Tag Archives: Kia

Opinion: How Hyundai and Kia Have Made Design a Strength

September 27, 2021 admin

I got my first, in-person taste of the upcoming Kia EV6 this past weekend in Irvine, California. It was a beautiful 77-degree day spent amid rolling hills under blue, sunny skies – even the people I met were wonderful. They were tanned, attractive, “California” people who were cheerful and engaging. No matter what California sent to distract me, though, my eyes kept turning back to the EV6.

There’s simply no escaping it. The Kia EV6, especially in the matte metallic gray finish, is an incredibly good-looking car.

Not too far away, another Korean car caught my eye. This time it was the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which I was also experiencing in production form for the first time. From a few yards away, the Ioniq 5 looks for all the world like a retro-futuristic hot hatch, low and squat and ready in the way that old rally cars seem to want to pounce off the line, and barrel towards the next curve. Then the door opens, someone steps out of the car, and your brain has to recalibrate.

It’s not a hot hatch at all. The Ioniq 5 is a medium-ish, five-passenger crossover with 21-inch wheels and high-end LED lighting. It was all a trick of the light.

“How—” I begin to ask, genuinely surprised at how small the Ioniq looks compared to how big it actually is. “How did you guys do this?”

“We hired the best people in the world,” was James Bell’s simple, straightforward response.

James Bell is Kia’s head of corporate communications and was kind enough to spend some time with me last Saturday during the Electrify Expo e-mobility festival in Irvine and help me wrap my brain around just how far Kia has come in the last two decades. Which, if you weren’t around in the 90s, let me tell you: Kia has come a long, long way.

“The company decided it was going to hire the best people it could find,” said James (I’m paraphrasing a bit here). “Not just good people, but the best people – even if that meant we had to look outside of Korea to find them.”

The team that Hyundai and Kia have put together to develop their new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) reads like an automotive take on the Traveling Willburys.

Bell starts with Albert Biermann, who was originally hired as a chassis and suspension engineer at BMW in 1983, and who worked on every classic BMW you want while working his way up to the role of Vice President Engineering BMW M Automobiles and BMW Individual in 2008. Hyundai hired him away from BMW in 2015, specifically to ensure that the new Hyundai and Kia models built on the E-GMP platform were as good, from a dynamic perspective, as anything else.

Next, he mentions Luc Donckerwolke, a superstar car designer whose portfolio includes the all-conquering Audi R8 LeMans racer, the Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo, and both the 2013 Bentley Flying Spur and the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept. This guy can draw cars, in other words, and he’s proved that again and again since joining Hyundai with the 2018 Palisade, 2020 Sonata, 2021 Elantra, and G/GV80 Genesis models. He oversees the look and feel of the cars.

Finally, we get to Karim Habib, another BMW alum who penned both the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe (swoon!) and the EV6 that’s in front of us.

“I love this car,” I tell James. “I just wrote an article about it, actually. I said it looked like a Lancia Stratos.”

“That’s a good thing to look like,” he says. “There might be some Lotus, too.”

We talked a bit about some of the other players in the EV space who have – let’s say, “struggled” with translating some traditional styling cues into a modern, crossover-y electric vehicle design language, and whether those styling cues were doing more to hurt or help those brands as they transition to EV.

“Do you think that Kia, because it’s kind of a younger brand with maybe less of a legacy, has more freedom to make really bold design choices?”

“Yeah,” James says, thoughtfully. “Yeah, I think so. The design language that Kia has is really forward-looking. When I was at GM, there were a lot of ‘competing interests’, shall we say?”

We joke a bit about Fiero/Corvette conspiracy theories and a “You can’t have a coupe; Buick just got a coupe!” mentality.

“At Kia,” he says, “there’s none of that.”

It’s clear just from the EV6 that Karim Habib is making the most of his opportunity to lead a design department that isn’t beholden to the past.

“EV6, as the first dedicated Kia EV, is a showcase of human-centered, progressive design and electrified power,” Habib said, in Kia’s official statement on its new, “Opposites United” design philosophy. “The philosophy is based on five key design pillars,” the statement continues. “‘Bold for Nature’, ‘Joy for Reason’, ‘Power to Progress’, ‘Technology for Life’, and ‘Tension for Serenity’.”

