{"id":26593,"date":"2021-01-07T14:34:34","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T18:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26593"},"modified":"2021-01-07T14:34:34","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T18:34:34","slug":"payne-sorento-suv-is-luxe-ute-in-kia-clothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/payne-sorento-suv-is-luxe-ute-in-kia-clothing","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Sorento SUV is luxe ute in Kia clothing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kia is on a roll these days with the sensational Stinger Sportback and Telluride SUV. Mainstream products with premium flair, they beg the question: Why pay 70 grand for a luxury brand when you can have the same vehicle for $45,000\u00a0under a mainstream badge?<\/p>\n

Kia asks the question again with its all-new, mid-size Sorento SUV.<\/p>\n

Remade from bumper to bumper, the fourth-generation Sorento takes its cues from big brother Telluride and offers a brawny bod with a brainy interior. Kinda\u00a0that bearded Hugh Jackman lumberjack look.<\/p>\n

The Telluride did it so effortlessly. You remember the ads. The three-row Telluride roguishly running with the bulls while a narrator intoned: \u201cWhen we designed Telluride we asked ourselves: Would it be ruthless or beautiful? Muscular or sophisticated? Down to earth or a work of art? The answer was simple: Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, we swooned over that one. And the Telluride flew off the shelves. Its value equation was absurd \u2014 a three-row SUV that looked liked a Cadillac but priced five grand less than a comparable Ford Explorer. Kia was giving away candy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy aiming high, Kia has created a premium product at nonpremium prices. It\u2019s what we call a (Lexus) LS400 moment and that\u2019s significant. Get one before Kia realizes what it\u2019s done and raises the price,\u201d writes Car and Driver this year in naming Telluride one of its 2020 10 Best.<\/p>\n

Sorento copies the same formula. Not that the last-gen Sorento was a dog. It scored 11 on value, too. But with Telluride halo raising the bar, mid-size Sorento rises with it. It\u2019s slotted between the compact Kia Sportage and Telluride and targeted at the Ford Edge, Chevy Blazer, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Murano\u00a0and Honda Passport among others.<\/p>\n

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As automakers try to slake our SUV thirst, the differences between multiple segments are thin. Kia is particularly adept at slicing the roast with a buffet of choices including Soul, Seltos, Niro, Passport, Sedona (minivan), Sorento\u00a0and Telluride.<\/p>\n

But Telluride has really changed the game for the brand.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s enormous popularity \u2014 \u201cwe are getting customers trading in Land Rovers, Mercedes and Volvos for this SUV,\u201d says product manager Mark Sovino \u2014 has forced Sorento to re-imagine its personality. Once Kia\u2019s three-row family SIV, Sorento has surrendered that mantle to Telluride.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s now tasked to pitch empty nesters like myself and Mrs. Payne. No longer in need of a big family hauler, folks like us still covet the room of a big SUV but don\u2019t want to show up at the dinner party driving the same ol\u2019 Ford Explorer\/Chevy Traverse\/Telluride family bus.<\/p>\n

My Sorento SX and X-line testers looked hot.<\/p>\n

Not as hot as the Chevy Blazer RS\u00a0\u2014\u00a0which appears to have been designed by Marvel Comics as Iron Man\u2019s daily driver \u2014 but certainly a step above Passport or conservative Korean cousin Santa Fe. Gone are the rounded edges (love handles?) of the previous generation, replaced\u00a0by a sculpted, high belt-line\u00a0and gritty, full-sized grille. Off-road, X-line trim? Check. Sexy black wheels? Check. Distinctive LED light front and rear? Double check.<\/p>\n

Frankly, the family Telluride still looks better,\u00a0its signature square headlights and vertical taillights noticeable from miles away. I wish Sorento got the latter just as every Volvo gets vertical taillights. Where Sorento really channels Telluride\u2019s vibe is under the sheet metal.<\/p>\n

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Indeed, it laps the Telluride when it comes to powertrain options.<\/p>\n

Where Telluride offers a competent 291-horse, 3.8-liter V-6, little brother Sorento has a toolbox of 2.5-liter 4-banger, turbo-4, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid. This is a luxe-worthy lineup. Speed-addled monster that I am, I prefer the turbo-4 with 311-pound feet of torque that exceeds even the Telluride\u2019s 262 number. Heck, it\u2019s even on par with the Mazda CX-9 and its stump-pulling four (more on the Mazda in a moment).<\/p>\n