the six-speed manual, to $28,995 for the top model V6 with four-wheel drive and the automatic, Kia’s value story is still very much part of the overall equation. Lyndon Conrad Bell is editor-in-chief at Decisive Media. Read more of his car reviews Decisive Magazine website. Kia’s 2010 Big Game Commercial
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