Kia Sorento?

[Badfish740]

Anybody who has seen my signature line knows that I drive a good 'ol chunk of American iron with a diesel engine that will pull a house off of its foundation without breaking a sweat. However, the F-350 is no family vehicle and unfortunately it's got to go. I've been looking for a mid-sized SUV for the wife for a while now and have been so far disappointed in what passes for a mid-sized SUV these days. When I was a kid we had a 4 door Chevy Blazer with a 4.3L V6 and a real 4WD system (as in 4HI/4LO) that could tow. Nowadays the mid-sized SUVs are simply cars with a little more ground clearance and AWD. Their unibodies can't handle towing more than 3500lbs or so (as if you'd want to stress the drivetrain that much) and the AWD systems are totally hands off-no ability to control them from the driver's seat, and of course, no low range. After looking and looking I finally stumbled upon an unlikely discovery-the Kia Sorento. The Sorento is in it's second generation now, but there are plenty of first generation Sorentos (Model year 2003-2009) out there. The first generations are equipped with a body on frame design which can tow up to 5000lbs (with the 260 HP/260 ft-lb 3.8L V6 which debuted in 2007), and a conventional 4WD system with user selected high and low range. I only stumbled across this because I found a mention of them on another forum I post on that is all about vehicle dependent expedition travel. Apparently the used market for this vehicle is hot because those folks are snapping them up.

I see it as the ideal family hauler for us because it will be a good DD for the wife-the gas mileage isn't setting the world on fire (17 city/22 highway) but she has a very short commute. On the weekends we can comfortably drive the 60 miles to either grandma's house complete with baby, child seat, and chocolate lab-and tow a trailer if need be. Finally, it shou I'm going to test drive one probably next week and hopefully will be looking to purchase shortly after the new year. The nice thing about these is that bought certified from the dealer, the 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty is fully transferable, so if we buy a 2007 with say 60K miles we'll be covered until 2017 as my wife won't be putting enough miles on it to exceed 100K before the time limit is up. I used to be pretty skeptical of Korean cars despite my soft spot for Japanese (Toyota) 4x4s, but it looks as though the Koreans have learned a lot from the Japanese over the years in terms of quality. The Hyundai (Kia is a subsidiary of Hyundai) quality problems of the late '80s/early '90s seem to be all but gone and the powertrain warranty is pretty ironclad from what I've been reading. I'm curious to hear from other hearth.com folks who own Kias and what their experience has been-and if there are any 4x4 Sorento owners?

 

[woodmiser]

Mileage is a bit less than advertised. Think about that.... around 14-15 around town? Heck might as well get a four door 1/2 ton pickup and have so much more. My daily driver is a Dodge Cummins four door short bed. My wife drives a Buick Rainer which is a Trailblazer. It's all wheel drive. When we go on trips we take the big truck. When we shop around town we take the big truck. We run the big truck everywhere. She uses the Rainer just to do her short trips and commute to the train station. She likes the SUV and all wheel drive for the bad weather conditions. With big ticket items I try and buy from the big three. Yea I know it's not as clear cut as it used to be but still, might be keeping a neighbor his/her job instead of shipping the industry away.

 

[ironpony]

Mileage is a bit less than advertised. Think about that.... around 14-15 around town? Heck might as well get a four door 1/2 ton pickup and have so much more. My daily driver is a Dodge Cummins four door short bed. My wife drives a Buick Rainer which is a Trailblazer. It's all wheel drive. When we go on trips we take the big truck. When we shop around town we take the big truck. We run the big truck everywhere. She uses the Rainer just to do her short trips and commute to the train station. She likes the SUV and all wheel drive for the bad weather conditions. With big ticket items I try and buy from the big three. Yea I know it's not as clear cut as it used to be but still, might be keeping a neighbor his/her job instead of shipping the industry away.

same here, Dodge Cummins four door long bed goes everywhere
wifes Saturn Vue AWD used for work
2003 Cummins 17 mpg
and lots of room
at least keep the truck and add the suv

 

[Badfish740]

Mileage is a bit less than advertised. Think about that.... around 14-15 around town? Heck might as well get a four door 1/2 ton pickup and have so much more. My daily driver is a Dodge Cummins four door short bed. My wife drives a Buick Rainer which is a Trailblazer. It's all wheel drive. When we go on trips we take the big truck. When we shop around town we take the big truck. We run the big truck everywhere. She uses the Rainer just to do her short trips and commute to the train station. She likes the SUV and all wheel drive for the bad weather conditions. With big ticket items I try and buy from the big three. Yea I know it's not as clear cut as it used to be but still, might be keeping a neighbor his/her job instead of shipping the industry away.

