• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Sen. Manchin Threatening to Sue Over New EV Battery Rules
  • Ford Bolsters EV Supply Chain with $4.5B Nickel Processing Plant
  • Unified UAW Talks Tough Before Contract Talks with Detroit Three
  • Faraday Future May Have One: Production Begins
  • Automakers Face “New Era of EV Price Wars”
  • Revuelto Ushers in New Era for Lamborghini
  • New Vehicle Sales Edging Toward Some Normalcy in Q1
  • How Fast Can a Tesla Model 3 Be Hacked? Two Minutes
  • First Look: Kia Pushes Boundaries with New EV9
  • Lucid Moves to Cut 1,300 Employees
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Soul GT-Line
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor
    • A Week With: 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro S
    • A Week With: 2023 Infiniti QX80
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV80 Prestige 3.5 Turbo
    • First Drive: 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T
    • First Drive: 2023 Dodge Hornet GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Jeep Compass Limited
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > reviews > A Week With: 2021 Kia Sorento Prestige X-Line AWD

        A Week With: 2021 Kia Sorento Prestige X-Line AWD

        Excellent performance with an impressive interior makes it a winner.

        Larry Printz
        Larry Printz , Assistant Managing Editor
        Feb. 18, 2021
        2021 Kia Sorento X-Line front
        Kia’s fourth-generation Sorento ute is one of the brand’s best sellers and the updates for 2021 are likely to ensure that continues.

        After a week piloting the redesigned 2021 Kia Sorento, it’s easy to forget just how far the South Korean automaker has come since first landing on these shores nearly three decades ago. At the time, I had the unfortunate duty of test-driving them. I concluded that some of my most unpleasant automotive experiences had been behind the wheel of Kias.

        Of course, no one raised an eyebrow. By then, the company’s value image and low-rent cars made it the Rodney Dangerfield of the automotive world.

        But that’s no longer the case, not by a long shot. In fact, it could be argued that decades of self-awareness propelled Kia, and its corporate sibling Hyundai, into the top tier of automakers, producing models that are superior to the Japanese competitors they long sought to surpass. And if cars like the Soul, Stinger, K5, Niro and Telluride don’t prove it, the 2021 Sorento will.

        Overview

        2021 Kia Sorento X-Line side
        The new Sorento gets a new exterior design for 2021 aimed at giving it a more rugged look.

        Hot on the heels of the fast-selling Telluride, you might think this slightly smaller three-row SUV is the same thing, except it got shrunk in the dryer. But deeming it a Telluride knockoff sells it short. The Sorento is very much its own flavor, not only is it distinctive from the Telluride, but also its distinct for the first time in its existence. It possesses a likeable persona where it previously had none.

        The Sorento comes standard with a normally aspirated 4-cylinder gas engine in base LX and S trims, or with a turbocharged engine in EX, SX, SX Prestige and SX Prestige X-line trims. Both front-wheel and all-wheel drive are available. Kia will soon offer a hybrid and plug-in hybrid as well.

        Exterior

        While the Sorento shares some styling cues with the Telluride, it’s clearly its own ute, with chiseled lines that offset more design detail than its larger and pricier sibling. The large, chunky taillamps are distinctive, and an inset on the bottom of the rear side window echoes the shape of the window line above it. The grille texture has a sporty, upscale feel. Overall, the Sorento is quite handsome, and has lost the soft appearance of the previous model.

        “… Sorento is very much its own flavor, not only is it distinctive from the Telluride, its distinct for the first time in its existence …”

        Interior

        2021 Kia Sorento X-Line rear
        The Sorento X-Line is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder putting out 281 horsepower.

        Climb inside and you’ll be greeted by a spacious interior, and one decked out in quality materials. The first two rows provide plenty of head and legroom. The test vehicle, a top-of-the-line SX Prestige X-Line, had second-row Captain’s Chairs, which are standard on EX and above. The seats had a good balance of comfort and support. But the third row is best left to small children or people you despise; space is in short supply. Better to fold it down and expand the 12.6 cubic-foot cargo bay to 38.5 cubic feet. With second and third rows folded, that grows to 75.5 cubic feet.

