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You are here: Home / Live Life / Entertainment / Kia Sorento Midsize SUV 2012 Review

Entertainment

Kia Sorento Midsize SUV 2012 Review

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We were loaned a 2012 Kia Sorento for a week to review and it was a treat! The Kia Sorento is a spacious, midsize crossover SUV that is perfect for families or anyone who enjoys extra space without all the extra cost!

2012 Kia Sorento Review

kia sorento

Over the years I somehow developed an inaccurate opinion about Kias. I am not even sure when or why this happened, but I had it in my head that a Kia was kind of a “cheap” vehicle. I could not have been more wrong! My ignorance was apparent the second I entered the Sorento.

I wasn’t the only one who was immediately impressed… my husband was also pleasantly surprised. He is a lot more “in the know” about vehicles and had heard that Kia had come a long way over the years, but he didn’t expect to fall in love with one.

kia sorento

First of all (being a girl and all) I adore the dark cherry color of the exterior. What a unique and eye-catching paint job! Many people commented on this along my travels. I was stopped in parking lots just to ask “what color is your car?”.

The overall appearance of the Kia is just my taste. I like the more rounded look as opposed to boxy cars, so I thought this was super sharp.

I drove it to work, too. I work with my family so they all checked it out. The first thing my Grampa said was, “Now THAT is a luxury vehicle!”. This is a man who has driven nothing but Lexus and Jaguar most of his life, so his statement says a lot!

kia sorento

The black leather interior was gorgeous. Inside the looks were completely modern and full of bells and whistles. The navigation display that includes Sirius satellite radio, and a rear back-up camera is now something that I never want to be without. This feature provides the ultimate in convenience and safety.

The push-button start took some getting used to. I forgot to turn it off once (for a short time) and also had to make sure I grabbed the keypad before leaving the vehicle. With more time I am sure I would adjust.

I must mention that the air conditioning is serious in this car! It’s been in the nineties and I know in our other cars it can take a while for the them to cool down – especially with black leather. In the Kia it literally only took seconds. Oh, and wait for this one… the driver seat has heated and air conditioned seats!

No more sticky skin to the leather. Plus, in the winter I cannot live without the heated seat. The Sorento has the option for heated seats in both front seats and it has a heated steering wheel! Love that!

kia sorento

Here we are on a trip to Costco. There’s so much room to load up groceries and goods into the back seat…

kia sorento

…or into the cargo space area. This also pulls down into third-row seating. Although it’s a smaller row, it’s still a fabulous option for bigger families!

kia sorento

This vehicle is packed full of safety features which made me feel good while I was transporting my niece and nephew around. You have your typical dual front advanced airbags, but there are also front seat mounted side airbags and side curtain airbags in the 1st and 2nd rows!

We were saying that if they all went off we would be wrapped in a big airbag bubble. Not a joking matter, but good to know that we were all very protected.

kia sorento

Not only is there a sunroof, but also a panoramic sunroof. The kids loved this since you can see through the majority of the roof. They were doing lots of oohing and aahing over this vehicle!

kia sorento relaxing

Look at how relaxed they are! 😉

My husband has now began shopping for vehicles. His work car is 15 years old and going to need to be replaced soon. Because of this review, he has now added Kia to his search. He would have absolutely wanted THIS Sorento except for the fact that the seat did not lower enough for him.

He is a bigger guy (about 6’1″) and felt like he was towering over the dashboard. Even when the seat was at the lowest he still felt like a giant in a small car. Personally, I couldn’t have been more comfortable! Since I am short (5’2″) this worked out in my favor.

The one and only complaint that I had was the lever to lower the steering wheel seemed awkward. On the vehicles that we own there are very fluid levers to easily adjust the steering wheel. On the Kia it was difficult and choppy. This is something I use often so it annoyed me.

I currently drive a 2007 Chevy Avalanche. I purchased this beast back when times were good and gas was cheaper. I was making a lot more money and was not concerned that I was cruising around in a gas-guzzler. Boy do I regret that purchase now!

It’s a beautiful machine, don’t get me wrong, but not the most practical. Driving this Kia for a week and not having to fill up the tank once was a dream! It gets 20 City MPG and 26 Highway MPG which is a lot better.

