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Kia Sorento Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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Comments

  • picantepicante Member Posts: 27
    The local dealer thought the EX V6 AWD had 3rd row standard, but when I pointed out the Kia USA info that it came with the "Premium" package, he checked and verified I was correct.

    Re the "BS fees" added on. Good point! That's what I got when I tried truecar.com. The "certified dealer" had a terrific "price" -- almost $2,600 off MSRP before applying incentives. And then ... over $700 added for total BS. In the end, the true price was worse than the first offers I got dealing directly.
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    Like you I'm in no real hurry and last night the dealer called trying to wrap up the deal this weekend so I told her I'm thinking about waiting until the 2014's roll out, or the new 7 seater Santa Fe she them tells me she'll drop another $500 off and if I purchase before Dec. 31 $200 more. That brings my EX V6 fwd down around $23,500. Now I'm starting to get gready...real gready.
    The one great advantage I have is there's 5 Kia dealers within 30 miles of my house and about 15 dealers within 120 miles I'd be willing to bet that there's at least 30 dealers within 500 miles. I'll pull the trigger on my purchase Jan 7th the last day of the incentives to see what else I can.
    On truecar you can get the discounted price with just giving a email address, when you want a dealer cert to purchase then you leave your phone number, I tried Costco but couldn't come close.
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    edited December 2012
    If you go through Costco the dealer "HAS TO" show you the invoice and the price must be 350-500 below invoice and thats your starting point of negotiations....I to went to dealers who had 2 separate MSRP's on the sticker....the factory MSRP and the Dealer MSRP...they would add a few meaningless items like side steps....free inspections for 5 years..1st free oil change and the dealer MSRP would be 4K more then the factory..criminal what they try to get away with
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    edited December 2012
    Good deal you probably can get them close to 23k by being patient..Costco worked for me noone came within 500.00 of the dealer that Costco sent me to...I also got the EX V6 but wanted the AWD and the premium package....got them to give me a 330.00 credit as they couldnt lower the price anymore and used that to buy side steps at dealer cost of 350.00.....bottom line got the EX V6 AWD with premium package..side steps..crossbar and few other smalll things for 28,300..patience and shopping works good..Good luck
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    I'll try Costco again tomorrow, your deal sounds to good to pass up, if they offer me the same I might pull the trigger. I received another offer this morning EX V6 fwd Premium pack & Limited pack, $28,273 good until 12-17-12. If their offering this now after xmas I should get them to throw in the cross rails & trailer hitch for under & 28,000. The 5 seaters are in very limited supply/colors in so-cal, dealer said most are in midwest?
  • greforgrefor Member Posts: 34
    Wow those are some great deals people are getting. Everyone knows month end push creates lower prices, I'll bet year end crunch is even more important to dealers.. Add in the soon to be released 2014 models and we have the perfect storm ;)

    I looked around the lot of a large dealer in my area and reallly liked almost every model I saw, even base LX models. You really get a lot for your money with the Sorento. I'm starting to get the itch but will be patient.
  • greforgrefor Member Posts: 34
    I've sent out quote requests to a few dealers in my area and have not gotten many good responses. Is it because it is still early in the month? I'm wondering if it is my wording of the request. How is everyone wording their requests? TIA
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    grefor whats your zip code & what are you looking for? I'm meeting with a costco certified sales rep this morning to see what kind of deal I can pull off with him. Last might he gave me a quote over the phone but it was still over $1,000 dollars higher than my certified quote from truecar. The truecar rep said the extra fee's are max of $80 for documentation + tax & license. I now know what to write the check for. I realize when I get there and the pressure for an up sale will start, but if I owned the dealership I would expect nothing less than my employes extracting every penny they could without pissing off my customers.
    I'm still trying to narrow down exactly what I want color/packages ect. planning to make my finial selection today then it's time to play "Let's Make a Deal." I'll have all my info/quotes in front of me and see what I can get.
    Talk to the fleet dealer not the [non-permissible content removed] selling cars on the lot, chances are the lot salesman has no idea about you options. I'll let you know how my costco experience works out. The fleet dealer told me that he can check his computer to see what cars are on the assembly line & headed to his lot so this will bge an excelent tool for getting exactuly what I want.
  • picantepicante Member Posts: 27
    "The fleet dealer told me that he can check his computer to see what cars are on the assembly line ..."