        The dashboard has a busy look, a feeling exacerbated by the diamond quilted stitching on the leather trimmed seats. But the controls prove easy to understand and use. LX models come with cloth seats. S, and EX get lined with leatherette, while other models come with leather.

        Powertrain

        Opting for an LX and S Sorento nets you a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission that generates 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. Other models get a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that generates 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The dual clutch uses liquid cooling to enhance durability.

        2021 Kia Sorento X-Line interior
        The Sorento’s interior also gets a new look for 2021, with the X-Line getting a new color combination.

        Technology and Safety

        Start driver assurance systems include forward collision warning, forward collision-avoidance assist, pedestrian detection, driver attention warning, lane departure alert, lane centering lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and high-beam assist. Optional systems include cyclist detection, blind spot avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic assist, parking distance warning, parking collision avoidance assist, navigation-based smart cruise control curve control, highway driving assist, and safe exist assist.

        The SX, SX Prestige 2.5T and SX Prestige X-Line come with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment screen with navigation, AM/FM Audio system with Satellite Radio, UVO telematics, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other models get a smaller 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which isn’t installed with larger screen for some inexplicably puzzling reason. A Bose surround sound audio system is standard on the SX Prestige 2.5T and SX Prestige X-Line.

        The Sorento comes with eight USB charging ports in all but the LX, which gets six. A wireless smartphone charging pad is optional. An optional 12.3-in. digital instrument cluster includes a Blind View Monitor that displays a live view of adjacent lanes in the instrument cluster when the turn signal is activated.

        Driving Impressions

        The test vehicle’s turbo engine provides more than enough moxie to move this sweetheart with ease, especially considering it possesses more torque than the larger, heavier Telluride. Given that, it’s best to opt for all-wheel drive since there’s probably more power than the front-wheel-drive model can handle without spinning its wheels.

        That said, there is some turbo lag from a standing start, but once up to boil, the Sorento feels extremely responsive, acting instantaneously to your requests. The dual-clutch shifts promptly, and road noise is subdued. The ride is firm, but road impacts never felt harsh. Ingress and egress were particularly good.

        Wrap Up

        There’s something about the 2021 Kia Sorento that makes me want to call it Goldilocks. Neither too big nor too small, the Sorento is a perfect size, with a pleasing personality that makes it an easy vehicle to love, a perfect dance partner for the drudgery of daily driving.

         

        2021 Kia Sorento X-Line seats2021 Kia Sorento X-Line panoramic roof2021 Kia Sorento X-Line cargo

         

         

         

         

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        2023 Kia Soul GT Line front best

        A Week With: 2023 Kia Soul GT-Line

        Yesterday
        2023 Volkswagen ID.4 red front 3-4 best REL

        A Week With: 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro S

        March 28, 2023
        2023 Infiniti QX80 front 3-4

        A Week With: 2023 Infiniti QX80

        March 24, 2023

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        What Are You Looking For?

        See More
        Buying an SUV or Crossover? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Buying an SUV or Crossover? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Reviews and Resources For Car Buyers and Owners
        Reviews of SUVs and CUVs, Warranty and Insurance advice, all collected by the Editors of TheDetroitBureau.
        Collection
        SUV Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        SUV Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        Where Can You Get the Best SUV Warranty?
        Recommends

        Where Can You Get the Best SUV Warranty?
        Recommends
        Is Full Coverage Auto Insurance Right for You?
        Recommends

        Is Full Coverage Auto Insurance Right for You?
        Recommends
        Is it Cheaper to Add a Second Car to Insurance?
        Recommends

        Is it Cheaper to Add a Second Car to Insurance?
        Close
        Reviews and Resources For Car Buyers and Owners
        Reviews of SUVs and CUVs, Warranty and Insurance advice, all collected by the Editors of TheDetroitBureau.
        Collection
        SUV Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        SUV Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        Where Can You Get the Best SUV Warranty?
        Recommends

        Where Can You Get the Best SUV Warranty?
        Recommends
        Is Full Coverage Auto Insurance Right for You?
        Recommends

        Is Full Coverage Auto Insurance Right for You?
        Recommends
        Is it Cheaper to Add a Second Car to Insurance?
        Recommends

        Is it Cheaper to Add a Second Car to Insurance?
        Close
        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: