I was given the opportunity to test drive the 2014 Kia Sorento. And to be honest with you until I was asked to test drive the Sorento I never gave much thought about Kia. Why -- I am not totally sure. It might be because I have Honda blinders on.
We own a Honda Civic. And it’s a wonderful car. Albeit -- a bit small for our growing family. But the car suits our needs very well. So with that said, I was some skeptical about the Sorento.
The Kia Sorento
So just being me -- I wanted to do a little research on the Kia Sorento. Here are some of the things that most impressed me about the sports utility vehicle (SUV):
Heated steering wheel
Panoramic sunroof with power sunshade
LED turn signal indicators
Infinity surround sound audio system
Rear camera display
Backup warning system
Bluetooth hands-free connectivity
Traction control
Tire pressure monitor
Um, yeah… so I just got a little bit more excited about the Sorento. The SUV comes in 4 flavors -- LX, EX, SX and Limited. The model I received was the SX in white.
I had a busy week so I quickly switched the two car seats from the Civic to the Sorento. And the installation was very easy. Which I greatly appreciated. The trunk space is not as big as I would have liked but it did accommodate everything I needed -- the baby stroller, the baby bag, my son’s school bag, my husband’s messenger bag, my bag and a scooter. Yes… you read that correctly a scooter.
I almost immediately fell in love with the power liftgate. Which I could remotely open and close with the key fob. Normally my hands, arms and teeth are all holding something -- bags, baby bottles, baby spoons, teddy bears, coats, a baby and coffee. So being able to remotely open the power liftgate was a massive help.
Driving New York City
We also did a great deal of City driving. I was impressively happy with how well the Sorento behaved. Don’t get me wrong -- when you drive the Sorento there is no doubt that you are driving an SUV. It’s a solid but heavy vehicle. It took to the streets of New York City very well.
You see driving in NYC is an exercise in patience and raw driving talent -- which involves the ability to negotiate streets that are peppered with pedestrians, bicyclists and the infamous NYC cab driver.
Oh… and the bain of any New Yorkers existence -- the parking or lack there of. It was a huge help having the rear camera display and the backup warning system -- while parallel parking. Yes, a god send!
Conclusion
All in all -- the Kia Sorento was as my son would say, “two thumbs up with a silent cheer!” The whole family was very happy with the Kia Sorento. I told my husband that I felt like the Sorento was more of a partner. Because it just helped me better manage my busy week.
I strongly recommend that if you are in the market for a new SUV -- give the Sorento a test drive.
