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2021 Kia Sorento Review | What's new, price, hybrid fuel economy, pictures

The Kia Sorento has always gone its own way. We'll spare you a history lesson, but in short, Kia's midsize crossover has never fit neatly into a same-sized competitive set. That continues for the all-new, fourth-generation 2021 Kia Sorento. It's still a midsize crossover, it still has three rows of seats, but it's still not as big as other three-row family crossovers, including Kia's own Telluride. Not everyone needs that much space. At the same time, though, perhaps you might need more than the Honda CR-Vs and Toyota RAV4s of the world provide — plus a few extra seats. For many, the Sorento should make a lot of sense. The biggest change for 2021, then, is the amount of variety the Sorento now offers. The new X-Line trim model is basically Kia's answer to the Subaru Outback or perhaps a Toyota RAV4 Adventure. It gets an extra inch of ground clearance for a lofty 8.3 inches total, standard all-wheel drive with a locking center differential, more functional roof racks and different styling. It's no rock crawler, but for weekend adventures, it should do the job nicely. All other trims get revised styling as well, with the SX in particular slathered in glossy black trim and wheels. It's the interior that sees the bigger visual overhaul, plus an injection of the latest technology, plus a slight improvement to the Sorento's already above-average interior quality. There are huge changes under the hood. The base four-cylinder is bigger and a bit more powerful, while the old V6 engine upgrade gives way to a 2.5-liter turbo inline-four good for 281 horsepower and a robust 311 pound-feet of torque that smokes all those bigger three-row crossovers — including the Telluride. From there, things get green. The Sorento joins the Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer as the only three-row hybrids, and betters them both with an estimated 37 miles per gallon combined. Then there's the new Sorento Plug-In Hybrid, which is the only three-row plug-in hybrid SUV from a non-luxury brand. It can go an estimated 32 miles on a charge, which should be more than enough to run the dayÂ’s chores without the turbocharged gas engine firing up. All of this makes for a compelling, diverse lineup. Whether you're considering one of the larger compact SUVs, a two-row midsize SUV or a bigger three-row family crossover, the new Sorento is a smart alternative to consider and one of our top recommended midsize SUVs.  What's new for 2021? The Sorento is all-new for 2021.

Kia previews off-road Sorento for SEMA

Kia hasn't told us much about what it has in store for us at SEMA this year. But it is giving us a glimpse of what's to come in this latest teaser video. The short clip provides a sneak peek at the PacWet Adventure Sorento, an evidently rough-and-tumble take on the Korean automaker's midsize sport utility vehicle. Just what's going into it remains to be seen, but we can already see part of the package. There's a new tubular and sheetmetal front bumper, a snorkel intake, roof rack, winch, auxiliary lighting, knobby tires, and a Kermit-green paint job. We'd expect some sort of jacked-up suspension, too, considering this custom is for the aftermarket-obsessed crowd at SEMA. Given the brief statements Kia has issued to date, it would appear that the Sortento is just one of a variety of vehicles the company is preparing for the Vegas tuner expo. Each is poised to represent a different American region, and we're looking forward to seeing how the others take shape, as well. Related Video: 10/23/15 2015 SEMA PACWEST ADVENTURE SORENTO TEASER As Kia heads to SEMA 2015 to celebrate the American Road, here's a taste of the PacWest Adventure Sorento, a tough, off-road utility vehicle equipped with custom suspension, snorkel intake system and a paint scheme inspired by the lush forests of the region. ### 10/20/15 Kia Teases SEMA 2015 Kia is headed to this year's SEMA show to celebrate America's love for the open road and the diverse car cultures spanning the many regions of this country. Enjoy this high-speed coast-to-coast tour to whet your appetite for what we will unveil November 3rd in Las Vegas. More to come. #KiaWanderlust

Genesis, Kia, Lexus EVs earn spots on the IIHS Top Safety Picks+ list

A trio of 2023 electric vehicles — the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Lexus RZ, and Genesis Electrified GV70 — have just earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The prestigious award from the IIHS requires that the cars and SUVs achieve top scores in a number of crash tests and that they have an “Advanced” or “Superior” front crash avoidance system that activates to help inattentive drivers prevent vehicle or pedestrian crashes. Previous selections for the award among EVs have included the Rivian R1T/R1S, Kia EV6, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Tesla Models 3/Y. To earn the “+” designation, the agency stipulates that headlights rated “Acceptable or Good” must be standard across all trims, and that a front crash prevention system that earns Advanced or Superior ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations be available. The GV70 earned “Advanced” ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention evaluations. The Ioniq 6 and the Lexus RZ earned “Superior” ratings in these two tests. “To be environmentally friendly, our vehicles and our cities also need to be pedestrian-friendly,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “All three of these vehicles have standard front crash prevention systems designed to protect pedestrians both during the day and at night, when most fatal pedestrian crashes happen.” Overall in its latest list, the IIHS named 51 cars in the “Top Safety Pick+” grouping, and 25 in the secondary Top Safety Pick tier. ThatÂ’s down from 101 total award-winning models last year, likely because the organization has implemented its tough new side-impact test and is also testing for night-time pedestrian detection for collision warning and prevention systems. The IIHS is one of two major automotive safety rating organizations, along with the federal government's National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. IIHS is a private organization funded by insurance companies. By the Numbers Genesis Kia Lexus Green Automakers Insurance Safety Electric