| Manufacturer | Kia Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 2002–present |
| Class | Mid-size SUV (2002–09) Mid-size crossover SUV (2011–) |
| Body style | 4-door SUV |
The Kia Sorento is a mid-size crossover SUV produced since 2002 by the South Korean automaker Kia Motors.
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| Also called | Naza Sorento (Malaysia) |
|---|---|
| Production | 2002–2009 2007–2009 (Russia assemby by Izh Auto) |
| Assembly | Hwasung Plant, Hwasung, South Korea Izhevsk, Udmurtia, Russia Bicutan, Parañaque City, Philippines |
| Layout | Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Engine | 2.4 L I4 3.3 L Lambda V6 3.5 L Sigma V6 3.8 L Lambda V6 2.5 L Diesel I4 |
| Transmission | 4-speed automatic (2002-2005) 5-speed manual (2002-2007) 5-speed automatic (2005-2009) |
| Wheelbase | 2,710 mm (106.7 in) |
| Length | 2002–2006:4,570 mm (179.9 in) 2006–2009:4,590 mm (180.7 in) |
| Width | 1,865 mm (73.4 in) 1,885 mm (74.2 in) |
| Height | 1,735 mm (68.3 in) 1,815 mm (71.5 in) |
| Related | Hyundai Terracan |
The first generation Kia Sorento was a traditional truck-based (body-on-frame) SUV. It was very capable off-road, with an automatic four-wheel drive system featuring low range gearing. A sport package was available for the LX base model which added a 5 speed manual transmission, fog lamps, alloy wheels, step bars, a leather wrapped steering wheel, a roof rack and remote keyless entry. All American Sorentos also came with dual front airbags and dual side-curtain airbags in the front and rear. The 4x4 system was a shift-on-the-fly knob located usually on the lower panel to the left of the steering column. Three modes were available: Two-Wheel Drive, Four-High, and Four-Low. On-dash indicators show when the Four Wheel Drive System is active.
It had two transmission options: a 5-speed manual or 4/5-speed automatic transmission (pre-2005 models have a 4 speed automatic, whilst 2005 Sorentos come with a 5 speed tip-tronic style automatic transmission). Sorentos are equipped with a Hyundai-manufactured 3.5L 24-valve DOHC V6 producing 192 hp (143 kW) at 5500 rpm, and 217 lb·ft (294 N·m) of torque @ 3,000 rpm. Common features of the Sorento family are 4 wheel disc brakes (standard on all models) Optional anti-lock braking system, and a 21.1-gallon (79.9 litres) fuel tank. Also standard is a battery saving feature which prevents wearing out the battery by leaving your headlights turned on (a shutoff engages when the key is removed from the ignition, even if the lights were left turned on). The chassis of the vehicle is also based on a ladder frame design which is more often used in building trucks. This lends a rigidity to the Sorento that other vehicles in its class lack, even at the same price point. (See Also: unibody)
The 2007 Sorento received upgrades, such as the transition from the 3.5L Sigma to the 3.8L Lambda that will almost double the Sorento's towing ability and boost horsepower from 192 to 262. Projector beams were added in the head lamps, along with new tail lamps. The 5 speed manual transmission is no longer available; the 5 speed Sportmatic tip-tronic automatic transmission is standard for all trims. The 2007 Kia Sorento earned a five-star crash safety rating, the highest rating possible, for all seating positions in the latest frontal and side impact crash tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).[1]
The Kia Sorento received another grille facelift, and went on sale in August 2008 in Canada. The facelifted 2009 model did not begin American sales until April 2009.
