2016 Kia Sorento Review
The Kia Sorento gets a new look for 2016 as well as a brand new 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Kia has done great job balancing the redesign between making the Sorento more bold and edgy while keeping it true to its roots and easily identifiable as a Sorento. With the quality of the interior and overall craftsmanship of the Sorento it should be very popular amongst those looking for a 7 passenger mid-size crossover SUV.
Available Models
There are a total of five trim levels with V6 versions of three of them for the Sorento with three different engines powering them. The L (MSRP $25,100) and the LX (MSRP $26,400) run on the 2.4L I-4 engine. The LX trim adds auto light control, acoustic front windshield, silver finished roof rails, two rapid charge USB ports and several options.
A new engine has been added for 2016. The 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder powers the EX (MSRP $ 31,100) and SX Limited (MSRP $ 39,900). The EX adds 18” alloy wheels, fog lights, acoustic front windshield, dual zone automatic temperature control, UVO 2.0 Telematics Audio Headunit, a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, interior accent illumination, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, leather seat trim, 3 setting heated front seats,10-way power driver seat and lumbar support, 8-way power passenger seat, one-button omnidirectional Head adjustment and a backup warning system.
The SX Limited adds Rack Mounted Motor Driven Power Steering, 19-inch alloy gun metal finish, body-colour side sill / wheel molding treatment, LED positioning lights, rear tail lamps with LED elements, power-folding side mirrors, stainless rear-bumper step and lower bumper trim, a panoramic sunroof with power shade, low profile chrome finished roof rails, a 8” screen navigation system with rear view display and real-time traffic, meter cluster with 7” TFT LCD display panel, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with Compass and HomeLink, Smart Power liftgate and more.
The four V6 versions of the trims – the LX V6 (MSRP $28,700), EX V6 (MSRP $32,100), SX V6 (MSRP $40,100) and the SX Limited V6 (MSRP 41,500) all run on the 3.3L V6 engine
Interior Features
The interior of the 2016 Kia Sorento is very welcoming and attractive with high quality materials throughout including many soft touch features along the door panels, instrument panel and center console.
The new design also gives the Sorento a larger interior meaning more room for the occupants and more cargo space at 74.5 cu-ft overall and 11 cu-ft behind the 3rd row up almost 2 cu-ft from last year.
There is an 8 inch navigation system that is standard or optional depending on trim level with real-time traffic data and rear view camera display.
There are five passenger or seven passenger seating configurations depending on which trim you select and the increased headroom and boarding area makes getting to the third row easier.
Exterior Features
As mentioned the 2016 Kia Sorento got a refresh design this year – the dimensions got a little bit bigger. Kia added 3.1 inches to the wheelbase and given it a slightly wider stance up 0.2 inches – giving the Sorento a wider, longer, bolder stance. The biggest noticeable difference is the front end – it has been given an edgier, muscular look with new lighting and a more prominent intake. LED fog lamps and tail lamps are available to further the edgy vibe.
Depending on the trim level the tire and wheel size varies from 17 to 19 inches. The Sorento L, LX and LX V6 all come with 17 inch alloy wheels, while the EX and EX V6 come with 18 inch wheels the final three trims – the SX Limited, SX V6 and SX Limited V6 sit atop 19 inch wheels the SX Limited come with a chrome finish while the other two have a gun metal finish.
A panoramic sunroof with power shade comes standard on the three SX trims and is optional for both the EX and EX V6 trims.
The SX Limited V6 has a lot of chrome finished features that really standout such as chrome finished wheels, accent side sills and roof rails.
Performance
Three different engines power the 2016 Kia Sorento depending on trim level. New for 2016 is a 2.0-liter GDI turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 240 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 260 lb. ft. @ 1,450-3500 rpm while nice many feel it doesn’t provide enough punch and feels a bit sluggish.
The L and LX trims are powered by a 185 hp 2.4 liter I-4 engine while the LX V6, EX V6, SX V6 and SX Limited V6 run on a 290 horsepower 3.3L V6 engine. All the engines are coupled with an Electronically-controlled 6-speed automatic, overdrive with Sportmatic™ transmission and are available in either front drive or full-time AWD.
To enhance the feel of driving the Sorento Kia heavily modified the platform it was built on. Using more advanced high-strength steel, laser welding techniques and industrial strength adhesives the structure has 14 percent more torsional rigidity than previous years giving the Sorento a more refined ride.
Safety and Security
The 2016 Kia Sorento is loaded with safety features including such as six airbags including driver and passenger advanced front airbags, front seat mounted side airbags, side curtain airbags for the front two rows. All models come with rollover sensor, side impact sensor, electronic stability control, rollover and side impact sensors, hill-start assist control and 4-wheel antilock brake system.
There are several driving assistance features that are either optional or standard depending on the trim – Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Back up warning system, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning system, forward collision warning system and blind spot detection system.