I hear you-if it were me getting the new vehicle I'd go with the crew cab pickup. I have a Toyota 1/2 ton already that I use as a spare vehicle that will now get drafted into full time wood hauling duties. Since it's my wife who will be DD'ing this one smaller is better-260 HP/260 FT-LBS and 5000LB towing is no slouch for small vehicle though. I see it as the best of both worlds. As for your point about the big three its well taken by someone who comes from a union family-the problem is just that the big three these days are just catering to a different market. Even the new generation Sorento is a unibody/AWD. Real 4x4s are a dying breed-might as well get 'em while they last. Also, the long term plan is to sell the Corolla as well and one day pick up either an Excursion or Crew Cab F-350 with a truck camper for some real expedition travel. The Yota pickup will be kept in perpetuity as it was left to me by my late uncle.

My dream vehicle lineup would be as follows:

2003 F-350 DRW Crew Cab 7.3L Daily Driver
2003 Excursion 7.3L Wife's Daily Driver
1991 Toyota pickup on 35s, 4.3L V6 conversion, locked front and rear, fully armored for rock crawling

Now if I can just find a money tree...

 

[MrWhoopee]

Heidi drives a 2007 Kia Optima LX, purchased used, former rental car. It now has a little over 100k on the clock. It's been absolutely trouble free, with the exception of the visors that will no longer stay up and the check engine light which requires a trip to the dealer. Wish it was a Sorento, we need the 4wd when it snows. I have friends with a Sorento, they LOVE it.

YMMV

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Look at a Subaru Forester. AWD, super reliable, and like 26MPG- believe it. Haul weight would be 2,000# I think- so that could be a limiter.

Friends from other parts of the country tell me "I couldn't drive that here" because they are wimps that worry what people think. I'm too busy to worry about that sort of crap. My wife and I have had 4 Subies now and I see no reason to switch until I need real carry capacity.

 

[Danno77]

Those new sorentos are a step above the last gen. The 3rd row and v6 are awesome. Wife really wants one. I'll wait a couple of years and buy one used. The one she wants runs 32k buckaroos. Too rich for me.

 

[woodmiser]

Those new sorentos are a step above the last gen. The 3rd row and v6 are awesome. Wife really wants one. I'll wait a couple of years and buy one used. The one she wants runs 32k buckaroos. Too rich for me.

But mileage sucks.

 

[Danno77]

Those new sorentos are a step above the last gen. The 3rd row and v6 are awesome. Wife really wants one. I'll wait a couple of years and buy one used. The one she wants runs 32k buckaroos. Too rich for me.

But mileage sucks.

I hear people say it's not what the ratings showed, but two people I know that have the 4wd V6 have said they are getting highway in the 26-29 range and in town in the low 20's calculated by hand. I've read online the 4cyl people really complaining about their MPGs. Even if it doesn't get the rated 30something (can't remember) it's still better than a lot of vehicles and a LOT better than my truck. It's tons roomier than our CRV with more pep and better MPGs. Let's see what resale looks like in a couple of years.

 

[woodmiser]

Maybe the new ones are better but they were getting like 15 around town. My wife's sister got rid of hers because it didn't get much better mileage than her Expedition! She unloaded it and got another Expedition. Not very smart since you lose so much $$ but she figured if she's gonna pay for fuel she might as well have the space... that she really needs now.

Look here..
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2007_Kia_Sorento.shtml

That's the same mileage my 2004 Dodge Cummins 4 Door short bed 4x4 gets and I'm pushing 540hp and 1035 torque.

