I remember being in High School and daydreaming about my first car. I always wanted an SUV or something bigger. Maybe it’s a bit of a complex since I am about 5’2, but nonetheless SUVs were THE car I always wanted. My first car was a little clunker and since then, I have always had small, economy vehicles. I still always wondered if I missed the boat with SUVs, especially now that I have a family of my own. All that wondering was about to be vanquished because Kia decided to send me a Sorento to drive my family around for a week.
It was beautiful. Seriously, this amazing car was so done up- it was hard to believe the price tag started at $23,000. Most cars that look like this and have all the features the Sorento has are over $30,000 or more. The first thing I noticed was the space. I mean duh. It’s a crossover so it is HUGGGGE. Much bigger than any of my little cars I am so used to driving. We are a family of three but believe me when I say we can really pack in a car.
Being a blogger in LA, I drive a lot. Whether it’s to the grocery store, to my daughter’s preschool or to events in Hollywood and Beverly Hills (lemme tell ya, I felt awesome driving up to the Beverly Hills Hotel and giving this to the valet wad pretty freaking cool). People are crappy drivers in LA (sorry my fellow Angelenos- but come on- you have a turn signal for a reason!), so in my little car I often feel like people cut me off or near run me off the road just because I have a small car and they think they can. In this car, maybe it was just me- but man, I felt powerful. No one was cutting me off and I felt like I was the queen of the road. It did a lot to get used to. It took more time to rev up to a speed I wanted and I had to adjust to breaking sooner because of the weight of the vehicle. I gotta admit, driving on the freeway I was so scared. My depth perception was off. I totally thought it was bigger in my head than it actually was. The man thought it was hilarious- here I was in the car I have longed for, and I was driving like a grandma because I was so scared of it. A few days into it, I finally got a handle of it and it was amazing.
As you can see my daughter got really comfortable using this car. Actually we all did. It was roomy and reliable. Plus it had Sirius/XM as well as a way to link up my bluetooth, and I was able to stream Spotify through it. So it made those traffic bound Los Angeles drives such a breeze. The drive was smooth and parts of the road where I usually felt bumps and blips, I felt little to nothing. I don’t know if that’s cause of the tires or the suspension (so car-clueless here) but whatever it was- thank you. We have a lot of crappy roads (to go along with our crappy drivers), so this made the drive extra comfortable for everyone in the car.
I know I have said it a lot already, but OMG the space! OK, so what I posted up top was when we had the car in a 2 row seating for 5. There is a pull up 3rd row, easily making it a car for 7. When not in use, it can be extra trunk space, as modeled by my family below.
As you can see, I stuffed them in the trunk. My husband is 6’3 and our daughter is pretty tall herself, plus I had them in there with boxes. You know what? They still had room for more. Actually we had a hard time getting my daughter out cause she was having way too much fun back there.
So, here is the con. The gas? EXPENSIVE. I spent $60+ to fill this car back up after 6 days of use. I typically fill up my car with $42 every 9-10 days. And yes, this is driving everywhere daily which is kinda a must out here.
Is a bigger car better? I think that depends on the family. If you had 2+ kids, this is the vehicle for you. I absolutely loved driving it. It was comfortable, smooth and easy to navigate. If you are in the market for a family vehicle, I’d definitely suggest taking a look at the Kia Sorento.
Disclosure: I was loaned a vehicle for my honest review by Kia Motors and drivesti. All opinions are my own.
Nice review, LOL’s about the LA drivers – go ahead and just make that So Cal drivers!
That looks beautiful! I love the photo of your husband in the back. They should use it in their advertising!
I used to be really intimidated by big vehicles but now that i am stuck with a van, I have gotten used to it. Can’t wait for the day we can ditch the van and get into a more stylish ride!
Looks like a very well-made car.
I always had small cars, until my daughter was born. Now I have an SUV. I love the extra space and I definitely feel safer driving around in a car that sits higher and is bigger. But, even so, I feel like our Subaru is a tad small. My husband and I are both tall with loooong legs, so whoever sits behind the car seat, is scrunched up a bit. I don’t know how we’ll survive once we have two car seats in the back!
I keep buying smaller cars because they’re efficient. At this rate my next car will be a Smart car.
The Sorrento looks like an awesome car. Kias have come a long way. I really miss my old SUV
Awesome,that looks like a great vehicle and roomy too! I so want one badly,,my car is a piece of cr*p.lol
ksceviour at hotmail dot com
That looks like a great car,I would love to own one:)
I have never really thought of owning a Kia. I don’t know why. Maybe the ones I have seen have been those tiny ones. But this one is a pretty decent size! And lots of boot space which is always good for trips. Cool review! Thanks for it. Makes me think twice about Kia cars
Actually that is so funny because I just purchased a new vehicle recently and it was a toss-up between the Kia Serento or the Hyundai Tucson. I did end up choosing the Tucson because they offered me a few features at less cost. The Kia is very nice though. I know that many people have issues with SUV’s these days and the environment but I live in Northern Ontario and the snow makes it such that for the majority of the winter, you stay home if your vehicle is not 4 wheel drive. Since my job as a community nurse means I drive from home to home and really need the 4 wheel drive. I actually had my heart set on the Kia at first but now that I look more at them both, they are almost identical looking on the exterior.
Ooooh, so loving those seats. Mine are cloth and they get icky so easily.
my 1st car was 1978 honda civic, great on gas and loved it!
Love the trunk space on this SUV! Also it looks like there’s good leg space in the second row!
I love this SUV! I’ve heard great things about it. Love the leather seats and the display screen. I also love that you shared that its expensive on gas. Honest and good to know!
I would love to get this suv, but right now I’m stuck in an old Tautus, well maybe someday
I can understand being worried about the size of the car when you are so used to driving smaller ones. I’ve always driven compact cars but was forced to drive a Jeep Cherokee for a family event and boy was it nerve-wracking! I just knew I was going to crunch something trying to park or pull out into traffic. Thankfully the Jeep, myself and various family members all survived intact! Since I don’t need the extra room, I’ll continue to drive a compact but it is good to hear that your Kia experience was a good one.
This looks amazing! I would love to be able to get one. Our car is so cramped with two toddlers and a teenager to drive around lol
The trunk room is great!
that’s funny – I always wanted a little car like a mini or VW – everyone wants something different!
That looks sharp! We will be looking into getting another vehicle soon, I will be looking at the Kia, I love all the room.
No bigger is not always better, as can be seen with this car!
I feel safer in my SUV. I feel so low and close to the road in smaller vehicles.
Sounds like an amazing car! I love my Mazda 5. It’s smallish, but it’s got the van qualities that I love.
Michelle
personally i do not like big car because i am so small and feel overwhelm when i am driving a big car. However, i have to start thinking about buying a big car because the children are growing up and i feel a big car will protect us better
MY EX-ROOM MATE DRIVES ONE NOW SHE LOVES IT……………..
This is a nice looking car. Plenty of room and quite stylish!