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2008 Sorento: Street Cred in a Kia
I must admit my shock when AR Publisher Kimatni Rawlins asked me to spend some time behind the wheel of our long-term Kia. Long term what? Now I knew about the long-term 635i, and spent time in our A8L and H2, but I must have missed a staff meeting about the Kia. No disrespect intended but we haven’t had close to a $30,000 vehicle in our fleet before. So, expectations being what they were, I was shocked again to see what Kimatni and some of our partners had done with our Sorento.
First impression was that this Sorento has street credibility. And that’s a big deal in the urban automotive world. From the dealer, the Sorento does need some additional essentials to pull this off, but with a sticker price of only $30,880 for the EX 4X4 with appearance package, spoiler and step bars, there is room to add.
The first call was to our good friends at The Tire Rack (tirerack.com), who were invaluable on this one as fitting specialty rims and tires on the Sorento is unusual and takes special consideration. Tire Rack suggested the new Zinik Z1’s which look great. Shipped together were four 20” Zinik Z1 rims perfectly fitted to four 255/50R 20 Michelin Latitude HP Touring tires. After an easy install, our jet black Sorento was on its way to becoming street worthy.
Next, we needed a navigation unit to keep us on track. Sony provided us with their latest, the NV-U73T which did its job well. Its 4.3” widescreen was bright and easy to view and the super suction cup kept it planted. Pre-stocked with the latest maps from the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, the sleek U73T got us there every time.
Finally, we need to bump up the sound. Adequate for the average listener but lacking for the true audiophile, the Delphi premium audio system with 10 speakers needs improvement to push real hip-hop and R&B. Graciously, Sony has agreed to upgrade it for us so we can properly show off our Kia. Check back for the next review of AR’s long-term Sorento which will get into Sony’s upgraded system.
Aftermarket aside, if you aren’t interested in show, there is very little upgrading needed to enjoy the Sorento. It is a stable performer, flaunts 5-star government crash test ratings in the front and side for all passengers, and has a zippy engine. In fact, the Sorento’s 3.8-liter V6 is its best asset. At 262-horsepower, the engine continued to bring a smile to my face, especially when I was running late. For a mid-size SUV, this kind of power and responsiveness was unexpected.
Inside, the cabin is thoughtfully laid out and functional, with generally good style, appearance and quality of materials. As far as interior color, I found the gray interior in our Sorento a bit bland with not much contrast to the eye. I prefer the beige interior but it does require the $2,500 luxury package. Interior space and storage are also good. There is an in-floor storage compartment in the rear, and the back seat cushions fold forward to enable the rear seats to fold down flat. The only element needed was Bluetooth connectivity.
Driving our Sorento around town was an experience. With AR, Tire Rack and Michelin signage, and of course the 20” Zinik Z1’s, three different people said to me, “Is that a Mercedes?” Got to like that when rolling in a Kia.
All in all, the Sorento is a well rounded SUV that offers a lot of bang for the buck. The styling is right as is the engine, and with good storage capacity and a roomy interior, it’s a great city hauler.
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