 

[MasterMech]

FWIW: My '05 GMC Canyon gets 18+ MPG (Average), is a real body-on-frame truck with 4x4 and a low range. The 3.5 I5 is making 250+ hp with minimal modifications (pre-cat delete and K&N cold air intake). It tows north of 4000lbs without trouble and the tow ratings on newer models was upped to over 6000lbs depending on the engine in it. They're rare but the 300hp 5.3L V8 is available in newer ones too. Mileage is rated the same as the I5 since the V8 has cylinder deactivation. The trucks are pretty roomy with a Crew Cab for a mid-size truck, bed space is limited to about a 1/3 cord or so. But that's what trailers are for!

 

[Danno77]

Definitely look at the new Sorentos. I just looked at that EPA link for the 07s... No wonder people are conplaining, that's really sucky mileage. The 2012s are much better. Something is off from what I remember at the dealership, though. The MPGs on the new V6 were better than the I4 from what I remembered. I'd go to their website to verify that if I wasn't on my phone.

Mastermind, do they make Timbrens for the Canyon/Colorado?

 

[MasterMech]

Definitely look at the new Sorentos. I just looked at that EPA link for the 07s... No wonder people are conplaining, that's really sucky mileage. The 2012s are much better. Something is off from what I remember at the dealership, though. The MPGs on the new V6 were better than the I4 from what I remembered. I'd go to their website to verify that if I wasn't on my phone.

Mastermind, do they make Timbrens for the Canyon/Colorado?

A quick check reveals that you can get Timbrens for all 4 corners of these trucks! Not surprising since the suspension is pretty wimpy stock and can use all the help it can get if you tow/haul near the trucks max ratings. Cheap bolt-on helper leaf-springs solve a very annoying wheel-hop issue with the rear susp as well.

 

[firefighterjake]

Look at a Subaru Forester. AWD, super reliable, and like 26MPG- believe it. Haul weight would be 2,000# I think- so that could be a limiter.

Friends from other parts of the country tell me "I couldn't drive that here" because they are wimps that worry what people think. I'm too busy to worry about that sort of crap. My wife and I have had 4 Subies now and I see no reason to switch until I need real carry capacity.

Big fan of Subarus myself . . . wife has a 2003 Subaru Legacy Outback sedan which she says is like a tank in the snow . . . when it comes time I have a feeling she'll go with another Subaru as well.

My own "dream car" is the WRX STI . . . I love that thing (minus the over the top rear spoiler).

Of course I've always been partial to Subarus and Japanese cars in particular . . . first car I owned was a 1987 Subaru GL that could hardly get out of its way, but was fantastic on gas and could not be stopped or killed. Currently I drive a Honda Accord and Nissan Titan along with the wife's Subaru.

 

[Danno77]

Badfish, did you end up with a new vehicle yet? We just got a used 2012 Sorento and think we'll be pretty happy with it. Very hard to get a used 11-12, people are hanging onto their vehicles more these days and the few used ones go very fast.

I wish it had the V6 or the new GDI engine as the regular 4 is kinda wimpy (bout the same as my 05 CRV that we traded). Ours is AWD, too. I'm sure the forum will hear about any problems I have with it, but we're hoping it is going to be as reliable as the 200,000mile Honda we just traded.

 

[smokinj]

I have a 2004 kia v-6 in the drive way I will let it go cheap. Under 90k too!

 

[onetracker]

[quote="Friends from other parts of the country tell me "I couldn't drive that here" because they are wimps that worry what people think. [/quote]

THAT'S freekin hilarious.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

1) An 03 7.3 PSD? It's paid for, no? You must keep that truck. Even thinking about selling it is a crime against humanity and a sin against nature.

2) Toyota dealers are selling 2012 Corollas @ right around $16,000

3) re-read #1

 

[ScotO]

1) An 03 7.3 PSD? It's paid for, no? You must keep that truck. Even thinking about selling it is a crime against humanity and a sin against nature.

2) Toyota dealers are selling 2012 Corollas @ right around $16,000

3) re-read #1

I'd love to find one between 00-04, I got lots of free fuel for it. I want a full bed, full four door specimen......