    FWIW, two dealers have told me the 2013 Sorento assembly lines have been shut down. Kia USA has announced the 2014 Sorentos will be introduced in February. One dealer told me there are still some 2013 Sorentos "in the pipeline" that haven't arrived at dealers yet.

    Best of luck with your negitions; keep us posted on how it goes.
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Get him to show you the Dealer Invoice...they are required to show you that per the costco program...they should then start at 350-500 below dealer invoice. Costco agreement has very specific rules. Also if the color and interior is not one of the cars coming to his lot they can have one rerouted. My wife wanted a specific color combination . Had to wait a month but dealer found one destined for another dealer. Good luck let us know how you make out.
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    What a day! 2 Costco dealers and one 1 truecar dealer. First off Truecar, I talked to the sales manager and the $1000 savings was... you guessed it wrong, I only qualified for an additional $500 but that expired 12-17-12 so now Costco and Truecar price are the same to the penny. The 2 Costco dealers were about $55 different. Best price $26,970 EX V6 Premium package plus Calif state fees. Yesterday the costco dealer told me there was 2 en-route but this afternoon no mas anywhere!
    The price includes everything destination fees, dealer fees except what the cockroaches incharge of this state milk you for when buying a new car. Even buying from a dealer 10 miles apart can run you an extra $300 in city taxes.

    So I'm going with Costco they give you a $200 gift card for filling out a review of your experience, 15% of all Auto parts & services including any car you own and a deal on auto insurance.
    I've thrown out my name and # to 4 dealers of interest so now I'll wait until next week and see if I get a call back with an "Offer I Can't Refuse"

    Someone said they got a EX V6 AWD for $28300? did that include dealer fees?
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    One more item I did get the invoice and it was $660 off plus $2750 worth of incentives for a total of $5,180 off MSRP EX V6 Premium Package.

    THANKS VERY MUCH for the Costco heads up, I went to their website first but didn't want to deal with talking with a salesman until I received a price first.
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Yes I got my EX V6 AWD with premium package for 28,300 plus taxes and tags about 210.00.....Also got a 330.00 Service credit from dealer because couldnt go any lower on price due to Costco rules..Used that to buy side steps at dealer cost of 350.00
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Great glad it worked out for you!!!
  • lisa130lisa130 Member Posts: 3
    Hi! I am new to this forum. We have been looking at Kia Sorentos for a few weeks now. We already own a Kia Sportage.

    I am looking to get a FWD, 4 cylinder Sorento with a third row seat (and I guess you have to get the "convenience package" with that) for $22,000.

    The best price so far that I've gotten is $23.

    I also want 0% financing.

    I am in PA. This is my zip code: 19460

    Is this possible? I am hoping to get out today during my lunch hour to look and possibly get some numbers.
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    Unfortunatley your choice there's not many deals/incentives, you'll have to move up to a real car, V6.
    If you purchase the V6 LX it comes with 3rd row seating and you'll qualify for $2,750 in rebates plus costco's deal so you should be looking around $22,700 out the door plus tax & liscense
    You better read over the bad reviews on the small 4cyl. not much if any gas savings. Sorry 4cyl owners.
  • lisa130lisa130 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the response.

    So I should look at the V6LX.

