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 DETROIT -- I had a 2011 Kia Sorento and I didn’t notice it at all. That’s a good thing. My point is that the Sorento, Kia’s first crossover utility vehicle was competent and good which is what a reliable vehicle is to suppose to be.
We often take non-issue driving trips for granted. The Sorento, Kia first utility vehicle using unibody construction, was quiet, it had a car like ride and though I drove it for five days I used about a half a tank of gasoline. That’s not bad.
It could seat seven (it has two rear facing third row fold away seats) but I think the Sorento is much more comfortable as a five passenger utility vehicle. The back two seats will rarely be pressed into service. Kia says the Sorento prominently displays the signature tabbed grille and wraparound headlamps soon to be seen on all Kia models. In other words, the Sorento looked good.
 There are two engine choices: a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 276 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine producing 175 horsepower and 169 pound-feet of torque. Both are mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission.
I had the four-cylinder and found it quite adequate. Acceleration was good and power off the mark was acceptable. Either engine can be equipped with all-wheel or front-wheel drive. My test vehicle had front-wheel-drive and it handled winter’s slush filled streets without any problems.
 I believe front-wheel-drive is the next best thing to all-wheel-drive when it comes to slippery streets. Still, all-wheel-drive models come with a locking differential and can distribute power evenly to all four wheels. That can be awfully helpful in streets that are covered with loose snow.
The ride of my test vehicle was exceptional. It had a compact and light MacPherson strut front suspension and a fully independent multi-link setup in the rear. My Sorento cornered well, it stayed flat in the curves, not that there were many, and there was little nose dipping or rising under abrupt braking or hard acceleration; not that there was that much of either.
I had an up level EX, there is also a base LX, and it had a bunch of stuff: navigation system, satellite radio and USB and auxiliary jacks stood out. The vehicle also had Bluetooth and push button start. I could push a button on the door handle and unlock the Sorento; what’s more I could push the same button and lock the car as long as I had the key FOB.
My EX model, as do they all, in addition to push button start had rear sonar back-up sensors, available voice-activated navigation and rear view back-up camera. It even had seat warmers which I used. The older I get the more I like that feature.
 It’s easy to forget that the Sorento is a utility vehicle. My tester had 142.5 cubic feet of storage space in a five seat model. I had no need to use it but undoubtedly it would come in handy during those summer months of toting stuff around.
And of course the Sorento had Kia’s much admired and sometimes copied powertrain warranty: a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty which is supplemented by a five-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty and a five-year/100,000-mile anti-perforation warranty. A five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan also is part of the comprehensive vehicle coverage.
Even though Kia is moving up market a bit, it still offers a lot for comparatively little. The starting price for the 2011 Kia Sorento is $19,995.
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