AUTO REVIEW: 2018 Kia Sorento SXL is a large crossover with appeal and capability

Kia’s 2018 Sorento is a pleasant driver that gives owners plenty for their money.

That’s because this family crossover leaves little to separate it from the best in its class. And it many categories it may hold that honor.

The Sorento, the latest generation of which was introduced two years ago, has a lot to recommend it. It is an attractive, modern crossover. It has the Kia front face and I like the impact of the narrow headlamp housings. The sidelines flow to brawny rear shoulders, something sport utes really benefit from having.

The Sorento, built at Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Ga., is Kia’s best-selling CUV. Last year the crossover sport ute gets technology improvements, such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The 2018 Sorento offers a host of optional driver assists such as autonomous emergency braking and active high-beam headlights.

Kia is one of the leaders in bringing safety technology down the trim level hierarchy. All five Sorento trim levels — L, LX, EX, SX and SXL — get safety features which, in my view, should be on any vehicle sold today. These include electronic stability control, traction control, brake assist, hill-start assist, electronic brake force distribution and antilock braking.

Additional technologies such as Roll Over Mitigation and Cornering Brake Control on AWD models also were added as standard equipment. The safety value of these features — some of which are required by the government — cannot be overstated.

On some models you can add even more “active” safety features which help the driver to do what car’s multitude of sensors think they are trying to do. These optional capabilities include vehicle stability control, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert and a surround view monitor. All these systems simply make people better drivers than they may really be. That in turn makes the roads safer for them, and the rest of us sharing their road.

But these capabilities add to the very nature of the Sorento. For a seven-, or even five-, passenger crossover, the Sorento is fun to drive. It is quiet, and rather large, but drives smaller than it actually is. It is nice to discover you are driving what is essentially a big car rather than a truck. It is tighter, more responsive and smoother than it would be if it was a body-on-frame truck platform.

The Sorento I tested was the top-of-the-line SXL V6 AWD. Its MSRP was a bit more than $46,000, but it left little to ask for. The stereo was tops, the interior both comfortable and high-end, with almost-white leather that looks great, and will hopefully consider ketchup-basted French fries a temporary mess.

Its 3.3-liter V6 produces 290 hp. and 252 lb.-ft. of peak torque, which flows through a six-speed automatic transmission. With an estimated fuel mileage of 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway, those who want the additional power can have it without any serious guilt. In addition, if you have the right equipment on it, the V6 Sorento can have a 5,000- lb. towing capability.

The Sorento comes in either front-wheel drive or full-time all-wheel drive. The AWD system automatically routes power to the wheel with the most traction. It also includes a four-wheel drive lock mode that sets the power ratios between the front and back wheels.

But it is the cabin that’s important on a family vehicle, and Kia has added plenty of features — even upscale features — to broaden the appeal of the Sorento to more affluent customers. So there are Nappa leather-covered heated and ventilated front seats with as much as 14-way powered driver and eight-way passenger seats. Even the second-row seats can also be heated.

Other features include dual-zone climate controls and Kia’s second-generation panoramic sunroof. The Infinity premium stereo system uses 12 speakers to make music from the optional 630-watt 11-channel amplifier. This system uses Infinity’s exclusive Clari-Fi, which uses clever algorithms to expand the compressed music from any source to make it close to the music’s original dynamic range. The difference is both noticeable and impressive.

Being the family van, the Sorento has plenty of space for stuff with 74-cu. ft. of overall cargo volume. Even with the third row in place there is still 11 cu. ft. behind it.

Prices for the Sorento begin with the Sorento L, with an MSRP of $25,800. Then LX, EX and SX models with various engines, and front- or all-wheel drive run the price up to the V6-powered Sorento SX-Limited which with AWD has an MSRP of $46,200.

Kia’s Sorento is becoming a common sight at school pickup sites and community sports parking lots. For many people, they’ve discovered that Kia is no longer the “value” brand — which means its products are “cheap.” Today Kia’s offerings aren’t cheap, although they may be inexpensive.

The theory behind Kia’s pricing is to offer more for the buyer’s money, not charge less than the competitors. It’s clear that many suburbanite families have discovered that they can have afford to have what they need in a car and a fair bit of what they want as well.

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