    What is Costco's deal and how do I get it? Thanks.
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Since you are in 19460 I would head to Kia Limerick( owned by Fred Beans who owns probably 15 dealerships in PA and NJ which affords them better pricing flexibility)....I also would highly reccomend the 6 CYL over the 4..no comparison at all....you should qualify for rebates and there is 0% financing....DO your homework!!!!!Go in their with knowledge ....find out what rebates you qualify for....find out what sticker MSRP is...see the dealer invoice...shop around and compare prices....I live in your area and went to and shopped 6-7 Kia dealers....by far best price was Limerick and thats where I bought....be very careful some dealers in our area have two MSRP stickers on their windows..They have factory MSRP and Dealer MSRP which has some dealer added features but at a price that is way beyond their worth...Good luck
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Also Lisa if you belong to Costco go to there auto website ..fill out the info requested...your lead will be sent to Kia Limerick( as they are their Kia dealership)and they will call you in an hour or so....they are required to show you the dealer invoice and price to start negotiating at is 350-500 below invoice...
  • picantepicante Member Posts: 27
    edited December 2012
    Now don't be too quick to jumpo on me for leaving money on the table :D

    First, the take-away and then the background story.

    Today we purchased a 2013 Sorento EX V6 AWD with NO packages and including the following accessories: cross bars, cargo cover, cargo mat, cargo organizer and mirror w/ compass & HomeLink.

    MSRP $31,305(kia.com)
    Total invoce: 29,555 (Edmunds)
    Incentive: $1,500 Cash Back

    Total, cash-delivered price (no financing, no trade-in, all fees except OR registration, title and plates) for $28,452 from Wasatch Front Kia of Ogden, Utah.

    We will also have to pay for transporting it from Ogden to Eugene where we live.

    I used the "Fax" approach (now updated to e-mail, of course) to submit written purchase offers with authorization for charging my credit card with a $1,000 deposit upon acceptance within a 48 hour window. I offerred what I thought was a reasonable price, comparable to about $27,250 for the unit we bought (adjusting for which accessories were installed). Every response I got back hit right at the price-point we paid. Not one dealer would budge when I responded that $28,500 wouldn't work for us. Even after waiting a week, none of them followed up.

    There are only a very few "plain" EX V6 AWD in the remaining inventory, so that limited our options and reduced competition. It may have also been the case that dealers weren't as worried about getting rid of an EX V6 AWD at $28,500 as they were the same vehicles at $35K+ (i.e., the ones with premium and/or limited packages).

    Now, we probably could have done proportionately better, in terms off percentage of MSRP, by looking at units with one of the packages installed. But we wanted more storage, rather than the third row seats; and none of the other add-ons were really of much value to us. We keep our vehicles for 10-12 years, so at resale, having the packages would mean very little. Thus, it was better financially (for our interests) to get a "worse" deal on a plain EX and still pay less than a "better" deal on an EX with package(s).

    I should also mention that I'm very skeptical of the 2014s with the GDI V6 and electronic steering. When it got down to there being only two plain EX's we were interested in showing up in the western states inventory, I decided it was time to move, rather than wait and risk having to pay more for a vehicle with less storage. (FWIW, I checked inventory through both kia.com and by slogging through dozens of individual dealers' websites.)

    Now, I will also have to say both my wife (this is her car) and I are very happy. It's a beautiful car (Cherry Red with Beige leather), this model test drove great, and we still paid $4,000 to $5,000 less than the Nissan Murano V6 AWD we were looking at.

    Now I just have to figure out how to get it under the tree!

    Cheers!
  • greforgrefor Member Posts: 34
    edited December 2012
    IF that price includes tax that equates to $26,842 if the tax is 6% and I think that's a very good deal. I would be eligible for another $1250 which would make $25,592 for the same vehicle. Does that include tax?

    Also, everybody has limits to how much work and time they want to spend to get a vehicle. Some people feel they must get the best deal ever and will haggle for months. Others like yourself want a vehicle at a fair price and don't want to negotiate. It's your money, time, etc. What's important is that you are happy with your purchase. Enjoy your nice ride.

    Is the $1250 competitive bonus only for 6 cylinder models?
  • picantepicante Member Posts: 27
    The price did not include tax because ... (tah! tah!) Oregon has no sales tax (even on car sales)!

