The Kia Sorento is an all-new midsize SUV that has the potential to become a huge bestseller. The Sorento, named after a city in Italy, is supplied with a giant V6 engine. It accommodates another five people and has plenty of room to move around. You’ll pass wherever your rivals pass off-road, maintaining a civic attitude on the road.
What sets the Sorento apart is its price: $5,000 to $6,000 less than comparable SUVs. Still, it comes with features.
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The 2003 Kia Sorento will be available in two trim levels: LX and EX. Pricing had not been announced at the time of writing, however, we are estimating $18,500 for an LX and $22,500 for an all-wheel-drive EX, adding approximately $1,500 each.
LX comes with popular features. A 3. 5-liter, 24-valve DOHC V6 engine is popular and comes with an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive. Other popular features include air conditioning, central locking, forced windows with explicit driver lowering, heated dual-force mirrors, cruise control. (with guide wheel mounted controls), tilt idler, AM/FM/CD audio formula with 8 speakers and a rear shipping cover; those features constitute an additional charge over other SUVs.
The EX is forced through the same V6, but replaces the LX’s speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion force guide with an electronic vehicle speed force sensor. Also added are floor mats, alloy wheels, a forced sunroof, and an 8-way forced driver’s seat. , remote keyless entry, a “multimeter” in the overhead console, an electrochromic rearview mirror, Homelink, and a premium Delphi CD/cassette stereo with steering wheel-mounted guided audio controls.
A luxury package available on the EX includes a complicated on-demand permanent all-wheel-drive formula (which also includes a “low range”), automatic headlights, heated front seats, automatic climate control and a six-disc automatic weather formula. CD changer on board. The EX includes an auto-leveling rear suspension and a rear spoiler. Leather upholstery is available as an option.
All-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS) are independent on all models.
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The designers of the Kia Sorento seem to have done the most unlikely thing in the SUV market: they have designed an SUV that, in fact, is unlike any other.
On the side, especially around the C-pillar, there’s a slight resemblance to the Lexus RX300, but the front has a distinct appearance, albeit a bit like the Mercedes M-Class. From the back, the Sorento has distinctly broad shoulders, thank you. to a shoulder line that protrudes and wraps around the tailgate. The truck’s width, wider than most of its competitors, stands out from this angle. The Sorento’s headlights feature sleek transparent covers. At the rear, Kia has managed to do quite the opposite with the taillights, which are circular with red dots in the form of spokes.
The Sorento’s front and rear overhangs are short, which will be appreciated by anyone serious about the Sorento off-road. Those who frequent colder climates will appreciate the popular rear defroster and rear windshield wiper, as well as the windshield hot wire defroster.
The EX receives a two-tone solution with a contrasting bottom panel. The LX has no coating. A roof rack is popular on the EX, but optional on the LX.
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The Kia Sorento is a spacious vehicle that offers a little more headroom and shoulder room up front, equivalent to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Three adults will have rear-seat compatibility, with generous legroom and 4 cup holders.
The Sorento comes at a price, and that’s especially evident inside. The EX features “wood grain” accents, which are plastics that don’t mimic wood well. The wood grain surrounds the center console of the sprint and splatters can be discovered. on the door panels. The Sorento Luxury Pack’s steering wheel rim is part leather and part wood, while an all-leather steering wheel would be nicer to grip.
The interior of the Kia Sorento, however, is packed with features. An overhead console provides space for sunglasses, reading light fixtures, and a pocket to open the garage door. A display provides information on outside temperature, compass, altitude, and, for weather enthusiasts, barometric pressure. (We can’t think of any other car in history that has featured a barometer. )The center console has dual bins and there are useful compartments, adding a soft-touch pull-out garage bin and a collapsible portion bin. , either covered with felt. A storage bin under the seat in front of you is standard, and the giant lockable glove box has a map shelf as well as the same space above. There are two power outlets at the front, one for the second row and one for the second row. some others in the shipping area.
