The 2019 Kia Sorento is getting a facelift, but losing its turbocharged engine
In the world of midsize crossovers, you’re not exactly left wanting for choice. The field of family haulers is packed with options. There’s the Toyota Highlander, the Honda Pilot, the Ford Explorer, and the Chevy Traverse, to name just a few. Then there’s this: the upcoming 2019 Kia Sorento. The company’s largest current crossover offering gets a facelift for 2019, sporting some sharp new LED headlights, as well as some interior updates. However, there’s one significant detail it’s missing. Coming up right now, Roman and Alex from Alex on Autos dives into the new Kia Sorento.
Three rows come standard
One strong point of the Sorento has always been its value against the competition. With the 2019 Kia Sorento, there’s no exception. While Kia hasn’t announced prices at this time, the current Sorento starts at just $25,900 MSRP. Kia decided to give the car three rows as a standard option across all trim levels. That’s useful if you’re of a family inclination. However, during our testing, we did notice that the leg room in the third row is a bit tight.
The 2019 Kia Sorento also packs a large infotainment screen and a good amount of equipment. On higher trim levels, Kia gives you heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, plus all the safety tech you’d expect in a modern crossover. That includes Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Warning and Surround View Monitor, Kia’s 360-degree camera system. What you don’t get is a 2.0-liter turbo engine.
Yep, the company is dropping the Sorento’s mid-range engine for 2019. Now, you can either choose the 2.4-liter naturally aspirated Theta four-cylinder or the 3.3-liter V6. The four-cylinder makes 185 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. The stronger V6 makes 290 horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque. Both engines mate up to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Kia announced the Sorento is getting a diesel engine in the 2.0-liter turbo’s place.
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