2011 Kia Sorento is Totally a New Vehicle
Kia’s accurate with its 2011 Kia Sorento, though: just about the only thing that’s carried over is the name. This time around, 2011 Kia Sorento uses unibody construction, as is found in lighter-duty SUVs and crossovers. It shares its basic platform and V6 engine with Hyundai‘s redesigned Santa Fe. While the last-generation Sorento came from Korea, the 2011 Kia Sorento is the first Kia built in North America, at a new plant in Georgia.
Having shed a couple of hundred kilograms, the new 2011 Sorento comes with a 2.4 L four-cylinder (which can be ordered with a manual gearbox) or, a 3.5 L V6 that’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It offered in four trim levels: base, LX, EX and the sporty SX. A third-row 50/50-split-folding seat with room for two is optional on the 2011 Kia Sorento LX and four-cylinder EX, and standard on the EX V6 and SX. In the reviews, the car ranks 12 out of 20 Affordable Midsize SUVs.
Visually, the 2011 new Kia Sorento is a completely different animal from the 2009 vehicle it replaces. The older Sorento was a mishmash of components. Not so with the Kia Sorento 2011. From the front, the 2011 Sorento has bold styling cues that are not borrowed from some decade-old design.
Sharply slanting headlights border a bold chrome Cheshire cat grill. Kia describes the overall style as “sleek and contemporary.” Sliding into the 2011 Kia Sorento interior, you don’t get that Toyota deja-vu experienced in the 2008 Kia Sorento LX. The 2011 Kia Sorento seats are comfortable and interior materials exude quality, not economy.
The 2011 Kia Sorento offers a choice of two engines, a 2.4-liter inline four cylinder and a 3.5-liter V6. The smaller engine makes 175 horsepower and it feels adequate around town. The V6 makes 274 hp, nearly 100 more than the four cylinders, so the difference in power is noticeable.
The V6 moves Sorento from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 7.5 seconds. Opt for the 2.4-liter engine and that same exercise will take about 2.5 seconds longer, something you’ll surely notice when entering a highway. Combined 2011 Kia Sorento mpg for the four cylinders is estimated at 24 miles per gallon, but that number drops to 22 miles per gallon for the V6 with front-wheel drive.
If you want the V6, you’ll have to pay for the more expensive Kia Sorento 2011 EX trim, as it is not offered in the base model or lower trim levels. Even base models come nicely equipped with features like air-conditioning, Bluetooth, USB port, satellite radio and a fully adjustable steering wheel. It provides nearly a full luxury experience with 19-inch wheels, dual zone climate control and push button start.
After few months, the Kia Sorento 2011, the rival of Jeep Liberty Sport, is the focus of a preliminary defect investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because of possible transmission failure. The Office of Defects Investigations has received four complaints concerning some Kia Sorrento problems.
The complaints is alleging a loss of motive power due to a sudden failure of a transmission intermediate driveshaft and an additional five complaints alleging a loss of motive power due to transmission failure which could be related to an intermediate driveshaft failure. An estimated 50,000 of 2011 Kia Sorento are involved in the preliminary evaluation, such an investigation is sometimes the precursor to a Kia Sorento 2011 recall.
