Best Dealer Prices 2012 Kia Sorento LX
MSRP: $23,150
When Kia first came to the US, they had a lot of skeptics. They priced their cars a couple of thousand dollars less than many competitors, and many assumed that it meant they were using shoddy materials or taking shortcuts. A lot of people bought Kias anyway, and many observers waited for the inevitable complaints as they started to fall apart.
Something funny happened, though: they didn’t fall apart. Instead, Kia developed a pretty loyal base of satisfied customers within a short period of time. Now, they are firmly established. They haven’t quite made the step from having a comfortable niche to being an industry giant, but it can be very reasonably argued that no automaker has gone as far in as short a period a time as Kia.
The 2012 Kia Sorento LX is a midsize crossover SUV. It seats five, and is the second of four trim levels. It has a 2.4 liter, inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 175 horsepower. It has 17-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifter. It is rated at 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, and goes from zero to sixty in 9.9 seconds.
The Sorento LX comes with a tilt-telescope steering wheel, front bucket seats with driver height adjustment, split-folding rear seats, cruise control, full power accessories, 12-volt outlets in the front and rear seats, air conditioning, turn signals in the side mirrors, a rear defogger, a rear wiper, a rear liftgate door, and a trip computer. The audio system has AM/FM/satellite radio, a CD/MP3 player, an audio jack, and a USB/iPod port.
The Sorento also has antilock brakes with a hill-holder, stability control, traction control, front side airbags, side curtain airbags, hill start assist, and active front head restraints. In government tests, the Sorento got scores of 4 stars out of 5 in all side and front impact tests, and highest scores of “good” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for all front and side impact tests. It is also one of the very few SUV’s we have seen get a score of “good” on the roof strength test.
Conclusions and driver feedback:
If the plastics in the dash were a little softer, we would think this interior was of European design and manufacture. The controls are attractive and all in the right places, while the cabin itself has a very nice, understated design. The front seats are possibly the roomiest and most comfortable in their class. The rear seats have plenty of head, leg, and elbow room for two adults or three kids, making the Sorento a great vehicle for long trips.
If there is one thing we would like to see improved, it is the base engine. It gets very nice mileage for its class, but it can seem a bit sluggish under a heavy load. Acceleration is adequate otherwise, and it also cruises smoothly on the highway. If you need more power, though, you can upgrade to a 3.5 liter V6 engine that gets you 276 horsepower.
Once you get past the engine, the handling and ride are very impressive, and are also reminiscent of European cars. The handling is responsive bordering on sporty, but the ride borders on luxury. The Sorento is not only fun to drive, but also provides a smooth and quiet ride that allows you to detach from the world if you want, and for a lot less money than one would usually pay.
All in all, Kia continues to surprise many with their “bang for buck” ratio.
The verdict: highly recommended.
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