Dimensions information from the Kia Motors Website:
| DIMENSIONS | LX and EX |
| Wheelbase | 106.7 in (2,710 mm) |
| Track, front / rear | 62.2 in (1,580 mm) |
| Length | 179.8 in (4,567 mm) |
| Width | 73.3 in (1,862 mm) (LX) 74.2 in (1,885 mm) (EX) |
| Height | 68.1 in (1,730 mm) (LX) 71.3 in (1,811 mm) (EX) |
| Ground clearance | 8.2 in (208 mm) |
| Approach angle | 28.4 degrees |
| Departure angle | 26.7 degrees |
| Head room (front/rear) | 39.7 in (1,008 mm)/39.5 in (1,003 mm) 38.3 in (973 mm) /38 in (965 mm) (sunroof) |
| Shoulder room (front/rear) | 58.9 in (1,496 mm)/58.4 in (1,483 mm) |
| Leg room (front/rear) | 42.6 in (1,082 mm)/36.1 in (917 mm) |
| Hip room (front/rear) | 55.3 in (1,405 mm)/58 in (1,473 mm) |
| SAE volume, interior | 138.4 cu ft (3.92 m3) |
| SAE volume, front seat | 57.6 cu ft (1.63 m3) |
| SAE volume, rear seat | 49.4 cu ft (1.40 m3) |
| SAE volume, cargo | 31.4 cu ft (0.89 m3) |
| SAE volume, rear seat folded down | 66.4 cu ft (1.88 m3) |
Block quote
| Also called | Kia Sorento R (South Korea) |
|---|---|
| Production | 2009–present |
| Model years | 2011–present (North America) |
| Assembly | Hwasung Plant, Hwasung, South Korea West Point, Georgia, USA Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan[2] |
| Layout | Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Engine | 2.4L Theta II I4 petrol 2.7L Mu V6 LPG 3.5L Lambda II V6 petrol 2.2L CRDI R-Line I4 diesel |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual 6-speed manual 5-speed automatic 6-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 2,700 mm (106.3 in) |
| Length | 4,685 mm (184.4 in) |
| Width | 1,885 mm (74.2 in) |
| Height | 1,710 mm (67.3 in) |
| Related | Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Veracruz/ix55 |
A redesigned crossover (car-based) Sorento (codename XMA) was launched in South Korea in 2009. It is Kia's first model to be manufactured in the United States, in KIA's new 1 billion dollar West Point Georgia Factory (which also builds the sister vehicle to the Sorento..Hyundai's Santa Fe). The Sorento uses Kia's new corporate grille, known as the Tiger Nose, as designed by Kia's design chief, Peter Schreyer.
In the North American Market, there were no 2010 Model KIA Sorento's....the all new 2011 KIA Sorento was introduced in early 2010 as a 2011 model, no longer based on a truck frame as the outgoing 2009 was, but the new '11 Sorento is now a unibody construction.
The four-cylinder model returns to the lineup for North American models after being absent for 2007-2010. A preview was featured at New York Auto Show in March 2009. It uses a unibody instead of the old-style frame.[3] The engine is transverse, and the suspension is all-independent. The change in body construction as well as the loss of a low-ratio transfer case means it weighs 475 pounds less than the old one model for model, to the gain in performance and economy. The vice president, marketing for Kia Motors America, said in an interview that Kia considered changing the name, because the Sorento replacement is a car-truck crossover, and the older model is a straight-up SUV.[4] The new Kia Sorento went on sale as a 2011 model, and is the first to have Kia UVO.[5] The XM Sorento has been awarded New Zealand Autocar magazine SUV of the Year, "great looker, does absolutely everything as it should. Engine is world class".[6] The Kia Sorento EX V6 model earned an “Excellent” overall score by American magazine Consumer Reports’ July 2010 issue.[7]
As of January 2011 the KIA Sorento is available in 3 models, the LX, EX and top of the line SX models. The SX is only available with the 3.5L 276 hp (206 kW) V6. The LX comes standard with the 2.4L straight-4 175 hp (130 kW) and EX has the GDI version of the same engine which is rated 191 hp. The V6 is available as an upgrade for both the LX and EX.
The 2011 Sorento has been awarded the maximum safety rating from the crash safety experts, European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) [8] and Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).[9] The XM Sorento awarded 'Top Safety Pick' from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US.[10]
| Type | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| City | Visto | Morning/Picanto | Picanto | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subcompact | Kia Brisa | Pride | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avella | Rio (DC) | Rio/Pride (JB) | Rio (UB) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Venga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact | cee'd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sephia/Mentor | Spectra/Shuma | Spectra5/Cerato | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sephia/Mentor | Sephia/Mentor | Spectra/Shuma | Spectra/Cerato | Forte/Cerato | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size | Concord | Credos/Clarus | Optima/Magentis | Optima/Lotze/Magentis | Optima/K5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Enterprise | Opirus/Amanti | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Potentia | Cadenza/K7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports car | Elan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact SUV | Sportage | Sportage | Sportage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUV | Sorento | Sorento | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mohave/Borrego | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact MPV | Carens | Carens | Carens/Rondo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joice/Carstar | Soul | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minivan | Carnival/Sedona | Carnival/Sedona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pickup truck | Bongo | Wide Bongo | Bongo Frontier | Bongo III | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus | (Asia Combi) | Combi/Power Combi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Granbird | Granbird | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Subcompact | Rio | Rio | Rio | ||||||||||||||||
| Compact | Sephia | Sephia | Soul | ||||||||||||||||
| Spectra | Spectra | Forte | |||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size | Optima/Magentis | Optima/Magentis | Optima | ||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Amanti | ||||||||||||||||||
| Compact SUV | Sportage | Sportage | Sportage | ||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size SUV | Sorento | Sorento | |||||||||||||||||
| Borrego | |||||||||||||||||||
| Compact MPV | Rondo | ||||||||||||||||||
| Minivan | Sedona | Sedona | |||||||||||||||||