Until now, Kia has specialized in basic, entry-level transportation. For shoppers looking at Spectra sedans and Sedona minivans, pragmatic factors such as value and functionality rule over emotional variables such as image and perceived performance. But the new Sorento is targeting the mid-size sport-utility market, where all too often rational thought is overruled by impulse and emotion.
For their entry, the Koreans wisely benchmarked the progenitor of the category, the Jeep Grand Cherokee. For years, the Grand Cherokee defined the mid-size SUV. Today, the Jeep has been eclipsed by newer, more sophisticated offerings, yet it's still popular enough to sell more than 200,000 per year.
The Sorento is remarkably similar to the Grand Cherokee. The two vehicles have similar profiles and proportions, with no more than a two-inch difference in wheelbase, length, height, and width. Interior accommodations are also similar, with five seats and 138 cubic feet of interior space. The Kia's fit and finish are better than the Jeep's, however.
Like the Grand Cherokee, the Sorento is equipped for use on and off the pavement. The Sorento rides on a new, ladder-frame chassis that executives hint could spawn a Kia pickup variant.... Read full article