Hey all, a/c in the Mrs. vehicle has a leak and the repair will cost 1/3 the value of the value of the car to fix, and we've decided to cash in the residual and trade for a new(ish) ride. Does anyone have a Sorento? Good, bad, ugly?

got my daughter one about a year ago - used, ~17,000 miles (off lease).

She loves it so far. No issues.

quote:

Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
got my daughter one about a year ago - used, ~17,000 miles (off lease).

She loves it so far. No issues.

Any idea how the ride and handling is compared to Subaru/Honda? We rented a Sonata (not a direct comparison of course) last year and didn't like it nearly as well as my Accord...

quote:

Kia Sorento

I just rented a Sorento for a month. I have a Subaru Impreza as a daily driver and it is apples and oranges.

The ride in the Sorento is the BEST that I have ever felt in a SUV, period. It's even better than the Range Rover.
The rental place gave me a Sorento with the V6 and "AWD" (its actually a 90/10 split). The acceleration is very impressive and if you leave it in eco mode it can get ~27mpg on the freeway. The technology is pretty impressive as well. It borrows a lot of technology from Hyundai (the touchscreen software and GPS are the same).
The only real negative I would say is the interior fit and finish are a little cheap for what you are paying for and the turning circle is HUGE.

Would I buy one? Most likely not...I think the Toyota Highlander is a better value and will hold its resale better.

Got a 2008 that my wife drives. It's a stiff ride but it was built on a truck frame. The new ones are more of a crossover and the ride has improved tremendously. The only problem we've had is the throttle position sensor has failed 3 times. Fortunately the first two were under warranty and the last one was a cheap and easy fix. A friend got a Tucson (yeah it's Hyundai but they're the same company) last year and it's quite nice. The power and fuel economy they're getting from their new engines are fairly impressive. I wouldn't be scared of getting another.

I own a 2011 Sorento that we bought new. It's the first year that they were built in West Point, Georgia in their new factory. It's the second SUV I've owned, the first being an Explorer.

I'm not kidding when I say that this has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. It had a minor recall early that took the dealer all of 15 minutes to fix and that's it for issues. Currently at 55k miles and on the 2nd set of tires. Very quiet on the highway and handling is predictable and stable. I have the top SX model AWD and V6 and the power is more than adequate.

Like an idiot I bought the 100k/10 yr extended warranty because it's the first year of their complete re-do from the new factory. It's looking like a waste of money.

I could go on and on how much I really like this car but I'll just say that when it's time to get a new car I'll probably just get another one.

Jim

My advice-rent one for a week. Or buy one at Enterprise, where you can return it at <100o miles or a week, and pay a small rental fee.

It's a lot cheaper to lose a couple hundred bucks on a rental than be stuck with a car you don't like.

We bought a new 2017 in January and are loving it so far. We got the bare bones model, no AWD and 4 cyl. Does fine for us but we only have 3k miles on it so far.

We had an 06 that got 300K miles with no major issues. Loved it and would get another. One of the best values out there.

My wife has a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe which is built on the same platform and shares the same engines, transmission, ect. We also had one for five years prior. It's been a very reliable car, without any trips to the dealer. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another or the Sorento. They're a little less expensive than the competition but the best thing is the warranty. It's about the best out there.

I put KYB aftermarket shocks on my wife's 2009 and it made all the difference in the world.

She has the 4cyl, amazingly while it works harder than the 6cyl, it gets up and goes.

Great mileage too.

Very nice vehicle.

2012-2014 Kia Sorrentos have a current major recall for engine failure. They haven't been particularly forthcoming about the issue and the remedy. Some older Kia's and Hyundai's had similar issues.

From NHTSA

NHTSA Recall Number: opens new window takes away from VIN lookup section> 17V-224 Recall Date: March 31, 2017
Manufacturer Recall Number: SC147
SUMMARY:
KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC. IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN TO INSPECT, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE ENGINE LONG BLOCK ASSEMBLY ON THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES: * ALL 2011-2013 MY OPTIMA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.4L GDI AND 2.0L TURBO-GDI ENGINES PRODUCED FROM AUGUST 12, 2010 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 27, 2013; * ALL 2014 MY OPTIMA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.4L GDI AND 2.0L TURBO-GDI ENGINES PRODUCED AT KMMG FROM AUGUST 28, 2013 THROUGH MAY 15, 2014; * ALL 2012-2014 MY SORENTO VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.4L GDI ENGINES PRODUCED FROM APRIL 19, 2011 THROUGH FEBRUARY 10, 2014; * ALL 2011-2013 MY SPORTAGE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.0L TURBO-GDI ENGINES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 30, 2010 THROUGH AUGUST 30, 2013. METAL DEBRIS MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED FROM FACTORY MACHINING OPERATIONS OF THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT AND MAY NOT HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY REMOVED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT'S OIL PASSAGES DURING THE CLEANING PROCESS. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE ADDITIONAL MACHINING PROCESSES OF THE CRANKPINS MAY HAVE CAUSED UNEVEN SURFACE ROUGHNESS. THESE COMBINED CONDITIONS CAN RESTRICT OIL FLOW TO THE BEARINGS INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR PREMATURE BEARING WEAR. A WORN CONNECTING ROD BEARING WILL PRODUCE A CYCLIC KNOCKING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN THE ILLUMINATION OF THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE WARNING LAMP AND/OR OIL PRESSURE LAMP IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
SAFETY RISK:
IF THE WARNINGS ARE IGNORED AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BE DRIVEN, THE BEARING MAY FAIL AND THE VEHICLE COULD STALL WHILE IN MOTION. AN ENGINE STALL AT HIGHER SPEEDS CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
REMEDY:
ALL OWNERS OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WILL BE NOTIFIED BY FIRST CLASS MAIL WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES TO A KIA DEALER. DEALERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO INSPECT THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND REPLACE, IF NECESSARY. KIA WILL REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR REPAIR EXPENSES ALREADY INCURRED PURSUANT TO KIA¿S GENERAL REIMBURSEMENT PLAN FILED MARCH 21, 2016 (REFER TO SC147)