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Within the next six months I'll be purchasing a new car and I was interested in the Kia Sorrento. I rented one for a drive from Florida to Texas and it was a nice, comfortable ride. But I've heard bad things about Kia's in the past so I just wanted to see if anyone on the forum had any experiences with them.
I currently drive a 05 Nissan Sentra and it was fine when my son was in a car seat but six years later we feel a little cramped. I've alwyas had a compact car (toyota tercel and infiniti G20) so this would be my first time owning something larger.
I was interested in a SUV because chances are my son will be 6 feet tall before I get a new car (after this purchase). We travel a lot and the compact car isn't very comfortable for long road trips. I was thinking a full size car because I always heard SUVs flip over easily and that worried me, but because we're entering the era of sports, car pools, etc I was thinking a SUV would be better.
I'm not sure what I should be asking...my dad always assisted me with car buying before...so I'm just looking for some direction. As always, any feedback is appreciated.
Today's compacts are packaged such that even 6-footers should be plenty comfortable at least in the front seat and in most instances even in the back seat provided they're not behind another 6-footer. If you'll be doing a lot of driving and fuel economy is a concern, you may wish to consider another compact notwithstanding your son's future dimensions. A Ford Focus comes to mind, particularly the hatchback if you want the kind of utility a mid-size SUV like the Sorento provides.
If your heart is still sent on a Sorento based on your rental experience, you'll get a wide variety of opinions here. Hyundai/Kia have come a long way in the last few years but it's still undetermined whether their engineering and design improvements will translate into long-term reliability. They do offer a rather lengthy drivetrain warranty which should go some way toward alleviating those concerns.
You might also consider the Kia Sportage, which is their entry-level SUV one step below the Sorento. The passenger dimensions for front/rear passengers are nearly identical but the Sorento 3rd-row seating (useful mostly for smaller kids). But the Sportage is a solid 4 to 5 grand cheaper.
Today's compacts are packaged such that even 6-footers should be plenty comfortable at least in the front seat and in most instances even in the back seat provided they're not behind another 6-footer. .
NOT
(Says this 6'1" getting older and less flexible guy). There are several compacts that I absolutely cannot get into the back seat unless I sit sideways with my feet on the other seat (which of course is unsafe). There are a few I have rented that I simply cannot drive. My knees end up jammed into the steering wheel, or it is difficult to quickly access accelerator/brake pedals. One, I could not get into at all. Not in any seat. However I am not only tallish, but have somewhat long legs (36"). Some of the wee little cars are surprisingly roomy and nearly as comfortably as bigger cars.
Before you buy a car, rent one and try it out for a week. Try getting some big people into it for a long trip. Go camping and bring your dog. try the things that may leave you wishing for something more roomy. It is worth spending a little on rental to avoid a 10 year mistake.
No idea abotu the Sorrento specifically. My only knowlege of it is seeing one on the road yesterday and thinking it was pretty neat looking for a station wagon thingy.
Eh.. well being 6ft myself and, uh, kinda large in other dimensions as well, among the cars I've owned are a Mazda 323, Mazda Protege, Eagle Talon, Chrysler Conquest, a Subaru Impreza, a Mitsubishi Galant (back when they were actually compact), and now a Mitsubishi Lancer. The Talon and Conquest were a bit of a tight fit, but then again they were sports coupes. Driver and passenger space weren't an issue for any of the others. So to each their own I guess.
A good friend of mine has a 2011 KIA Sorento base model and has been very pleased with it. I ride in it quite often and I find it comfortable, roomy, seemingly well put together, and a good value for the money. Importantly, it has given excellent service and he has not had one minute's trouble with it. Service at the dealership is excellent, in fact much better than what I receive at the local GM dealership. Oil changes, tire rotations, and a recall by KIA have been the makeup of his service visits. From July of 2010 to now, the vehicle has traveled almost 40,000 miles.
Another friend has the new model Sportage from another dealership. She has been well pleased with her Sportage which now has mileage in the 30,000 range. I have accompanied her as well for a routine oil change appointment and observed that she was treated very well by the dealership. Like my other friend, she is well pleased with her vehicle and has not had any problems with it.
However, I find the Sportage to be a little on the cramped side - to me it seems to be a little tighter fit. In your situation with a 6 foot family member, I would give careful consideration to the Sorento over the Sportage. Just my opinion from having traveled quite a bit in both vehicles. Pricewise, there was not all that much difference between the Sportage with some extra cost equipment compared to the base Sorento with just the standard equipment.
We looked at the Sorento and the Sportage last year. Never drove either one but we did sit in both. The Sportage is small, very small. The Sorento is a nice size SUV. We really liked the size of it. Plenty of room in the back seat.