    BTW, I love to negotiate when it's over significant amounts. (My wife looks askance sometimes. :mad: ) But in this case, I think I had found the "real" price for this kind of unit, in the region I could manage, and as of today. To do much better meant waiting an indeterminate amount of time; and, with only two satisfactory units that I knew of being available, I felt it was time to buy.
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Congrats on your purchase. We have had ours for 2 months and wife absolutely loves it. Being retired I had a lot more time to shop and negotiate and was in no rush to buy. We bought the same color combination that you did and had a real tough time in finding that combo Ex with the premium package. Fortunately I had time on my side and about a month after I bought car we got it. Dealer had to find one that was being shipped elsewhere and was still on assembly line.
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    NO TAXES????
    In Calif for the purchase of EX V6 premium package @ $26,970 the State extracts $2,977 for the privilege of living amongst the never working and non productive leaches that flood this state.

    Here’s a list of taxes & fees
    Ca sales tax
    City tax
    State registration
    Ca. Highway Patrol fee
    Ca License fee
    CAS freeway emergencies fee
    Fingerprint ID fee
    DUI crime deterrence fee
    Auto theft fee
    Abandoned vehicle fee
    Air quality fee
    Alt fuel fee
    Reflector license fee
    Ben Dover N Spreedum fee
    AND these SOB’s even charge taxes & fee’s on the incentives!!!!

    I'm about to pop a cork! :mad:
  • lisa130lisa130 Member Posts: 3
    What are the bad thing said about the 4 cylinder?
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Basically the lack of power and strain on a 4cyl in an SUV. When we drove the 4cyl vs the 6 Cyl you could feel a significant difference in just pulling out of the dealership. If you are going to just do local driving then maybe you can get away with the 4 but there is no comparison on the highway and when you need to accelerate. To me its well worth the extra investment to get the 6 but they do sell many 4's probably because of the additional cost and small difference in gas mileage ..To me there is no comparison
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    edl2 is correct about the strain on the engene. In 2003 I purchase 2 new nissans a 4cyl for my wife and a v6 for myself, well the 4cyl fizzled out after 110,000 miles and my v6 is still running strong after 255,000 miles, it doesn't burn a drop of oil and gets 20 mpg. There's no compairson, the 4cyl is way under powered for this size of vehicel even with the upgraded DGI.
  • picantepicante Member Posts: 27
    edited December 2012
    Here is a long and interesting discourse on GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engines:
    GDI Problems In A Nutshell

    Here's some basic info:
    Wikipedia -- Gasoline direct injection

    The "takeaway" for me is that until a particular manufacturer has a proven track record with their GDI engine(s), they are a potential risk in terms of problems after 50K or so miles (your mileage may vary).

    I don't know about Kia's 4-cylinders, but as I mentioned earlier, we didn't want to buy the first Sorento model year (i.e., the 2014's) with a GDI V6 engine.

    If you distill it out, the potential benefit of GDI engines is slightly more power and potentially significantlly lower emissions. GDI and the several variations appear to exploit more sophisticated techniques but with accompanying complexity and narrower tolerances. My personal choice is to avoid new complexities (OK once they're proven and stable) and seek greater tolerance.
  • greforgrefor Member Posts: 34
    from flatontop
    What a day! 2 Costco dealers and one 1 truecar dealer. First off Truecar, I talked to the sales manager and the $1000 savings was... you guessed it wrong, I only qualified for an additional $500 but that expired 12-17-12 so now Costco and Truecar price are the same to the penny. The 2 Costco dealers were about $55 different. Best price $26,970 EX V6 Premium package plus Calif state fees.
    The price includes everything destination fees, dealer fees except what the cockroaches incharge of this state milk you for when buying a new car.

