2012 Kia Sorento Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Kia Sorento overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Sorento, and includes Kia Sorento safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

The Kia Sorento is a midsize crossover SUV that seats five or seven passengers, depending on how the vehicle is equipped. It competes with a wide range of similar vehicles, but is unique in that it offers an outstanding warranty and roadside assistance program.

The Sorento was redesigned for the 2011 model year, so naturally Kia might be expected to lay low for 2012. But the company wants to keep riding the strong momentum that’s building around the Kia brand, and is making changes aimed at keeping the Sorento at the top of shopper’s lists. One major addition for 2012 is a new direct-injection, 191-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine whose specs allow the Sorento to boast class-leading power and fuel economy. Kia has also kicked the standard manual transmission to the curb for 2012; all Sorentos get a six-speed automatic this year. Other additions include voice-activated infotainment systems in the EX and SX trim levels, as well as a power front passenger’s seat and a ventilated driver’s seat that’s optional on the EX and standard on the SX.

Four trim levels are available for the 2012 Kia Sorento: Base, LX, EX and SX. Let’s start with the Base, which includes 17-inch alloy wheels, power windows, locks and side mirrors, air conditioning, cruise control, and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. Kia is proud of its anti-static, stain-resistant upholstery, but we’re more impressed with the Sorento’s standard Bluetooth connectivity and its stereo with satellite radio, a USB port and an auxiliary audio input jack.

Next up is the mid-level LX, which adds a six-speed automatic transmission, a second-row armrest with integrated cupholders and heated side mirrors with LED turn signal indicators. That’s not a whole lot, but getting the LX allows you far more latitude in terms of optional upgrades, such a V6 engine, a third-row seat, and a Convenience Package that includes heated front seats, a reversing camera with a display embedded into the auto-dimming rearview mirror, rear park assist sensors, fog lights, and roof rails.

Upgrade to the EX and get niceties like keyless entry and push-button ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power driver’s seat, and 18-inch alloy wheels. Fog lights, automatic headlights, a rear spoiler, and rear park assist sensors are also included. You can also speak commands to the standard UVO infotainment system, which includes a rearview camera display. Choosing the optional V6 engine for your Sorento EX means rear-seat passengers get their own air conditioning vents.

Upgrading the Sorento EX with the Premium Package adds leather upholstery, a navigation system, a reversing camera, a premium Infinity surround sound system with HD radio, heated front seats, a power front passenger’s seat, and power folding outside mirrors. With the optional V6 engine, the Premium Package also includes a panoramic sunroof. Get the Limited Package in addition to the Premium Package and your backside will enjoy the ventilated driver’s seat on hot, muggy days. The Limited Package also includes a special Mocha colored interior and shiny 18-inch chrome wheels. Additionally, you can get a rear-seat DVD entertainment system on the EX V6 model, but only on those vehicles without the panoramic sunroof.

The overlord of the family is the Sorento SX, the sportiest and most luxurious model. It’s distinguished by unique design enhancements inside and out and a sport-tuned suspension, all riding on 18-inch wheels. Additionally, the SX is equipped with everything in the EX Premium Package plus a ventilated driver’s seat, and the SX can also be outfitted with an optional panoramic sunroof or a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

A choice between three engines is available with the 2012 Kia Sorento. The first is a 175-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder, and if you get the Base trim, this is the only engine available. It comes matched to a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels. An all-wheel-drive system is optional. The EPA estimates that it’ll return 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive and 21/27 with all-wheel drive.

If you step up to the LX, you’ll have two different four-cylinder engines from which to choose. There’s the same 2.4-liter four-cylinder as the Base model, or a direct-injected version of the 2.4-liter, which bumps horsepower to 191 while increasing fuel economy to 22 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive (21/28 with AWD). This direct-injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder comes standard on the EX model.

But wait, there’s more. Standard on the Sorento SX and optional on the LX and EX is a strong 276-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6, which is rated to get 20 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive, and 18-mpg city/24-mpg highway with AWD.

Passengers riding in the 2012 Kia Sorento are protected by six standard airbags, along four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, traction control, stability control, and hill descent control, which automatically takes care of braking as you’re negotiating a steep downslope.

At the time this review is published, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has rated the 2012 Sorento, but last year’s results should provide a good idea of where the scores might land. They’ll most likely be impressive, as the Sorento earned a Top Safety Pick title from the IIHS thanks to top performance in frontal-offset, side-impact, rear-impact injury prevention, and roof strength tests. The NHTSA gave the Sorento an overall score of 4 Stars in 2011.

Also, Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates have not released reliability predictions for the 2012 Sorento as we compile information for this review, but in 2011 Consumer Reports gave it a better than average reliability prediction while J.D. Power and Associates thinks the Kia will provide slightly below average dependability over time.

Kia’s voice-activated UVO system is based on the same Microsoft-based technology as Ford’s Sync. We just wish that we didn’t blush when we say “UVO” in front of our mothers. Because, uh, doesn’t that mean it’s a girl? UVO includes Bluetooth smartphone pairing and music streaming technology, HD Radio, and a digital jukebox feature that stores 700MB of music files on a hard disc drive.

With 72.5 cubic feet of space available when the rear seats are folded, the fundamentally roomy 2012 Sorento provides plenty of space for belongings. Unfortunately, because a third-row seat is crammed into most models, taller people will not be very happy riding anywhere but the front chairs.

We first stepped into the 2012 Sorento SX thinking that that it would be somewhat weak and dispiriting, like several previous Kias that have met our acquaintance. That notion was dispelled as soon as we goosed the throttle thanks to a velvety surge of power from the 3.5-liter V6. The Sorento V6 isn’t just quick; other dynamic attributes are equally impressive. The Sorento’s steering (hydraulic, not electric) is direct and precise and the brakes provided trusty performance, even after they got heated up on a lively downhill run through the mountains.

What swayed us most, however, was the Sorento SX’s suspension tuning. Perhaps too firmly tuned for many commuters, the SX’s sport suspension was key to providing miles of smiles on our serpentine test route. It possesses an uncanny ability – for a crossover SUV, anyway – to transmit valuable information from the road without beating occupants up, and allowed us to toss the sizeable Sorento through corners while managing the SUV’s two-ton weight with a lot more aplomb than normally expected in a vehicle like this.

Our test vehicle was loaded with every possible option and topped out at around $35,000, an amount that would have dropped jaws when associated with the Korean carmaker a few years back. Now it seems like a decent price for an attractive, well-equipped, and quite capable vehicle.

Not only is this Kia easy on the eyes and surprisingly fun to drive, it’s also impressively well thought-out and (Dare we say this?) posh inside. The 2012 Sorento is a charmer on multiple fronts, only one of which is its competitiveness in terms of price. That’s saying a lot for an automaker once known only for making affordable vehicles of questionable quality. The Kia Sorento has definitely grown up, and is now a crossover SUV to which you can aspire.

By Liz Kim