SUVs are the very best sort of car to push if you have a huge loved ones or engage in chauffeur to tons of men and women, but it can be challenging to decide on which is the ideal for your funds. Two of the most recent SUVs are the Kia Sorento and the Toyota, each three-row SUVs with aggressive charges. How do these two compare when pitted from each and every other, and which is right for you? Let’s uncover out.
Review Summary
- The Kia Sorento is a great budget SUV, although it can’t directly compete with the Highlander.
- If you’re not that interested in performance or cargo space, consider checking out some of the Sorento’s premium trim packages. Even with numerous add-ons, you’ll likely pay less than a factory standard Highlander.
- The Highlander has more spacious third-row seats than the Sorento, but the Sorento has more spacious front and second-row seats.
- The Highlander has a much more powerful engine than the Sorento, for the performance-minded folks.
- The Sorento has slightly better fuel economy and offers several hybrid options that include a plug-in model. If you’re interested in a hybrid SUV, the Sorento is the better pick.
At a Glance
Let us take a peek at the uncooked specifications of every single SUV so you can get a far better thought of their capabilities.
- Horsepower: 191 HP
- Engine: 2.5L 4-cylinder
- Starting MSRP: $29,590
- Fuel economy: 24 mpg city/29 mpg highway
- Cargo space: 75.5cu-ft
- Number of seats: 6-7
- Horsepower: 295 HP
- Engine: 3.5L 6-cylinder
- Starting MSRP: $35,405
- Fuel economy: 21 mpg city/29 mpg highway
- Cargo space: 84.3 cu-ft
- Number of seats: 7-8
The Kia Sorento was newly transformed for 2022 with quality interior attributes and options, including fake wood inlays, quilted leather seat stitching, and metal textures. Overall, the inside feels exactly how Kia’s designers explained it: refined boldness. With a twelve.3-inch electronic instrument cluster and a regular 8-inch touchscreen, the Sorento isn’t devoid of present day features.
As considerably as protection, the Sorento will come with a blind-location check and 360-diploma encompass view that aids preserve you safe. High quality trim deals offer you many upgrades to the interior, the most notable of which is a wi-fi charging heart console, ambient LED lighting, and JBL encompass audio speakers.
The Sorento is simply a fantastic price range SUV, which clarifies why it’s so well-known in Canada. It has excellent gasoline mileage for an SUV, which only gets better if you go with the plug-in hybrid. It doesn’t supply everything particular as far as electrical power, but that is not these kinds of a large deal.
- Plug-in hybrid options are available
- $10,000 cheaper than the Highlander at MSRP
- Excellent premium trim options
- Slightly better fuel economy than the Highlander
- Slightly smaller exterior length helps cornering and parking
- Taller front and second-row seats than the Highlander
- Weaker engine than the Highlander
- Fewer seats
- Less cargo space
- Can only tow up to 3,500 pounds
- Smaller third-row seats
The Toyota Highlander is a powerhouse disguised as an SUV. With a 3.5L six-cylinder powertrain, you’d be challenging-pressed to locate a greater-carrying out SUV. Alongside with that power will come a impressive five,000lb towing capability, which is crucial if you regularly fish or haul other large equipment. Speaking of hauling, the Highlander has a palatial eighty five cubic feet of cargo area, which paired with the towing capacity, helps make it a excellent fishing car.
The Highlander also advantages greatly from Toyota’s legendary track record for dependability, which assists the vehicle retain its resale price for many years. That is wonderful if you plan to trade in or promote it later, but it makes getting a employed Highlander challenging.
- More cargo space than the Sorento
- 1 more seat than the Sorento
- More powerful engine
- Able to tow up to 5,000 pounds
- Taller third-row seats than the Sorento
- Starting MSRP is almost $10,000 more expensive than the Sorento
- Worse fuel economy than the Sorento
- Slightly longer exterior makes cornering and parking incrementally more difficult
- No plug-in hybrid option
- Smaller front and second-row seats than the Sorento
- More expensive when buying used
What Are The Differences Between Them?
General, the Highlander is a far better SUV, but it is important to notice that the Sorento is significantly less costly. Let us check out out how they assess in numerous key locations.
Performance
Edge: Toyota Highlander
With its 3.5L six-cylinder motor, the Toyota Highlander enjoys an extraordinary 295 horsepower. This tends to make the SUV extremely punchy and responsive
Price
Edge: Kia Sorento
Commencing at a full $ten,000 less costly than the Highlander, the Sorento is the best SUV budget decide. If you want anything a bit fancier, you can usually decide for quality trim and second-row captain-type seats. You are going to even now appear out a whole lot less expensive than the foundation Highlander, which is at minimum worth contemplating.
Cargo Space:
Edge: Toyota Highlander
With practically 10 far more cubic ft of cargo place than the Sorento, the Highlander is a whole lot more suited to hauling plenty of items. No make a difference specifically what you are transporting, you’ll be grateful for the additional place in the back and throughout the cab.
Seating:
Edge: Toyota Highlander
If you are acquiring an SUV, then chances are having a lot of seats is essential to you. If you have a very big family or often haul cargo with your automobile, it is well worth mentioning that the Highlander has 1 far more seat than the Sorento.
- Users note that the newly remodeled Kia Sorento is very nice but won’t be as reliable as the Highlander, and nor will it hold its value as well.
- People note that the Highlander is a better pick if you intend to use it for a long time, but that the Sorento has more amenities and would be better if you intend to trade it in after a couple of years.
- Drivers say that the Highlander is the objectively better SUV, but that the Sorento is an excellent choice if you’re trying to save money.
- Users note that if you’re looking for a Sorento, you should wait and shop around for deals. Kia dealers are known for frequent promotions and special financing deals.
- One user mentioned that the Highlander feels great to drive and is very useful for cargo, but that the Kia has better value for a much lower price.
Each the Kia Sorento and Toyota Highlander are wonderful SUVs, but they’re divided by a $ten,000 cost gap. If you can find the money for the additional income, go with the Highlander. If you are searching for anything less costly, the odds are excellent you can locate a Sorento substantially marked down. Either way, you can’t go incorrect.
Showcased Graphic Credit history: (Remaining) Daniliuc Victor, Shutterstock (Appropriate) BONDART Pictures, Shutterstock
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