Which, I mean – that’s some pretty dense PR-speak that I really want to take issue with … but I can’t. The EV6 really does look bold, and I want to put some aggressively knobbed tires on it and take it out into nature. It looks joyful in the way that sportscars look fun and thrilling, but it’s a four-door crossover that I can make a logical case for. As for power – well, Kia did debut the 576 horsepower EV6 GT by lining it up alongside a Lamborghini, an AMG, a McLaren, a Ferrari, and a Porsche for an airstrip drag race.

The Kia didn’t win that race (the McLaren won), but it wasn’t last. Not by a long shot – and that says a lot about what Kia seems to have figured out about the car business: People build cars. And, if you hire the best people to build your cars, it makes sense that you’re probably going to end up building the best cars. Or some very good ones, at least.

With handling by the guy who made BMW M into the BMW M, a forward-looking design language, and the guy who brought Lamborghini and Bentley into the modern era keeping an eye on things, it’s hard to imagine Hyundai and Kia doing anything else.

James was a very good sport and spent a lot of time talking cars and Kia with me at the Electrify Expo. I wanted to return the favor, so I asked him if there was any point or message about Kia that he’d like to add to the article. After a bit of a pause, he hit me with the following: “We believe the launch of the EV6 will be long remembered as a pivotal moment in the history of Kia here in the US. It will be our proverbial ‘vehicle of change’ as you will never forget the first time you see one on the road, and therefore is a perfect representation of Kia’s new Opposites United design theme.”

“I love it!” I said with a chuckle.

“Hopefully you can sense that I LOVE the car biz!” he added.

I do get that sense. I love it, too.

[Images: Kia, Hyundai]

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2022 Kia Stinger Sees Power Increase, Pricing Changes

March 18, 2021 admin

<img data-attachment-id=”1755760″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes/2022-stinger-scorpion-special-edition-2/” data-orig-file=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/17182_2022_Stinger_Scorpion_Special_Edition.jpg” data-orig-size=”5100,3400″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”0″,”credit”:””,”camera”:””,”caption”:”2022 Stinger Scorpion Special Edition”,”created_timestamp”:”0″,”copyright”:””,”focal_length”:”0″,”iso”:”0″,”shutter_speed”:”0″,”title”:”2022 Stinger Scorpion Special Edition”,”orientation”:”0″}” data-image-title=”2022 Stinger Scorpion Special Edition” data-image-description=”

Kia

If you purchased a base Kia Stinger with the turbocharged 2.0-liter, many will argue you made the wrong decision. They’ll allege that you should have sprung for the more powerful twin-turbo V6. But it always seemed just a bit too steep of a price jump to make sense for every single person. If you were cross-shopping the Stinger against fancier — albeit indirect — rivals like the BMW 3-Series, that 2.0-liter was still completely adequate. However, we could say the same thing about the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, and a cadre of other non-premium sedans.

Kia’s twin-turbo V6 seemed to be there to create some additional distance between its touring sedan and just about everything else on the market. With the 3.3-liter unit churning out 365 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque, the Stinger becomes much more exciting and suddenly capable of covering the quarter-mile in under 13 seconds. For the 2022 model year, the manufacturer has decided to split the difference by ditching the base 2.0-liter mill. Replacing it will be a 2.5-liter four-banger producing 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft — representing an increase of 45 hp and 61 pound-feet of twist.

But it’s not going to be free.

