SUVs are the ideal kind of vehicle to push if you have a massive family or enjoy chauffeur to plenty of individuals, but it can be tough to select which is the ideal for your money. Two of the latest SUVs are the Kia Sorento and the Toyota, equally 3-row SUVs with aggressive costs. How do these two evaluate when pitted in opposition to each other, and which is correct for you? Let us 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’s just take a peek at the uncooked technical specs of each and every SUV so you can get a better concept 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 recently reworked for 2022 with quality interior functions and alternatives, like fake wooden inlays, quilted leather seat stitching, and metallic textures. Total, the interior feels exactly how Kia’s designers explained it: refined boldness. With a twelve.3-inch electronic instrument cluster and a common eight-inch touchscreen, the Sorento is not devoid of contemporary amenities.
As considerably as basic safety, the Sorento arrives with a blind-location monitor and 360-degree encompass view that aids preserve you risk-free. Quality trim packages provide many upgrades to the interior, the most notable of which is a wi-fi charging middle console, ambient LED lights, and JBL encompass sound speakers.
The Sorento is just a great price range SUV, which explains why it is so well-known in Canada. It has wonderful gasoline mileage for an SUV, which only gets much better if you go with the plug-in hybrid. It doesn’t supply anything at all specific as considerably as electrical power, but that is not such a huge offer.
- 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 6-cylinder powertrain, you’d be difficult-pressed to discover a much better-carrying out SUV. Together with that electricity will come a remarkable 5,000lb towing ability, which is crucial if you often fish or haul other weighty tools. Speaking of hauling, the Highlander has a palatial eighty five cubic feet of cargo space, which paired with the towing capability, tends to make it a fantastic fishing vehicle.
The Highlander also rewards drastically from Toyota’s legendary status for trustworthiness, which will help the automobile keep its resale benefit for years. That is wonderful if you strategy to trade in or sell it later on, but it helps make acquiring a utilised Highlander difficult.
- 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?
Total, the Highlander is a far better SUV, but it is crucial to observe that the Sorento is significantly cheaper. Let’s check out how they evaluate in several key regions.
Performance
Edge: Toyota Highlander
With its three.5L 6-cylinder engine, the Toyota Highlander enjoys an extraordinary 295 horsepower. This makes the SUV really punchy and responsive
Price
Edge: Kia Sorento
Beginning at a total $10,000 more affordable than the Highlander, the Sorento is the excellent SUV budget select. If you want anything a little bit fancier, you can always choose for premium trim and second-row captain-design seats. You are going to still arrive out a lot less expensive than the base Highlander, which is at least value taking into consideration.
Cargo Space:
Edge: Toyota Highlander
With almost 10 a lot more cubic feet of cargo place than the Sorento, the Highlander is a great deal a lot more suited to hauling lots of products. No make a difference just what you are transporting, you are going to be grateful for the added area in the again and throughout the cab.
Seating:
Edge: Toyota Highlander
If you are acquiring an SUV, then chances are possessing a lot of seats is important to you. If you have a extremely large family members or often haul cargo with your motor vehicle, it is value mentioning that the Highlander has a single much 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.
The two the Kia Sorento and Toyota Highlander are excellent SUVs, but they’re separated by a $ten,000 price hole. If you can pay for the additional money, go with the Highlander. If you’re looking for some thing more affordable, the odds are excellent you can discover a Sorento considerably marked down. Both way, you can not go wrong.
Highlighted Image Credit rating: (Left) Daniliuc Victor, Shutterstock (Correct) BONDART Pictures, Shutterstock
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