Overall, we were sad to see this Kia Sorento go! Don’t be shocked if you see me driving one of my own in the near future! 😉


About Jennifer

Jennifer is the founder of A Magical Mess. She is married to a wonderful man, and together they live with their three rescue dogs. Jen is an entrepreneur at heart. Hobbies and interests include working, reading, playing word games, and learning new things.

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Comments

  1. Angela says

    June 21, 2012 at 5:26 pm

    I’m loving all that trunk space! Looks like a great family car!

  2. Dawn @ Just Married with Coupons says

    June 21, 2012 at 5:37 pm

    Wow! I LOVE it! We are planning on purchasing a new vehicle in a few months! I am definitely going to check this out!

  3. Cindy H says

    June 21, 2012 at 6:19 pm

    WOW! I never even thought twice about a Kia, not sure why either…but this totally changed my mind! What a gorgeous car!!! I love the color, the features and the overall look of the car. I WANT ONE!!! Thanks for sharing this great review and opening my eyes to KIA!

  4. j sauerwein says

    June 21, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    impressive!!! i will definitely keep it in mind when i go car shopping!

  5. Melissa Say What? says

    June 21, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    I’ve been driving a Kia Spectra EX since 2006, purchased brand new. While it is a base model with very few frills, I have loved my Kia ever since! Great gas mileage, excellent warranty, great price and safety features! They just keep getting better. And for those of you who are anti-foreign vehicle….there is a HUGE Kia plant in Georgia. My US customers supply fasteners and other products daily that go into the assembly of Kia vehicles. You ARE supportin the U.S. economy. I currently have less than 45,000 miles on my 6+ year old car. If I ever need another vehicle, it will be a Kia!

  6. Kristin says

    June 21, 2012 at 8:29 pm

    I LOVE Kia. Love love LOVE. I have had an Optima, currently drive a Sportage, and recently did a review of a Kia Soul.

    Did I mention I love Kia? 🙂

  7. Sarah @ East9thStreet says

    June 22, 2012 at 12:09 am

    I love the color of the car too! I actually had a Kia Soul as a rental car a few weeks ago that I did not love so much but I’d be willing to try this one out.

  8. Lynnette Watkins says

    June 22, 2012 at 5:05 am

    I have been a proud owner of a Kia Sportage EX and I love it. The car is a little light for Lake Shore Drive (Chicago). This is before Kia’s were being made in the USA. I never had any serious problems just normal wear and tear. I bought it without any knowledge on how well it does on gas. My next Kia will be the Sorento because there are more kids now.

  9. April G says

    June 22, 2012 at 8:16 am

    Wow! This looks amazing! I always had the thought that Kia was a cheaper car too, but this proves me wrong! This car looks not only amazing, but luxurious and roomy!! We will be shopping for a car this summer because we are running out of space with the two babies so this has just been added to my list of cars to test drive! Thanks for the review!

  10. Carla VanWitzenburg says

    June 22, 2012 at 10:17 am

    Beautiful Car, Jen! I love the color, too. It certainly looks more roomy from the inside. And yes, very luxury-like!
    Great review! Noting all the safety features, I wish I could buy one for my son who is a new driver.

  11. Jeannette says

    June 22, 2012 at 10:21 am

    I really like this car. I live in the mountains so a SUV is a must and this would just be perfect. I love that the gas mileage is great and it’s really pretty too! Thanks for sharing this – when it’s car shopping time, I know where I’ll be looking!

  12. Staci @ 7 on a Shoestring says

    June 22, 2012 at 10:35 am

    The Sorento is my favorite model from Kia {probably because we are a family of 7}! Their cars are so affordable. And the air conditioned seats sound heavenly… I hate sticking to leather seats. 🙂

  13. Jen corona says

    June 24, 2012 at 9:42 am

    Great looking car. It is something I would have never considered in the past but because of your review it is something I would definitely consider in the future!!

  14. Kayla @ TheEclecticElement says

    June 26, 2012 at 8:10 pm

    So THAT’S the car you guys got to review…WOW! I must admit, the first thing that caught my attention was that color. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it! I’m not much a car person, but Jake is. I wonder what his opinion on Kias are? LOL

    • Jennifer says

      June 26, 2012 at 8:20 pm

      Yes!!! I should have had you guys come look at it. It was super sweet and we miss it!

About Me

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