I recently have had the very fun opportunity difficult task of reviewing cars here at the blog. (In case you missed them, you can go back and read my Kia Soul and Mazda 3 Reviews).
If you’re wondering, “HUH? Why is a blogger like you reviewing cars?” Allow me to explain. Some car manufacturers are wising up to the fact that personal reviews about their cars written by average, real, honest-to-goodness folks can be a good thing. If you want to read a review that talks about specs, horsepower, and fancy stuff like that, you’d read an automotive trade journal. Read my reviews to learn about the real life stuff that matters like if the car will hold a huge grocery shopping haul, if you can drive it without getting your kid motion sick, and if it can hold your Venti latte. Besides that, I’ve been given free reign on these reviews, so I can tell you what I loved, liked, or loathed about a vehicle. So I’m doing my best to give you the straight scoop on my thoughts.
So my honest thoughts about driving the Kia Sorento for a full week? I LOVED THIS CAR. It was stylish, sporty, and comfortable. I actually found myself looking forward to getting in it to run even a simple errand which is saying a lot for me.
Kia built a car that not only is practical and smart, but has little “extras” that make you feel really pampered driving it.
The interior of this car is awesome. The seats in particular were very comfortable! About the second to the last day of driving it I realized it had an adjustable lumbar support – good for folks with bad backs like yours truly.
This car also has extra seats in back that pop up, making it seat a total of 7 if you need to. As we didn’t, we just enjoyed the extra storage space, which was very generous!
I’ll admit it. I grew a little too attached to this car, I loved it that much. On the evening before the car guys came to pick it up, we took it for a farewell spin around T-town (which if you’re not local you should know is Tacoma).
My husband (Terry) loved driving this car. Some of his coworkers have spoken highly of the Kia Sorento, so he was particular eager to give it a go. His conclusion? It lived up to what everyone had been saying about it! It’s a smooth drive, super comfortable, and a lot of fun.
Here’s one of my most favorite features in the car: a built-in navigation system! (Don’t worry, we did not drive it into the water. We were parked when I took this shot.) We *might* have plugged in some addresses like Key West and Disneyland just to see if it’d work. (It did.) I do not currently have a GPS in my car, but I would definitely use this feature!
Another feature that makes this car awesome? The rear-view camera! We got to experience this on the Kia Soul and I love it. I once accidentally did get a little too close to a curb, and the thing started beeping at me too. I will say, if you’re not used to this feature, it can be a little disorienting at first to figure out where to look – do you just look at the screen, then look behind you, and to the sides, and back to the screen? Still an awesome feature once you get used to it!
After Ruston Way, we hit up the 5-Mile Drive in Point Defiance Park. Lovely! So check this out…
Look really closely….do you see what we found?
See? This ride is so quiet you can drive by wildlife and they’ll keep on eating.
The next day I offered the car guys a hot deal: I’d take their Kia Sorento and give in exchange my used 2005 Honda Accord and even throw in some tomatoes for good measure. Sadly, they did not think this was such a fair trade. (Hey, it was worth a try!)
The Sorento starts at around $30,000 which is definitely WAYYYYY more than we’ve ever paid for a vehicle. If you were looking for a comparable car, it’s definitely a bargain, but for us? We’re not likely to spend $30,000 on a vehicle any time soon. I think it just comes down to choices. We have a nice house, but that means we don’t do a lot of fancy vacations and we’ve only ever bought used cars. You might feel the nicer car is worth the expense so it might be a bigger priority to you.
EDITED TO ADD: I stand corrected! The Kia Sorento starts at $23,000 which is a big difference! Sorry, Kia guys, for the glaring error!
As an aside, I’d love to hear what your personal price point is for a car (if you don’t mind sharing!). Do you think it’s worth it to buy a nicer car you can enjoy driving and feel safe in and cut expenses elsewhere? Or are you more like me & my husband, with a preference to buy used and avoid monthly car payments?
Truly, the cost is the only beef I have about this car. (EDITED TO ADD: But it’s definitely not as much of a beef as I first thought….see my edits above!) It may be one of those we keep in mind to buy used in the future. It was truly enjoyable in every way – no complaints! For more information on the specs, horsepower, and basically everything I did not cover today, you can visit Kia’s website.
