In Kia's lineup, the KIA Sorento sits above the compact Sportage crossover. All-wheel drive is optional. A more powerful 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine joins the Sorento lineup. Standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine makes 175 horsepower and 169 pounds-feet of torque
Fresh from last year's redesign, the Kia Sorento gains a few more upgrades for 2012. Also new are a ventilated driver seat, stain-resistant seat fabric and Kia's Uvo voice-activated control interface.
With the 2012 Sorento, Kia continues its determined effort with an impressive starting price that pits the Sorento squarely against crossover all-stars like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
Like a lot of its competition, the 2012 Kia Sorento comes with a choice of four- or six-cylinder power. Overall, the 2012 Kia Sorento is an impressive effort. The 2012 Kia Sorento is a crossover SUV offered in four trim levels: base, LX, EX and the sporty SX. A third-row 50/50-split-folding seat with room for two is optional on the LX and four-cylinder EX, and standard on the EX V6 and SX.
The Convenience package for LX V6 models includes the third-row seat.The EX starts with the LX's equipment and adds 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless ignition/entry, rear parking sensors, dual-zone automatic climate control (with rear air-conditioning on V6 models), a power driver seat (with power lumber support), a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and Kia's Uvo voice-activated electronics interface.
For the EX, opting for the Premium Plus package gets you power-folding outside mirrors, leather seating, heated front seats, a power front passenger seat, a hard-drive-based navigation system, a rearview camera and a 10-speaker Infinity surround-sound audio system with digital music storage. A 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 175 hp and 169 pound-feet of torque comes standard on base and LX trim levels. Front-wheel drive is standard across the board, while LX and EX models can be had with all-wheel drive. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 21 mpg city/29 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined with the front-wheel-drive automatic. All-wheel-drive models drop fuel economy to 21/27/23. Fuel economy for the direct-injected four-cylinder is rated at 22/32/25 with front-wheel drive, and 21/28/23 with all-wheel drive.
Fuel economy with front-wheel drive is 20/26/22, while all-wheel drive gets 18/24/20.The 2012 Kia Sorento comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability control, hill-start assist, hill descent control, front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and front active head restraints.
The 2012 Kia Sorento's base 2.4-liter engine feels punchy enough around town and with light loads, but struggles a bit with extra passengers and cargo. At highway speed, the Sorento's cabin remains impressively isolated from both road and wind noise.
Front-wheel-drive is standard on all 2012 Kia Sorento models. The base level "Kia Sorento" four-cylinder trim level features a standard six-speed manual transmission, while the six-speed shiftable automatic transmission is standard on most other engine configurations and trims.
Full power accessories including locks, windows and mirrors belie the Kia Sorento’s low sticker price.
The Kia Sorento provides a smooth, quiet ride and handles well thanks to stability and traction controls that maintain solid contact with the road. Generally, however, the "Kia Sorento" is a solid midsize SUV with reliable performance in both the four-cylinder and six-cylinder engine configurations.
