“It’s a little long in the tooth,” said my friend when I told him I’d be driving the 2008 Kia Sorento EX 4x4 while in Atlanta for the ALMS Petit Le Mans. Yeah, I agreed, but the only other solution was the 2009 Kia Borrego and it had a bigger engine and got worse fuel economy. With the Atlanta area suffering fuel shortages in hurricane season, I didn’t want to take any chances.
The choice turned out to be a good one. While the ’08 Sorento appears to be on its way out the door in favor of Borrego, it’s a good mid-sized sport-ute with enough space for five human beings and all of their luggage. Kia tells me it’s got 31.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, but didn’t give a number for when those seats are folded, which I’d gather would more than double the seats-up total.
The Kia Sorento EX 4x4, as a mid-sized Stupid Useless Vehicle, is well positioned size-wise. It is 180.7 inches long, 71.3 inches high, 74.2 inches wide riding on a 106.7-inch wheelbase and holding 8.2-inches of ground clearance. Weighing in at a tidy 4290 pounds, it’s actually 1000 pounds lighter than the Subaru Tribeca I drove recently. And it looks better too.
Speaking of appearance, the Spicy Red Kia Sorento presents a solid demeanor and follows up with similar behavior. It has bland enough character lines to go unrecognized by law enforcement officers when traveling at 80 mph (all of 2600 rpm on a tach that redlines at 6500), but has a sophistication to its exterior that says “I cost more” than the price of $30,095 with all options taken into account.
The massive cladding that surrounds the bottom of the Kia Sorento EX 4x4 tells anyone this vehicle is ready to go off-road. It even traveled through a bit of red Georgia clay on my watch, seeking appropriate spots to park at Road Atlanta, and delivered itself adroitly from a gully when the operator made the error of not checking out the drainage ditch into which she had pulled to park on race day.
I did notice a little bit of wind noise, likely coming from the roof rails atop the vehicle, but little noise from the 3.8-liter 24-valve, V6 engine giving grand acceleration on that inevitable I-85 racetrack, not at all held back by the shiftable 5-speed automatic transmission. All of the 4WD controls were hidden at the header of the windshield, next to the lighting and sunroof controls – a strange place to put them – but at least one can change the manner of propulsion on the fly to low range.
This is a real truck, folks, with a full ladder frame and heavy-duty suspension, and it rides like a well-damped truck at that. It has power rack and pinion steering that seems a bit light sometimes (like so many trucks) and acceptable, but a bit grabby all-wheel ABS-equipped power disc brakes.
The 2008 Kia Sorento EX 4x4 has a well-developed chassis that rides on Michelin P245/70R 16-inch tires mounted on 5-spoke alloy rims. Might have liked larger rubber, but that would have meant different gearing, and what’s there works just fine.
Inside the five-seat cabin, Kia has outfitted the Sorento EX with all the airbags one could need: dual-stage front, driver’s knee and full-length side curtains. For active safety there’s electronic stability, traction control and tire pressure monitoring system, along with active front headrests.
The gray interior is nicely appointed and, with the luxury package fitted adds sunroof, leather, heated front seats, dual zone climate control, automatic headlamps (fogs are standard), premium 6-disc audio system, chrome outside door handles and full-time torque on demand 4WD. The only other option is a rear spoiler that will keep the hatch window clean, if nothing else. Unfortunately, there was no pre-wiring for satellite radio on this vehicle, which was the top of the Sorento line-up.
I did like the bi-level center storage, even though the 12V plug wasn’t inside; rather, it was at the base of the center stack which also has little drawers to hold one’s MP3 player, a necessity these days. For the rear passengers, of which I had zero, there was good legroom – I had a large friend sit back there and tell me so! – plus the requisite pull-down armrest with cupholders inside. Unfortunately, no air flow for the folks in the back, but at these prices, that’s understandable.
Rear vision is pretty good from the driver’s seat, with a plethora of windows around the cabin, bathed in a gentle privacy glass. The hatch area has its own cover (without extra charge) and a second 12V to enable use of camping gear, I’d suppose. There was no netting under the hatch but there were a few cubbies in the rear to catch items like wine bottles, always a travel necessity.
I did just under 275 miles over five days and this resulted in less than 3/4-tank usage from the Kia Sorento EX 4x4. The EPA rates this truck at 15/20 from the 21.1-gallon tank; I’m sure it can do that, if not better.
In closing, this is a good near-crossover ute with solid construction and very good materials inside and out. It’s easy to get into and out of, even if you’re very short, like this writer, and comfortable, too. Would I suggest it? Depends on the need, but it’s definitely worth taking a look.
© 2008 Anne Proffit
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