    Flatontop, did this offer actually pan out? If so, what incentives did it include?
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    grefor I'm still holding out, my problem was greed now it's mas greed in that I'm thinking about getting AWD although I don't need it where I live and if I had AWD more than likely I'd be 4x4ing in the desert, roll it over and die of thirst, then be eaten by coyotes and in the end my life would just be dog droppings. It wouldn't be the first car I've sat in upside down.
    The price of $26,970 (EX V6 premium pack) still in place until 12-31-12 I've got the offer sheet in front of me.
    I'm starting to get the feeling that the dealer monitors this board because a few days ago I said that one of the Costco dealers told me there was no more 5 seater models in the country and about 1 hour later the other Costco guy calls me up out of the clear blue to tell me there's a few heading to LA and one with the exact color scheme I wanted.
    So with that said...... "Hey mister dealer man, I'll cut you a check for $26,550 for the FWD or $28,550 AWD EX V6 premium pack & trailer hitch" plus I'll put you on my Xmas card list.
    I just can't let edl2 get the best price...

    '
  • greforgrefor Member Posts: 34
    Well I went ot the Costco site and put in my info and decided to test drive one of these babies. I went to a non Costco dealer 10 miles away with no intention of buying. The V6 has a sweet ride and I was loving it.

    The salesman was really nice and I told him I don't want to talk about MSRP. We went back and forth a bit and then I told him I could get it from Costco for $400-$500 under invoice. Sales manager came over and we haggled a bit more. I had a car to trade in that had minor issues and I told him what I wanted for that if I traded it in. To make a long story short I got a 6 cylinder EX AWD with the usual minor accessories for invoice less $2750 incentives ($1250 Competitor, $500 military, $1000 customer cash) and 0% APR.

    I'm very happy with the vehicle even though I could have gotten it a little cheaper. The Costco dealership was one of a group that I have dealt with in the past. I bought a Nissan Maxima and Honda Odyssey from them and while I def got a great price, the agita was not worth it.

    Great value on a solid vehicle with a lot of bells and whistles. Even my wife can back up with the rear camers display :D
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Hey grefor congratulations on your purchase....we have had ours for 2 months now and wife absolutely loves the car..same as you the V6 AWD EX..so glad went with the 6 cyl and the AWD ...you are right tons of bells and whistles for the money. We added the prem package because wanted the 3rd row and few other things that offered. Good luck
  • megawatts74megawatts74 Member Posts: 29
    Had our 2013 Kia Sorento SX AWD now for about two weeks and today we got hammered with over a foot of snow in a short period of time. The Sorento was a tank and plowed through it with ease. I had total control the whole time and the 6 speed Sportmatic transmission is very smooth. The sportmatic is great because it can be basically used as a clutch less manual transmission which is nice when the road conditions are bad. I am not at all regretting trading in our Acadia for this vehicle.
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    I know this isn't the right thread but what kind of mpg are you getting with you new AWD's? Still going back-n-forth about the FWD vs AWD. Still waiting for the last second deal. Choices are getting thin, not many AWD on the left coast, most are in black...deal breaker. :confuse:
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    Not great mileage..have the AWD V6..get about 18mpg...I think the MPG on the AWD vs FWD is just 1 mpg less
  • megawatts74megawatts74 Member Posts: 29
    Well the first two tank fulls, I got between 18 and 19 MPG... that was actual. The computer said 19 to 20. But since then, it's been pretty cold and we have been starting the car up 10 to 20 minutes before we go so the MPG dropped to about 16-17. Don't let the MPG persuade you one way or another between the FWD and AWD. It's very minimal between the two from what I have heard and read. But it is really nice to have in the snow.
  • albradalbrad Member Posts: 4
    edited December 2012
    MY SON HAS 2011 4cyl. I GET 24 HWY IN THAT AND 19. IN MANUAL SNOW AWD. I HAVE 2013 6 cyl AND AVG 23 mpg hwy AND 19 IN SNOW USING MANUAL AWD. WE HAVE NO OTHER ROADS WHERE WE LIVE EXCEPT COUNTRY ROADS AND HWY'S SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT CITY IS LIKE. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY RED LIGHTS HERE. SO MY MPG IS PROB. BETTER THAN MOST.

