Sorento is Like a Quirky Family Member That You Tolerate

2008 Kia Sorento EX 4X4

model as tested $30,095

Test Drove 11/07/08 – 11/14/08
reviewed by Sherrice Gilsbach

The 2008 Kia Sorento fit in like one of the family at our house. It was a casual, no-frills kind of ride that we didn’t need to “front” for. It was obviously hard-working, with its 4x4 capabilities and high ground clearance. The Sorento had dependable qualities, too, with Kia’s 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and five-year/60,000-mile 24-hour roadside assistance.

While there were enough similarities between my family and the Sorento to make us feel at home in this SUV, there were also numerous differences. For example, those in my crew tend to be somewhat slight in height and weight (aka wimpy); the Sorento is huge. The Sorento is tall and towering and difficult – no, impossible - for my kids to climb into on their own without getting filthy. I might as well add that it was also impossible for my kids to buckle in — a task that brought my 6-year-old to tears more than once during our test drive (pssst…wimpy — yup, all of us).

Like us, the Sorento was, in fact, slightly clumsy and awkward; this is somehow OK in humans but not so much in cars. Getting the Sorento up to speed was tough. It felt like I was trying to push a large block of lead uphill with my spaghetti-like arms. It’s important to note that while the Sorento took a while to reach higher speeds, she was able to maintain them once they were tackled. Way to persevere, Sorento! Yeah, that’s another thing we work on in our house.

OK, so there was some sluggishness and clunkiness with the Sorento. At times it was really cumbersome to drive. It didn’t have an impressive turning radius, and its exterior mirrors were too small for the size of the car, so it was often difficult to assess our location in relation to our surroundings. Likewise, the rearview mirror should have offered up a much better view than it did. Oh, and the windshield seemed like it was at a lower angle than other cars I’ve been in. Both my hubby and I had a feeling that the windshield was ready to slice right into our foreheads. But every family member has quirks, right? You just learn to work around them.

 

FAMILY LIFESTAGE

In Diapers: There’s plenty of room for rear-facing child-safety seats.
In School: It’s doable but not ideal because it’s hard for kids to climb in and buckle up.
Teens: There’s space for gangly teen legs in the backseat.

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