Home » Car Reviews » Kia » Sorento » 2003 Kia Sorento Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
2003 Kia Sorento Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
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As replacement for Kia's midget-size Sportage wagon, new Sorento expands to mid-size proportions in a five-door wagon format with sturdy body-on-frame construction and a five-seat cabin crammed with standard equipment.
It offers either rear-wheel-drive (RWD) traction or the 4WD option and draws strength from a V6 engine linked to a four-speed automatic shifter.
Sorento also stocks extensive safety systems that reach to curtain-style air bags stretching above the four side doors.
It feels good to drive and rides smoothly on city streets, as we observe while gliding along Utica Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
However, with the optional 4WD equipment aboard Sorento also becomes a formidable off-road warrior, as the rigid ladder-type chassis and abbreviated body overhangs fore and aft enable it to scamper over the rough stuff.
Of course, the current crop of sport-utility wagons includes many other mid-size models that also look sharp, load the cabin with refined features and offer traction mechanisms for running on unpaved trails.
The distinction separating Sorento from this collection is that Kia's new wagon carries price points pitched for $5,000 or so below any comparably equipped competitor.
Figures begin at only $19,900. That's the MSRP for a Sorento LX edition in RWD mode. Tack on the unavoidable delivery fee of $595 and that entry-level Sorento bumps to $20,395.
For that price you end up with a roomy mid-size SUV rigged with V6 powertrain and standard equipment extending to air conditioning, cruise control, a tilting steering wheel, power for windows and door locks, heat element in both exterior mirrors, the curtain-style side air bags for four outboard seats, and an audio package with eight speakers and a CD deck in the dash.
Sorento's deluxe EX trim -- priced at $22,700 -- provides more goods, from decorative external features like bright alloy wheels, contrasted-color bumpers and cladding and fender flares plus foglamps, roof rack and sunroof to interior fittings such as a leather-wrapped steering wheel, eight-way power controls for the driver's bucket, fine velour cloth covering all seats, a keyless entry device, electrochromic rearview mirror and woodgrain trim for the console.
