SUVs are the very best sort of automobile to travel if you have a large household or perform chauffeur to tons of men and women, but it can be hard to choose which is the very best for your income. Two of the most recent SUVs are the Kia Sorento and the Toyota, each 3-row SUVs with aggressive charges. How do these two assess when pitted against every single other, and which is appropriate for you? Let us find 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 raw technical specs of every single SUV so you can get a far better concept of their abilities.
- 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 remodeled for 2022 with high quality interior characteristics and choices, including fake wood inlays, quilted leather seat stitching, and metallic textures. All round, the inside feels precisely how Kia’s designers explained it: refined boldness. With a 12.3-inch electronic instrument cluster and a standard eight-inch touchscreen, the Sorento is not devoid of modern features.
As significantly as safety, the Sorento will come with a blind-place check and 360-diploma encompass view that helps preserve you safe. Premium trim deals provide many updates to the interior, the most notable of which is a wireless charging centre console, ambient LED lights, and JBL surround audio speakers.
The Sorento is just a wonderful spending budget SUV, which points out why it is so well-known in Canada. It has great fuel mileage for an SUV, which only receives better if you go with the plug-in hybrid. It does not offer everything unique as much as energy, but which is not such a massive 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 6-cylinder powertrain, you’d be hard-pressed to discover a much better-performing SUV. Along with that energy arrives a exceptional five,000lb towing capacity, which is crucial if you often fish or haul other hefty tools. Talking of hauling, the Highlander has a palatial 85 cubic toes of cargo area, which paired with the towing capacity, makes it a fantastic fishing car.
The Highlander also rewards significantly from Toyota’s legendary reputation for reliability, which assists the car retain its resale worth for a long time. Which is excellent if you plan to trade in or market it later, but it makes purchasing a employed 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?
All round, the Highlander is a far better SUV, but it’s crucial to observe that the Sorento is significantly less expensive. Let’s examine out how they examine in many essential 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 really punchy and responsive
Price
Edge: Kia Sorento
Starting at a entire $ten,000 more affordable than the Highlander, the Sorento is the excellent SUV spending budget pick. If you want anything a little bit fancier, you can constantly decide for quality trim and second-row captain-style seats. You’ll nevertheless appear out a good deal cheaper than the base Highlander, which is at least really worth taking into consideration.
Cargo Space:
Edge: Toyota Highlander
With almost 10 more cubic feet of cargo room than the Sorento, the Highlander is a whole lot much more suited to hauling lots of objects. No subject exactly what you are transporting, you are going to be grateful for the extra space in the back and during the taxi.
Seating:
Edge: Toyota Highlander
If you are purchasing an SUV, then odds are having a lot of seats is important to you. If you have a really large family members or usually haul cargo with your motor vehicle, it is well worth mentioning that the Highlander has one particular 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.
The two the Kia Sorento and Toyota Highlander are wonderful SUVs, but they’re separated by a $10,000 value gap. If you can manage the added funds, go with the Highlander. If you’re searching for something less costly, the odds are excellent you can find a Sorento substantially marked down. Both way, you simply cannot go wrong.
Highlighted Picture Credit: (Still left) Daniliuc Victor, Shutterstock (Proper) BONDART Images, Shutterstock
Contents