    ALBRAD
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    Well it's getting down to the last 7 days before my purchase, choices are getting thin, most cars left have the limited packages that I don't want or need. Starting to get cold feet about the Sorento because of the stiff seats :confuse: , drives like a tank and I will be spending 6 hrs at a time in the car. Any take's on seating comfort?
    I got the price I'm looking for but might have to settle for a silver color.
    $26,500 for the EX V6 option pack 2, cash price I only qualify for rebates of $2750.
  • edl2edl2 Member Posts: 35
    About 10 days ago I spent about 9hours driving in a 24 hour period ...three 3 hour trips...I was perfectly comfortable but dont expect the comfort of a Buick..I owned a couple of Buicks in past and they were like sitting on living room couch. Also last vehicle was a Nissan and now I drive a Ford and seating on these also more comfortable then the Kia but all were sedans. I would agree the seating is a bit stiff but with auto seat adjustments its easy to find a comfortable spot. I prefer a sedan drive for long trips but I certainly could see myself driving this from Pa to Myrtle Beach in the fall.
  • albradalbrad Member Posts: 4
    MAIN REASON WE BOUGHT LX WAS FOR CLOTH SEATS. THEY ARE MORE COMFORTABLE AND SLIGHTLY LARGER. DOES EX OFFER CLOTH SEATS SINCE LATE LX'S OFFER POWER SEAT IN CLOTH?
  • sideshowtomsideshowtom Member Posts: 1
    Buy the car! Got mine in August and I love it. Seats are fine for long drives. I saw the 2014 model at the LA Auto Show, and I think the 2013 is better.
  • picantepicante Member Posts: 27
    Wow! I am luvin' our new Sorento! (Recall that I've been a Nissan "bigot" for decades.)

    We picked up our 2013 Sorento EX V6 AWD (no packages) at the dealer in Ogden, UT. Dealer filled it with "Regular" (85 Octane).

    Day 1: Drove 300 miles on Interstate to Boise, ID. For most of the trip the speed was 75-80 mph with one stop for coffee. The last 45 minutes or so was 65-70 mph as snow flurries began.

    Day 2: Filled up with Super Premium. Drove 540 miles on Interstate to Eugene, OR. First half of trip was 60-80 mph (depending on road conditions) with one stop for breakfast. We also spent an hour, with engine idling, while we waited to detour around an awful bus wreck on I-84 at "Deadman Pass." (More on that later.) The second half of the trip was on 65-70 mph on dry pavement with one stop for gas (Shell V-Power).

    Based on the full-tank-to-full-tank gas consumption and odometer mileage, we got 21.66 mpg. The average cost for gas was 16.5 cents per mile.

    Driving report:

    This car handles great!

    Tons of power, with great torque for quick acceleration from standing stop or from any speed.

    We had to deal with a lot of thin accumulation of snow and ice, mostly with some sand, but some very slick spots. Sorento tracked and held excellently.

    The steering is very tight and quick. It's easy to oversteer, but once you adjust to how quick the response is, it's really nice. Very good road feedback, as well, providing a good sense of how you're holding to the road.

    The ride is stiff, as others have noted. To me, this is a plus because you have great control and road feedback. I don't find the ride "harsh," but this is not your Daddy's Lexus. Stability is great, no sway or bounce off the road surface.

    Visibility is great. Much better than the over-styled designs with constrained view to the rear.

    The automatic is so smooth you can hardly detect gear changes. Automatic downshifting on uphill was early and very smooth.

    Cruise control worked perfectly. Very smooth.

    I used the "Sportmatic" on a few occasions to manually downshift to 4th and 5th. Worked smoothly and provide the downhill resistance as desired.

    I used the "Center Differential Lock" on two occasions. Once on flat, packed snow and ice in town (Boise) and on an up-and-downhill, snow-packed road as we took the detour around the bus wreck. Traction was great in both case, although I plan to get snow & ice tires for winter driving in the Cascade Mountains.

