2024 Kia Sorento: Simple, Practical, Just Right

8th August 2024 Sam Gomez

When you are looking for an all-around SUV that truly is all-around and has decent interior room, the 2024 Kia Sorento just may be the ticket.

Considered a midsized SUV by many, this year’s Sorento does a little bit of everything. Prices start at $32K US, and with that you get some pretty standard stuff, like Front-Wheel Drive, LED headlights, 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen (which ain’t bad).

What’s more impressive are the standard safety features, which include lane-keep assist, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alerts, intersection collision mitigation, and my favorite: forward and rear automatic braking for those times when, ya know, those chili cheese fries you are eating really are a bit of distraction.

The base engine is a 2.5-liter inline-4 that offers191 horses. Go up the food chain and you can get a turbo and 281 horses.

Driving around town, the Sorento handles like a small car when you need it to do so – but it can easily kick into high gear and become a powerhouse as needed. There is some discussion as to whether or not this is a smallish SUV or a true midsized, and depending on your own personal Fun-Size, it really is one big SUV.

The interior is decent. Getting your friends in and out should not be an issue, and there is just enough of a touch of class inside to make you feeling good about how you sit.

There is a third row to the Sorento but I would use that only occasionally. It gets a little cramped back there, even for your bulk purchases. If you keep the third row of seats down, you will have about 38.5 cubic feet of cargo space for stuff, and about 75.5 cubic feet if you fold down the second row of seats. That should be enough to get your grandmother’s small antique cabinet or chandelier back there.

And if you do need something larger and mightier, you may want to consider the Kia Telluride, which is a Hugh Jass SUV that really does own the road. The size of the Telluride will get you noticed, and, well, good luck with that big, beautiful monster.

As we head into the end of summer, headwinds have emerged from everywhere, both literally and politically. As Bears, it’s important we stay cool throughout it all. That’s what we do best. Now more than ever, that is crucial.