Executive Wheels: The 2019 Kia Sorento SXL is loaded and lovely
Jeff Rundles //May 23, 2019//
Executive Wheels: The 2019 Kia Sorento SXL is loaded and lovely
Jeff Rundles //May 23, 2019//
I have almost no reservations whatsoever stating that the Kia Sorento might just be the finest SUV on the market, and I felt exactly the same the last time I drove one in August 2014. But I do have one reservation this time around: price.
When I drove the top-of-the-line Sorento five years ago – essentially the same vehicle I drove this time around – the base price was $38,300, and it included a ton of wonderful safety and comfort accessories as standard. Trust me, compared with the same-class Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, the American makes and many European makes, that price was a steal for what you got.
This 2019 version – which has the same engine and horsepower, and essentially the same wonderful lineup of appointments as standard – is now $47,490 base, and $48,020 all in. The KIA Sorento remains a great SUV, and maybe the best around, but it’s no bargain.
The good news, I guess, is that this 2019 Kia Sorento, even with the more competitive price hike, remains a great SUV. The Sorento is very handsome, and feels beefy and heavy without being a performance drag. The only negative here is that while the doors are heavy, the front doors at least lack that satisfying “thump” when you shut them. I often felt as though as I hadn’t quite closed the doors, and I felt the same way when I last reviewed it.
But here’s my long list of wonderful things, all included in the base price of the SXL trim:
In the end, though, the best thing about this elegant Sorento is the power and handling. While the base models of the Sorento – the L and the LX – have a 185 horsepower, 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine, this SXL goes big with a 3.3 liter turbocharged V-6 engine. You won’t want for power, and with a gas mileage rating of 19 mpg city/24 mpg highway/21 mpg combined, you’ll be able to afford all gas you want. This vehicle hauls.
The engine is coupled with an extra smooth eight-speed automatic transmission. Plus, the Sorento handles like a dream in both city and highway driving – a real driver’s feel – and is very quiet in all conditions. If I put you in this car with no badging, you’d swear it was a top-of-the-line luxury SUV. Technically it is not that, but trust me – it is.
You can get the base model of the Sorento, with the smaller engine, for as low as $26,290, but you’d probably have to add stuff. This SXL carries a base price of $46,490, and that includes most everything – the only “options” are cross bars on the panoramic roof ($225), a cargo net ($50), a cargo cover ($150), and a cargo tray ($115). Add in $990 for destination charges, and the bottom line is $48,020. Oh, and for you Made in the USA fans, the Sorento has its final assembly done in West Point, Georgia.
In the grand scheme of things, that’s a great price.