Kia has ensured that Sorento owners and passengers enjoy the give-them-more-for-less principle that Kia applies to all of its vehicle lines. Kia's guiding principle of providing high-quality, high-value vehicles at prices well below the competition has auto journalists sitting up and taking notice. The 2004 Sorento is an excellent example of how Kia has successfully implemented that principle.
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| Kia's guiding principle of providing high-quality, high-value vehicles at prices well below the competition continues to hold true for the Sorento. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
My very well equipped test vehicle was the base LX model, equipped with a 5-speed manual gearbox. This handsome SUV is large for its compact size rating, almost identical in size to the new
BMW X3 and Honda's 2004 CRV. In addition to being efficiently sized the Sorento is, in my view, one of the best looking compact SUVs in today's marketplace. Slightly stubby in appearance and sporting a "bob-tail" rear end design, the Sorento imparts a larger-than-life rugged image. Unlike the
Kia Amanti sedan, the Sorento borrows from no one. It can proudly boast that its design is all its own.
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| Nicely designed, but not over-the-top, the cabin has an airy feel to it. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
Climbing into the interior of the Sorento is effortless. Step-in height is easily managed regardless of gender or apparel. Once inside, the aforementioned solidity of the Sorento becomes apparent. Nicely designed, but not over-the-top, the cabin has an airy feel to it thanks in part to the large windows that encircle all occupants. The primary gauges are cleanly grouped beneath a single arch along the dash. To the right of the gauges is a prominent center stack, not unlike that used by Cadillac in its CTS as well as its related SRX sport utility.
