The Kia Sorento is a three-row, seven-seat, mid-size crossover SUV and was originally unveiled in 2002. In the first few years of its life, the Sorento was a body-on-frame SUV and thus, pretty primitive by modern crossover standards. However, with the introduction of the second-gen model, Kia ditched its old, outdated body-on-frame construction for a modern monocoque setup borrowed from the Hyundai Santa Fe.
The 2019 Kia Sorento represents this crossover’s third generation, and now shares its unibody platform with the vast Kia Carnival minivan. This new, larger platform means that the 2019 Sorento can now carry 7 passengers without much hassle. The 2019 Sorento’s chief rivals include the Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9, and Toyota Fortuner, among others.
Exterior
The exterior design of the 2019 Kia Sorento may not have the outright toughness or sleek lines of some other crossovers, but its design is far from repulsive. The new Sorento projects a more mature and urbane look without sacrificing the confident and commanding stance of a real SUV.
The chiseled front fascia of the 2019 Sorento gets a wide honeycomb grille, tapered, double-barrel headlamps with LED daytime-runners, and beefy bumper with sculpted foglamp housings and a faux skid plate. Along the side, the Sorento doesn’t look as appealing as it should, and resembles its minivan sibling a little. That said, the raised ride height, large chrome wheels, flared wheel arches, and a sharp beltline all make the Sorento more appealing than the Carnival. Around the back, the large tailgate, well-sculpted taillights, sporty roof spoiler, and muscular bumper with a diffuser all add some more character to the crossover SUV.
The 2019 Kia Sorento comes in at 4.780 meters in length, 1.890 meters in width, 1.690 meters in height, and boasts a 2.780-meter wheelbase, along with a generous 1,050 liters of boot capacity with the third rows stowed.
Interior
As with the outside, the design inside the 2019 Kia Sorento seems just as mature but at the same time, retaining a civilized and practical appearance. This cabin has pretty much the correct amount of varied trim and textures to eliminate monotony, but without any of the associated issues of clutter.
The interior boasts multiple soft-touch rubberized plastic, tight shutlines, good build quality, and the NVH levels are acceptable as well. Space isn’t a bother either and even the last row is roomy enough. Kia has equipped the 2019 Sorento with features like automatic adaptive headlights and wipers, power tailgate, cruise control, panoramic sunroof, keyless-entry with push-start, leather upholstery, power-operated front seats with heating and cooling, digital multifunction display, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, all-around parking sensors with surround-view camera, electronic handbrake, an 8-inch infotainment system with navigation, and a premium audio system.
On-board safety nannies include multiple airbags, ABS, EBD, brake assist, electronic stability and traction control, hill assist, blind-spot and lane departure warning, diff lock, and a tire-pressure monitoring system.
Engine and performance
The 2019 Kia Sorento comes with a 2.4-liter four-banger or 3.3-liter six-cylinder engine choices. Both engines come mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard, while all-wheel drive is available as an option. The 2.4-liter motor produces 170 HP with 225 Nm of torque, whereas the V6 chucks out 265 horses and 335 Nm of torque.
The V6-equipped Sorento can cross 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 200 km/h. Meanwhile, fuel economy isn’t horrendous, and varies between 9.5-10.3L/100 km for the four and six-cylinder variants, respectively.
Verdict
The 2019 Kia Sorento costs from AED 86,000 to AED 138,500, with insurance premium starting at AED 1,935 for the base Sorento with the four-cylinder engine.
