Kia Upgrades the Sorento

If you don’t spend much time thinking about the Kia Sorento or what the new generation will be like, you’re forgiven. Still, you may want to know a little about the 2019 Sorento, which Kia just unveiled in Los Angeles. While it’s sad to watch Kia try to position this as an off-road-friendly adventure vehicle, it definitely will get kids to soccer practice and haul groceries without breaking the bank.

You might note the exterior and interior look more modern. Kia says it’s more “refined” and “sophisticated.” I get it – everything is positioned like a quasi-luxury vehicle these days. More importantly, now all trims come with three rows of seats, so you can haul seven people at once. That’s nice, especially if the price doesn’t rise much compared to the 2018 model.

Kia didn’t put a new engine in the Sorento. It did drop the turbo 2.0-liter. Apparently, a new diesel engine is in development, but Kia gave no details on it. You also get two new transmission options. One is a revision of the 6-speed from before, and the other is a new 8-speed automatic. While transmissions aren’t as sexy, they can make a huge impact on performance.

The other big changes are a Harman Kardon sound system, a wireless charging pad, and more driver assistance tech.