Today's compacts are packaged such that even 6-footers should be plenty comfortable at least in the front seat and in most instances even in the back seat provided they're not behind another 6-footer. If you'll be doing a lot of driving and fuel economy is a concern, you may wish to consider another compact notwithstanding your son's future dimensions. A Ford Focus comes to mind, particularly the hatchback if you want the kind of utility a mid-size SUV like the Sorento provides.
I haven't been in a new compact but we've outgrown mine (2005). When it's just me & my son, I have to let the passenger seat all the way up and if someone rides with us he has to sit in the middle and then his knees are constantly hitting my elbow.s Just time for an upgrade.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens
Before you buy a car, rent one and try it out for a week. Try getting some big people into it for a long trip. Go camping and bring your dog. try the things that may leave you wishing for something more roomy. It is worth spending a little on rental to avoid a 10 year mistake.
No idea abotu the Sorrento specifically. My only knowlege of it is seeing one on the road yesterday and thinking it was pretty neat looking for a station wagon thingy.
Yup, we had one for a week for a road trip to Texas and back. There were three of us in the car but I liked how easy it drove and how roomy it felt. I also like the look as I have been a faithful Nissan customer for about 12 years now (wow can't believe I've been driving that long...I'm getting old) but I hate the look of the Nissan SUVs. I was only concerned because when I mentioned it to friends they said "Oh NO don't get a Kia" of course these are women who know nothing about cars so I figured I'd check in with my forum family while I was doing my online research . I saw the warranty but I didn't really understand everything it covers. I had a warranty with my Toyota that didn't cover anything except maybe the car blowing up on the Toyota lot on the Fourth of July.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Avantiguy
A good friend of mine has a 2011 KIA Sorento base model and has been very pleased with it. I ride in it quite often and I find it comfortable, roomy, seemingly well put together, and a good value for the money. Importantly, it has given excellent service and he has not had one minute's trouble with it. Service at the dealership is excellent, in fact much better than what I receive at the local GM dealership. Oil changes, tire rotations, and a recall by KIA have been the makeup of his service visits. From July of 2010 to now, the vehicle has traveled almost 40,000 miles.
Another friend has the new model Sportage from another dealership. She has been well pleased with her Sportage which now has mileage in the 30,000 range. I have accompanied her as well for a routine oil change appointment and observed that she was treated very well by the dealership. Like my other friend, she is well pleased with her vehicle and has not had any problems with it.
However, I find the Sportage to be a little on the cramped side - to me it seems to be a little tighter fit. In your situation with a 6 foot family member, I would give careful consideration to the Sorento over the Sportage. Just my opinion from having traveled quite a bit in both vehicles. Pricewise, there was not all that much difference between the Sportage with some extra cost equipment compared to the base Sorento with just the standard equipment.
Mr. Bill
Hamlet, NC
Thanks for your feedback. That was another thing I liked about the Sorento; it comes with some of the gltizy stuff; i.e an aux input for my Ipod.
Quote:
Originally Posted by robrobrob
We looked at the Sorento and the Sportage last year. Never drove either one but we did sit in both. The Sportage is small, very small. The Sorento is a nice size SUV. We really liked the size of it. Plenty of room in the back seat.
Yeah, I just left the dealership and looked at the Sportage. It's a bit too small for my needs.
I rented a Sorrento for a week and found it to be quite comfortable and I liked some of the interior features. However after thinking about it a lot I decided not to buy one, got a Tiguan instead.
As a somewhat antsy sixfooter I am pretty much uncomfortable in any back seat of anything (with the possible exception of high-end BMWs and such which I have not experienced).
> I always heard SUVs flip over easily
Well anything with a higher center of gravity has more potential to flip during extreme maneuvers. There were some SUVs that were much more likely to flip than others- I think (not sure here) some years of Ford Explorers. Newer models are less likely to have this problem. Balance this with somewhat better visibility and possibly less likely to end up underneath another large vehicle.
If you're set on the Sorento, you owe it to yourself to at least look at the sister SUV Hyundai Santa Fe. It's an upscale Sorento and usually they will bargain the price pretty heavy if you come in as a buyer, not a tire kicker. While different companies, the Sorento and Santa Fe come out of the same factory.
If you're set on the Sorento, you owe it to yourself to at least look at the sister SUV Hyundai Santa Fe. It's an upscale Sorento and usually they will bargain the price pretty heavy if you come in as a buyer, not a tire kicker. While different companies, the Sorento and Santa Fe come out of the same factory.
Okay I'll take a look. Thanks for that suggestion.
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. I saw the warranty but I didn't really understand everything it covers. I had a warranty with my Toyota that didn't cover anything except maybe the car blowing up on the Toyota lot on the Fourth of July. 
