Kia Sorento SX Review

I’ve had a lot of cars in my life. I have had an Oldsmobile, a Crysler, two Chevys, a Nissan & a Hyundai. {&I’ve only had my license for a combined total of 6 years. Go figure.} &That’s not to mention Justin’s Chevy, two Mazda’s or his current Volkswagen. But thanks to the recent opportunity I had to test drive the Kia Sorento SX, it’s been confirmed that the next car we buy will be a Kia!

A few months ago, we test drove the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid for a week. We took it on a weekend road trip to San Diego {which is when Justin proposed, actually} & then drove it around town for a few days after that- and I have to say that I fell completely in love. The one thing about it was that I had told myself I was done with sedans after my current car & I really wanted an SUV.

Enter the Kia Sorento SX! As far as I’m concerned, it’s almost the exact same as the Optima Hybrid, but bigger! Okay, so it’s not a hybrid, but the driver’s seat has a cooling system- and living in Vegas, that’s a fair trade to me.

The Sorento has other great features, too, like the power folding mirrors that you can fold with the touch of a button- perfect for parking in tight spaces {my current car may have a ding on the passenger mirror from hitting the side of the garage}.

The SUV has third-row seating that can easily be folded down to turn into additional trunk space. Since we just have a family of three, we definitely don’t need that third row, which is good because when the seats are up the trunk space is pretty small. It’s enough to get by, and the third row seating makes this car great for large families, but we would rather have the extra trunk space since we still travel with a stroller. But I appreciate that it’s an option! You can also fold down just one seat, which I think is a pretty great option too.

Now here’s where I once again make my disclaimer about how girly I am when it comes to cars: I love cars. I do. But I don’t care about V6 engines or torque. In fact, I have no idea what torque is. But cars are a huge part of our everyday life so I definitely care about some aspects- like the inside. {After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?} Kia never fails to impress me with their interiors- from the high quality materials used to make their seats to the beautiful dashboards with enough settings to make you think you’re in a spaceship, I have fallen head over heels with Kias for their interiors alone.

I already mentioned that the driver’s side seat has a cooling system- but it bares repeating. I am a huge fan of heated seats {which this vehicle has on both front seats} and while my current car doesn’t have that option, I do use it in Justin’s car during the winter. But I live in Vegas, and it is HOT in the summer. I literally have to turn my car on, crank up the A/C & wait five minutes to get in because the seat is so hot & the steering wheel is too hot to touch without literally burning my hand. So to have a seat cooling option just makes me want to go out & buy the Sorento today.

That’s not the only convenience added for drivers, either. This car has all the good stuff, like Bluetooth compatibility {and a cord to hardwire your phone to the dash} with steering wheel controls, a great navigation system & a whole lot more bells &whistles. &It has keyless entry, which I’m super obsessed with since I can never find my keys in my purse.

Even Shane loves this vehicle- when we had it at our house, he asked to go out & sit in it to “pretend drive” every day! I’m not sure if our next car will be an Optima Hybrid or a Sorento, but either way it’s definitely going to be a Kia!

What is your must-have feature for any car or SUV?

Note: I was provided a vehicle to drive for a week to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. Also, please excuse the stock images- my camera decided to hate me.