    There is no engine noise except a satisfying sound when you accelerate fast.

    Tire noise is loud on rough pavements.

    Wind noise was low except for a period when a low whistle was noticeable. I think it may have been from ice accumulation on a roof rail and/or crossbar.

    There was a constant, annoying rattle from (I think) the right front wheel well. I haven't isolated it yet, but I think it may be caused by wind shaking a flexible plate mounted under the wheel well. The dealer should have caught this, and I'm sure it can be corrected.

    Windshield wipers are conventional, low-end type. They froze and were spotty. I've already replaced them with top-end Bosch wipers, which is what I put on our other cars.

    Headlights seemed adequate.

    Interior lighting and instrumentation was good, although I'm not a big fan of red. The "estimated range" was dead-on, which was nice.

    Seats were very good. My wife found them near "perfect." I'm long-legged, so they were a little short (compared to my Nissan Frontier 4x4). However, I felt very comfortable and stable for the long segments of driving.

    Wonderful leg room, head room and shoulder room for a fairly big guy (6'2" and 230 lbs). Note that our EX does not have a sunroof, which would reduce the headroom somewhat.

    Sound system quality is good; but not outstanding.

    Temperature control was good.

    Let me know if there are any other items you're interested in.

    * * * * * *

    We had been travelling north on I-84 right with the bus that crashed and killed 9 people, but stopped in Baker City for half an hour for breakfast. As a result, we came up to the stopped traffic about a half hour after the wreck. The interstate for a few miles climbing up to Deadman Pass was incredibly icy, and we were just lucky we didn't get involved in any accidents. There had been another fatal accident on I-84 a little further west earlier that morning, and we had seen two cars rolled on their roofs off the road, plus several other remains of accidents. That kept us in full mind of the fact that AWD is no "miracle" solution for icy conditions, especially without studded tires.

    So, everybody ... enjoy your Sorentos, but BE SAFE!
  • melandsmelands Member Posts: 3
    AWD V6 LX model:

    Only a few options were included:
    wheel locks, cargo net, iPod adapter, bumper cover

    $23,000 before TTL (I got 2,750 in incentives)

    Thanks for the advice on the forum and good luck to others!
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    Great to hear about your driving experience but so sorry for the families/victims of the bus crash.
    I have a question about the AWD, You talked about locking up the AWD, do you mean you have the option of running in FWD ONLY mode? Or is the AWD automatically engaged when necessary with the option to manually lock it up? The sales people I've talked to seem to say what you want to hear and not necessarily the facts.
    6 months ago I rented a new Jeep for 3 weeks and liked the option to release the 4x4 to exclusively 4x2 mode, we got great mpg in FWD. I doubt that my wife will let me buy a AWD after what I put her through with the Jeep, took it to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Death Valley and every patch of dirt in-between, if there was a rock in the road I'd run it over. If I can find a base model V6 ex AWD I’m buying it but I don’t think there’s any within 300 miles, so it’s probably the V6 ex fwd pac2. I had seconds thought about the Sorrento and test drove the Equinox and liked it but the $7k in price jump was too much, the Traverse was a better fit for me but @ $10k more not doable.
    If you’re a fairly large man @ 6’2- 230lbs that makes me a huge (fat) one @ 6’2 - 330lbs thus the reason I’m getting a new car. Last Jan 7th I bet my wife I could drop 150lbs in 1 year she responded “if you lose the weight you can buy the car of your choice, if not the choice is mine”. Thank god I won’t be driving around in a red Camaro. Next Monday it’s weigh in day and then off to the dealership. Maybe next week I’ll get her to bet on a boat or… a Harley? err…not, one horrific murdercycle accident a lifetime is enough for me.
  • ennui101ennui101 Member Posts: 7
    Bus crash was horrible. Saw it on the news tonight; pictures were scary and one survivor apparently said driver was going too fast.