<img data-attachment-id=”1755746″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes/2022-stinger-pe/” data-orig-file=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/17036_2022_Stinger_GT-Line.jpg” data-orig-size=”6646,4431″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”16″,”credit”:”Robin Trajano”,”camera”:”NIKON D850″,”caption”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”created_timestamp”:”1607718543″,”copyright”:”Robin Trajano”,”focal_length”:”24″,”iso”:”100″,”shutter_speed”:”0.04″,”title”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”orientation”:”0″}” data-image-title=”2022 Kia Stinger PE” data-image-description=”

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” data-medium-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-12.jpg” data-large-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-1.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1755746″ src=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-1.jpg” alt width=”610″ height=”407″ srcset=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-1.jpg 610w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-11.jpg 75w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-12.jpg 450w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-13.jpg 768w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-14.jpg 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

Swapping in the new motor required Kia to price base model Stingers starting at $37,125 (or $3,000 more than they used to be). Considering the jump in output and relative lacking popularity of the 2.0-liter version, this shouldn’t be too aggravating. Meanwhile, some of the more extravagant trims are coming down in price. The GT1 is now $44,735 ($1,800 less than last year’s model) and becomes the cheapest way to get into the V6 (which has received a three-horsepower bump) since the base GT no longer exists.

Unfortunately, the good news does not extend to the loaded GT2. That trim has gone up nearly a grand since last year, now setting customers back $52,335. Power will be sent through an 8-speed on all Stingers, with customers having the option of spending an extra $2,200 to supplant rear-wheel drive with all-wheel drive. Miraculously, none of the announced improvements came with a downgrade in efficiency. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency indicates U.S. models will have the same — or better, in the case of the new base engine — mpg than their predecessors.

<img data-attachment-id=”1755752″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes/2022-stinger-pe-3/” data-orig-file=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/17002_2022_Stinger_GT.jpg” data-orig-size=”5704,3803″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”8″,”credit”:”Robin Trajano”,”camera”:”NIKON D850″,”caption”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”created_timestamp”:”1607962883″,”copyright”:”Robin Trajano”,”focal_length”:”19″,”iso”:”800″,”shutter_speed”:”0.025″,”title”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”orientation”:”0″}” data-image-title=”2022 Kia Stinger PE” data-image-description=”

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” data-medium-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-16.jpg” data-large-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-2.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1755752″ src=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-2.jpg” alt width=”610″ height=”407″ srcset=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-2.jpg 610w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-15.jpg 75w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-16.jpg 450w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-17.jpg 768w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-18.jpg 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

General updates include some tweaks to the exterior lighting (more LEDs), new badging, color options (Ascot Green), and exhaust system. The latter change also required Kia replace the Stinger’s rear fascia. Inside, drivers will find more overt (stylized) stitching on the dashboard, trim garnishes, Nappa seats, and a 10.25-inch navigation screen as standard. Kia has also decided to offer wireless charging and blind-spot monitoring that incorporates lane-watching cameras with the feed going directly to the instrument cluster. Driving assistance options are also pretty robust, with the Stinger capable of everything from emergency braking to navigation-based smart cruise control with lane-keeping.

The Updated Kia Stinger is supposed to go on sale in the United States this spring, with a special-edition arriving later. That model will be dubbed the Stinger Scorpion and come with carbon fiber trim, unique 19-in black wheels, black mirrors, black exhaust tips, black fender accenting, and a rear spoiler — helping to give the sedan sinister vibrations.

<img data-attachment-id=”1755758″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes/2022-stinger-pe-6/” data-orig-file=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/16976_2022_Stinger_GT.jpg” data-orig-size=”8256,5504″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”6.3″,”credit”:”Robin Trajano”,”camera”:”NIKON D850″,”caption”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”created_timestamp”:”1607562640″,”copyright”:”Robin Trajano”,”focal_length”:”36″,”iso”:”640″,”shutter_speed”:”0.003125″,”title”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”orientation”:”0″}” data-image-title=”2022 Kia Stinger PE Kia logo” data-image-description=”

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” data-medium-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-20.jpg” data-large-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-3.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1755758″ src=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-3.jpg” alt width=”610″ height=”407″ srcset=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-3.jpg 610w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-19.jpg 75w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-20.jpg 450w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-21.jpg 768w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-22.jpg 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

However, if that’s the route you’re interested in taking, the truly villainous Dodge Charger Scat Pack starts below $42,000 (before destination) and it has a 6.4-liter V8 pumping out 485 horsepower. Granted, the Charger doesn’t feel as nimble under pressure (especially during initial turn-in) and takes a brute-force approach to performance.

