2008 Kia Sorento Exterior Review [ 2007 ]
Based on analysis of 22 Sorento reviews and test drives.
Exterior - What the Auto Press Says
Reviewers are mixed about the looks of the 2008 Kia Sorento. Some call it good-looking, but BusinessWeek says, "The Sorento doesn't look that different from most of the other mid-size SUVs in the parking lot."
Last year, the updated Sorento underwent what Cars.com calls a "mild facelift." Improvements made in 2007 included updated front and rear fascias and side moldings. The new front fascia resembles Kia's smaller Sportage SUV with a multi-slat grille, narrower air dam and larger headlights with orange borders. Kelley Blue Book says the flared wheel arches and wide side moldings "impart a feeling of solidity."
BusinessWeek says the Sorento's most distinctive exterior feature is its side windows, with unusually high sills that "curve down sharply almost to a point at either end, and are augmented in back by small, triangular side windows."
Overall, reviewers praise the updated look, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calling it a "stylish family car" and that "at a quick glance, you could very well mistake the Sorento for the M-Class Mercedes-Benz." Kelley Blue Book agrees, saying the mid-sized vehicle's resemblance to an upscale SUV make it "equally adept at shuttling business clients as it is the kids and family dog."