    But reason for my post is to answer question on "locking" AWD. What that means is that you can lock the drives of all the wheels together so that even if one wheel (or two or three) are on loose or slick pavement, all wheels turn. This is very helpful on sand, mud, other slick surfaces.
  • picantepicante Member Posts: 27
    edited December 2012
    It's important to understand exactly what you get with the Sorento (or alternative) "AWD." From the "Owner's Manual" ...

    "4WD Auto (4WD LOCK is deactivated) ... Vehicle operates similar to conventional 2WD under normal operating conditions. However, if the system determines that there is a need for 4WD mode, the engine's driving power is distributed to all four wheels automatically without driver intervention."

    "4WD LOCK ... This mode automatically begins to deactivate at speeds above 19 mph and is shifted to 4WD AUTO mode at speed above 25 mph."

    So ... "locking center differential" is a bit of a misnomer, since (according to this description) the center differential is fully "locked" only below 20 mph.

    In any case, when the center differential is not locked, if any one wheel is slipping, all the power would normally be sent to the slipping wheel, and you would be stuck. However, according to Kia, "The advanced Traction Control System (TCS) can sense wheel spin during acceleration. When it does, it uses a combination of engine power and brake force to transfer power to the wheels that have the most traction, providing both increased control and enhanced responsiveness."

    Now, when the center differential is actually locked, power is always sent to both front and rear axles. Thus, even without TCS, if either axle has both wheels getting traction, then those wheels can pull/push the vehicle even though the other axle has one or both wheels spinning (and therefore isn't providing any push or pull).

    ennui101's comment wasn't quite accurate. Leaving TCS aside, with the center differential locked, if at least one wheel on each axle is slipping, you're still stuck. TCS attempts to mitigate this problem by applying braking force to each slipping wheel so some power still gets transferred to a wheel with traction.

    How well the combination of "locking center differential" and TCS will all work in practice can only be determined by experience. However, the ability to lock the center differential when you're trying to get going on snow or ice (or mud) does provide an advantage over a center differential that can't be locked.

    Here is a technical Comparsion of AWD and 4WD systems
  • flatontopflatontop Member Posts: 20
    Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc 4 more nights before I wake up to my new Sorento, I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa Clause & waiting is proving out to be very lucrative. It gets confusing when they offer so many styles and options.
    On the stiff seating issue I have, the limited Pac comes with different seats that are harder, wider & air cooled. I took a ride in the EX with option pack2 and the seats are comfortable enough. Also the UVO display was quite a bit smaller. But as long as it's Bluetooth capable I'm ok with it. I'll post the outcome Monday.
    Happy New Year!
  • n3tton3tto Member Posts: 13
    Carmax has 339 Kias for sale! They also have a ton of Kias with 7-9k miles!

    Q) Why are so many people trading in low mileage Kias?
  • side_show_tomside_show_tom Member Posts: 22
    I think you mean Sorentos, not Kias. Today they had 288 Sorentos for sale from 2011-2013 across the country. Or maybe you are not setting the search parameters correctly. Of the 288 Sorentos for sale today, 217 were LX models, or the base model. If you look at the prior use most say rental, or fleet, so they are fleet turn ins. About 40 or so models were the EX model, the middle trim model, many also said fleet, or loaner. About 30 were top of the line SX model.

    Very few 2013's, mostly 2011 & 2012. 2011 was the start of this restyled model. What impressed me was the great resale value that Carmax assigns to the cars, which is not negotiable. Most 2012 SX AWD's with 8-20K miles on them were priced only $3-4K less than what I paid new for my 2013.
  • n3tton3tto Member Posts: 13
    As of today Carmax had 202 2012-2013 Sorentos for sale!

    As for price Carmax tends to be a bit higher than other dealers because they have a fixed price and stand behind their guarantee.

    The comment posted by "Steve" makes sense. There's a new model about to hit the market and the dealers are selling off their inventory as possibly as "fleet".

    I think I'll hold off until closer to April to see how they are pricing the Sorento with the new model about to be released. We should see Carmax drop their prices as well!
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