2.4L I-4
2.0L turbo I-4
3.3L V6
2016 Kia Rio
If your driving includes a lot of stop-and-go traffic, the Eco package on the Rio EX could help save fuel, but it does nothing at highway speeds—so think carefully about how you’d be using the 2016 Kia Rio.
features & specs
The 2016 Kia Rio is starting to fall behind, though an attractive design and good feature content offset its cramped rear seat and only adequate safety ratings.
The 2016 Kia Rio offers crisp, stylish European design; a cleanly styled, feature-packed interior; and an agreeable, fuel-efficient engine. But the Honda Fit, new last year, offers far more interior room and better packaging, the Chevy Sonic has a smoother ride and is more comfortable, and the Ford Fiesta is simply more fun to drive. The Rio is also now somewhat behind on safety ratings as the tests get tougher every few model years.
The Rio is now in its fifth year on the market, and this year it’s facing twin hurdles: low U.S. gas prices and steadily improving competition in the subcompact segment. The Rio has never done quite as well as Kia’s larger models, but the Korean carmaker is trying to keep it fresh with some mild updates this year—including revised front styling and some interior trim-material upgrades.
Still, we continue to like the Rio design that was launched as both a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback for the 2012 model year. Both Rios have tidy dimensions and rakish bodies. We applaud the sedan’s stylists for avoiding the odd tall-trunk look of competitors like the Ford Fiesta, although the five-door definitely has more swagger than the sedan—and a new front end design updates the Rio to the same corporate Kia identity as the larger Soul and Optima.
Inside, the materials convey a premium feel despite some throwback details like toggle switches for the climate control system. A large touchscreen display is included on high-end models, and for 2016, Kia has added satin-finish bezels around the air vents—which we like—and a new piano-black center console around ancillary controls and the audio system—which we don’t like. Kia also added additional noise-suppression foam to various structural members to soothe cabin noise.
Kia offers only a single engine in the 2016 Rio, a 138-horsepower 1.6-liter inline-4. The Rio sedan has a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard, with an optional 6-speed automatic, while this year the hatchback is offered only with the automatic. The engine revs smoothly up its power band and is mostly muted while moving the Rio along with just enough gusto when driven aggressively. The Rio handles remarkably well for a small, inexpensive economy car with a basic strut and torsion-beam suspension and a short wheelbase, though we’d like a bit more feedback from the steering. The car stays composed no matter how you choose to drive it.
Inside, the 2016 Rio is now on the small side even for this small segment. Good front seats, with relatively long bottom cushions for the class and a lot of rearward seat travel, should make for a comfortable commute for one or two people. The sporty Rio SX models get more seat bolstering—it’s mild enough that no one’s really going to object to the addition. In back, though, the seat is more confining than those of the Honda Fit and Versa Note. When the front seats are near the back of their travel, required for an average-to-taller driver, there’s precious little rear knee or foot space in back. Rear-seat head room is on the tight side too. The cargo area in the Rio hatchback is rated at 15 cubic feet (or 13.7 cubic feet in the trunk of the sedan).
Safety is an issue, however. The 2016 Rio is at best middle-of-the-road when compared to the crash-test ratings of newer entries, like the Honda Fit, or heavily revised models, like the Ford Fiesta. The Rio receives four stars in federal crash testing, with a caveat on its otherwise good side-impact score, and it does a bit worse in tests run by the IIHS. Its side-impact score is «Acceptable,» one notch below the top rating, but we’re concerned with its «Marginal» rating on the new small-offset front crash test. That’s only one step above the worst rating, and various competitors have done better. Hill-start assist is optional, and so is a rearview camera—and we recommend it, since the five-door Rio has some major and noticeable blind spots at the rear pillars.
The 2016 Kia Rio has an impressive list of features for its price. Even base Rio LX models include air conditioning, a USB port, and satellite radio. On hatchbacks you also get 15-inch wheels, a rear spoiler, tilt steering, steering-wheel audio controls, and split-folding rear seat backs. The middle trim level, the Rio EX, adds cruise control with steering-wheel mounted controls, power windows with driver’s one-touch auto-up/down control, remote keyless entry with trunk release and a tilt/telescope steering column.
For 2016, Kia offers two options packages on the EX: the Eco Package, with not only the start-stop system but also an updated UVO telematics system with integrated backup camera; and the new Appearance and Designer package, with a two-tone interior treatment featuring black cloth with gray leatherette trim and gray contrast stitching.
Step up to the top-of-the-line Rio SX, and you’ll get 17-inch wheels, sport suspension tuning, larger front brakes, power-folding heated side mirrors, fog lamps, and LED taillights and headlamp accents; options on the SX include a navigation system (that replaces the UVO system), keyless ignition, leather seats, heated front seats, and a sunroof.
Fuel economy, one of the reasons for buying a subcompact car, is only average. Both powertrains are rated at 31 mpg combined, with variations in their city and highway ratings, and the Rio Eco model oddly carries the same rating, with a 1-mpg bump in the city rating only. The Eco model adds an engine stop-start function, which has little effect on the EPA’s city cycle but likely would improve real-world fuel economy for those whose driving involves lots of stop-and-go traffic.