If you have this car, I’d love to know your thoughts!
Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this review, nor was I encouraged to write anything particular in this review. I truly was given free reign, so all opinions and concepts are 100% my own. I was provided with a 2012 Kia Sorento to drive at no cost to me for a full week. For more information on how this site makes or does not make money, please check out my Disclosure Policy.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Angela! I think I had the same car (my review is coming soon). I loved it too! It was kind of hard to go back to my 1992 minivan…not quite as cool as the Kia Sorento.
Yeah, I’m having a hard time adjusting too! I keep looking at my center console for my rear-view camera and GPS only to discover, sadly, they’re not there.
Great post! Here’s my take on new vs used. I drive a $1200 1979 Mercedes that i paid cash for (obviously) and I love it. I like not having a payment, and personally prefer old cars. I leased my wife a brand new Honda Civic (although she now prefers my old Benz- it’s seriously cool,) Here’s some reasoning. I wanted her to have a safe car that is always under warranty. We got it for $0 down and $200/month. Contrary to popular belief, all cars have a payment. If you buy a car for $4000 cash, that takes the money out of your bank savings or money market account that is earning you interest (small amount, yes). Or you could have paid off a credit card, or made an extra mortgage payment. (Did you know making 1 extra mortgage payment a year can cut your loan period nearly in half! that’s a huge savings). It also translates to $111 dollars per month for 3 years to save up $4000. Also, that used car is going to depreciate, just like a new car, although not as exponentially. So after 4 years you will have say, a $2000 car. That’s $41 per month in depreciation, plus $111 per month for the initial $4000- that’s $152 a month without taking into consideration repairs, extra maintenance required on an older car that can easily take it above the $200/month I am paying for a brand new Honda with bluetooth and other goodies. Oh but “I don’t own the car”…. good! If the market changes and people only want electric I can just walk away because the bank guarantees a minimum buyback value.. you have to eat the loss of value. If the market stays positive (which i am hoping that’s the case with this Civic) then I should have positive equity that I can roll over into the next vehicle. The famous business tycoon J.Paul Getty said it best- “If it appreciates, buy it. If it depreciates, lease it.”
Of course I am then bound into an endless game of car payments, but I want my wife in the latest and safest vehicle we can afford. Sadly, the Benz has no airbags
Josh, I still don’t know that we’d ever lease, but I really, really appreciate hearing your viewpoint and taking the time to explain all that! You really got me to consider the other side and the appeal of leasing! Thank you!
I truly think there are pros and cons to either buying used and paying cash (as we did) and leasing. I think it depends what your financial position is and goals are, what other payments you have, etc. I have to say though – right now I enjoy NOT making a $200 car payment each month and not having that added financial responsibility.
I’d love to hear from others that either lease or have leased – do you agree with Joshua’s viewpoint? Other points you’d like to add?
Hey Angela,
I have a 2007 Kia Sorento and I absolutely love it! It does not have all the great features that you got to enjoy. It’s almost paid off and so I’m looking to upgrade to the Sorento with the 3rd row option or just biting the bullet and getting the Kia Sedona (mini-van).
I hope to review the Sedona at some point too! Congrats on almost paying off your Sorento; that must be a great feeling.
I’m very interested in reviewing vehicles such as these? how can i get signed up? I have had vehicle troubles ever since i started driving and it’d be nice to experience different makes and models to make an opinion about which ones are quality and those that arent.
Hi Natalie, I’m not sure there is a way to sign up – they reached out to me and a number of bloggers as part of a social media outreach. However, I am going to pass your comment along to see if there may be any options for you.
we have last years Kia Sorrento but not the high package one you drove – we do not have the camera or built in GPS so it was less expensive,also we went through Costco so that made it even less expensive and MUCH less hastle to buy. We love the car and think that we made a wise choice. I am short and it has wonderful visability.
I really enjoy your blog and appreciate all the time you put in to help everyone get a good deal . I buy almost no processed food so do not save a lot on food,but your blog helps on lots of other things. Thank you.
Thanks Christine! I had no clue you could buy a car from Costco?
And I hope you’ve been following my tips for saving on whole foods like gardening, canning, and buying in bulk? I don’t just eat processed food over here.