It also has a much uglier interior and will hoover up fuel in the city. But it’s going to shame rear-drive variants of the Stinger until you’ve upgraded the Kia’s rubber and sharpened your own skills. If you enjoy power that comes on like a breaking damn and having a vehicle that is either soft and docile or furiously ripping up the pavement as it deafens onlookers, then the Dodge is for you. However, those seeking a more well-rounded performance sedan will probably find the Kia Stinger difficult to beat for the price, regardless of where they’ve been looking.

<img data-attachment-id=”1755748″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes/2022-stinger-scorpion-special-edition/” data-orig-file=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/17180_2022_Stinger_Scorpion_Special_Edition.jpg” data-orig-size=”5100,3400″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”0″,”credit”:””,”camera”:””,”caption”:”2022 Stinger Scorpion Special Edition”,”created_timestamp”:”0″,”copyright”:””,”focal_length”:”0″,”iso”:”0″,”shutter_speed”:”0″,”title”:”2022 Stinger Scorpion Special Edition”,”orientation”:”0″}” data-image-title=”2022 Kia Stinger Scorpion Special Edition” data-image-description=”

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” data-medium-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-24.jpg” data-large-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-4.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1755748″ src=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-4.jpg” alt width=”610″ height=”407″ srcset=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-4.jpg 610w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-23.jpg 75w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-24.jpg 450w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-25.jpg 768w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-26.jpg 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

<img data-attachment-id=”1755754″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes/2022-stinger-pe-4/” data-orig-file=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/16996_2022_Stinger_GT.jpg” data-orig-size=”6056,4037″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”11″,”credit”:”Robin Trajano”,”camera”:”NIKON D850″,”caption”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”created_timestamp”:”1607883145″,”copyright”:”Robin Trajano”,”focal_length”:”31″,”iso”:”640″,”shutter_speed”:”0.0125″,”title”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”orientation”:”0″}” data-image-title=”2022 Kia Stinger PE” data-image-description=”

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” data-medium-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-28.jpg” data-large-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-5.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1755754″ src=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-5.jpg” alt width=”610″ height=”407″ srcset=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-5.jpg 610w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-27.jpg 75w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-28.jpg 450w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-29.jpg 768w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-30.jpg 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

<img data-attachment-id=”1755764″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes/2022-stinger-pe-7/” data-orig-file=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/16981_2022_Stinger_GT-Line.jpg” data-orig-size=”5100,3400″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”0″,”credit”:””,”camera”:””,”caption”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”created_timestamp”:”0″,”copyright”:””,”focal_length”:”0″,”iso”:”0″,”shutter_speed”:”0″,”title”:”2022 Stinger PE”,”orientation”:”0″}” data-image-title=”2022 Stinger PE” data-image-description=”

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” data-medium-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-32.jpg” data-large-file=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-6.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1755764″ src=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-6.jpg” alt width=”610″ height=”407″ srcset=”http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-6.jpg 610w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-31.jpg 75w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-32.jpg 450w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-33.jpg 768w, http://automotivezen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2022-kia-stinger-sees-power-increase-pricing-changes-34.jpg 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

[Images: Kia]

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A Week With: 2021 Kia Sorento Prestige X-Line AWD

February 18, 2021 admin

Kia’s fourth-generation Sorento ute is one of the brand’s best sellers and the updates for 2021 are likely to ensure that continues.

After a week piloting the redesigned 2021 Kia Sorento, it’s easy to forget just how far the South Korean automaker has come since first landing on these shores nearly three decades ago. At the time, I had the unfortunate duty of test-driving them. I concluded that some of my most unpleasant automotive experiences had been behind the wheel of Kias.

Of course, no one raised an eyebrow. By then, the company’s value image and low-rent cars made it the Rodney Dangerfield of the automotive world.

But that’s no longer the case, not by a long shot. In fact, it could be argued that decades of self-awareness propelled Kia, and its corporate sibling Hyundai, into the top tier of automakers, producing models that are superior to the Japanese competitors they long sought to surpass. And if cars like the Soul, Stinger, K5, Niro and Telluride don’t prove it, the 2021 Sorento will.

Overview

The new Sorento gets a new exterior design for 2021 aimed at giving it a more rugged look.

Hot on the heels of the fast-selling Telluride, you might think this slightly smaller three-row SUV is the same thing, except it got shrunk in the dryer. But deeming it a Telluride knockoff sells it short. The Sorento is very much its own flavor, not only is it distinctive from the Telluride, but also its distinct for the first time in its existence. It possesses a likeable persona where it previously had none.

The Sorento comes standard with a normally aspirated 4-cylinder gas engine in base LX and S trims, or with a turbocharged engine in EX, SX, SX Prestige and SX Prestige X-line trims. Both front-wheel and all-wheel drive are available. Kia will soon offer a hybrid and plug-in hybrid as well.

Exterior

While the Sorento shares some styling cues with the Telluride, it’s clearly its own ute, with chiseled lines that offset more design detail than its larger and pricier sibling. The large, chunky taillamps are distinctive, and an inset on the bottom of the rear side window echoes the shape of the window line above it. The grille texture has a sporty, upscale feel. Overall, the Sorento is quite handsome, and has lost the soft appearance of the previous model.

“… Sorento is very much its own flavor, not only is it distinctive from the Telluride, its distinct for the first time in its existence …”

Interior

The Sorento X-Line is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder putting out 281 horsepower.

Climb inside and you’ll be greeted by a spacious interior, and one decked out in quality materials. The first two rows provide plenty of head and legroom. The test vehicle, a top-of-the-line SX Prestige X-Line, had second-row Captain’s Chairs, which are standard on EX and above. The seats had a good balance of comfort and support. But the third row is best left to small children or people you despise; space is in short supply. Better to fold it down and expand the 12.6 cubic-foot cargo bay to 38.5 cubic feet. With second and third rows folded, that grows to 75.5 cubic feet.

The dashboard has a busy look, a feeling exacerbated by the diamond quilted stitching on the leather trimmed seats. But the controls prove easy to understand and use. LX models come with cloth seats. S, and EX get lined with leatherette, while other models come with leather.

Powertrain

Opting for an LX and S Sorento nets you a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission that generates 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. Other models get a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that generates 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The dual clutch uses liquid cooling to enhance durability.

The Sorento’s interior also gets a new look for 2021, with the X-Line getting a new color combination.

Technology and Safety

Start driver assurance systems include forward collision warning, forward collision-avoidance assist, pedestrian detection, driver attention warning, lane departure alert, lane centering lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and high-beam assist. Optional systems include cyclist detection, blind spot avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic assist, parking distance warning, parking collision avoidance assist, navigation-based smart cruise control curve control, highway driving assist, and safe exist assist.

The SX, SX Prestige 2.5T and SX Prestige X-Line come with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment screen with navigation, AM/FM Audio system with Satellite Radio, UVO telematics, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other models get a smaller 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which isn’t installed with larger screen for some inexplicably puzzling reason. A Bose surround sound audio system is standard on the SX Prestige 2.5T and SX Prestige X-Line.

The Sorento comes with eight USB charging ports in all but the LX, which gets six. A wireless smartphone charging pad is optional. An optional 12.3-in. digital instrument cluster includes a Blind View Monitor that displays a live view of adjacent lanes in the instrument cluster when the turn signal is activated.

Driving Impressions

The test vehicle’s turbo engine provides more than enough moxie to move this sweetheart with ease, especially considering it possesses more torque than the larger, heavier Telluride. Given that, it’s best to opt for all-wheel drive since there’s probably more power than the front-wheel-drive model can handle without spinning its wheels.

That said, there is some turbo lag from a standing start, but once up to boil, the Sorento feels extremely responsive, acting instantaneously to your requests. The dual-clutch shifts promptly, and road noise is subdued. The ride is firm, but road impacts never felt harsh. Ingress and egress were particularly good.

Wrap Up

There’s something about the 2021 Kia Sorento that makes me want to call it Goldilocks. Neither too big nor too small, the Sorento is a perfect size, with a pleasing personality that makes it an easy vehicle to love, a perfect dance partner for the drudgery of daily driving.

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