The gear lever is easy to use and has a rectilinear front-to-back trend. Four-wheel traction control is a rotary knob located on the dashboard to the left of the idler; The LX’s part-time 4×4 includes a low-end range. The ignition key is on the dashboard, which is less difficult than fumbling for a keyhole fixed to the idler column.
The sending domain can be accessed from the tailgate or rear window. There is another garage domain under the boot floor. A shipping hood comes standard. The full-size spare wheel is fixed under the vehicle and, if the model is supplied with alloy wheels, the spare wheel is also fixed to an alloy wheel. The rear seat folds and folds 60/40 to form a flat terrain with a 66. 4 cubic foot capacity with the rear seat folded down. With the seat up, there are 31. 4 cubic feet of shipping domain.
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The Kia Sorento is off-road, but you don’t have to be a budding Daniel Boone to appreciate its driving skills. The engine is sleek and powerful, slightly noticeable at idle but generates a velvety roar when accelerating at full throttle. You can hear the wind around the A-pillars, but it’s not oppressive and in fact quieter than the old Jeep Cherokee, the lowest point of the noise.
The Sorento needs all of its 192 horsepower and 217 pound-feet of torque to move its 4,255 pounds. The Jeep Grand Cherokee, by comparison, weighs 3,989 pounds with the base inline-six engine producing 195 horsepower and 230 pound-feet of torque. or 4,081 pounds with the V8 making 265 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. However, unless you’re driving on SUV roads or have to pull a heavy trailer, you’ll never notice it. The Sorento has the oats to blend in with the road. traffic and drive quietly once there, and weighing 3500 pounds. Towing capacity, the Sorento will be able to tow camping trailers, dirt bike trailers, or private boats with ease. The Sorento loses out to the six-cylinder Grand Cherokee in terms of highway mileage, 18 mpg compared to 20 mpg highway, however, either 4×4 model is rated at 15 mpg in the city. In genuine driving, the difference deserves to be slight.
The Sorento’s wide track provides a solid impression when cornering. Ride quality is acceptable, quite good in the city and at low speeds, although it can move forward at higher speeds. On the road, longer movements, such as an undulating transition of an overpass, causes strange movements. It never threatens the stability of the vehicle, but on an undulating road it would be inconvenient. The long movements of the suspension are too comfortable and the rebound could perhaps be adjusted for a more targeted feel.
The Sorento is popular with four-wheel disc brakes, and the large-diameter ventilated discs will be difficult to attenuate, even with heavy loads on long mountain passes. ABS is a standalone option, but it’s not included, even on the EX with the Deluxe Package.
While most SUV riders never take their motorcycle off-road, if an SUV comes with four-wheel drive (or even if it isn’t), it needs to have the durability to go further. The Kia Sorento does just that. It has a robust body-on-frame structure and its ruggedness is evident when seriously venturing off-road, which is what we did to test the Sorento in extreme conditions. And though it crawled along winding paths, the Sorento didn’t creak. , whimpering or rattling, suggesting that the frame is indeed sturdy.
The Sorento’s perfect technique and departure angles are to the credit of the short front and rear overhangs that make it imaginable to climb steep inclines without dragging a front or rear bumper toward the dirt. Its nimble turning radius also makes navigating the forest less challenging. This 36. 4-turn radius of the foot will also help you park.
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The 2003 Kia Sorento can be purchased on its own. It’s a piece of wrought art that will look wonderful in the driveway, on the road, in the woods, or in the desert. It will work well in all of those areas. Kia’s new SUV is a genuine pickup truck, built on a chassis and powered by a V6 engine. It’s packed with internal features.
The Sorento comes with Kia’s base 5-year/60,000-mile limited warranty, 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and 5-year/100,000-mile puncture warranty, with a 5-year/5-year unlimited warranty. Mileage Roadside Assistance Plan. Added for smart measurement. When value is factored in, the Sorento becomes even more appealing. They may almost need an extra six thousand dollars in their pocket.
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LX 2WD; LX4WD; EX 2WD; EX 4×4.
Hwasung, South Korea.
ABDOMINAL; seats.