As has Kia few brands have ascended as convincingly from near oblivion. Run your eyes and it is tough to see products which were once lure for subprime buyers shopping for low monthly premiums. Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain - of-the-barrel quality and subpar resale values in preceding years. However, the arrival of the layout of Peter Schreyer place a face on the high-speed progress to driving dynamics, construct quality that actually began coming together in the 2011 Sorento, and attribute content. Unexpectedly Kia merchandises transitioned into something a little more tasteful and aspirational from usedcar stand ins with great bang-for-dollar worth.

That tendency is continued by the 2016 Sorento. The tiger nostrils in the grille flare of the crossover broadly now on what's the third-bestselling Kia behind Soul hatchback and the Optima sedan. The appearance is upscale with a preponderance of superior and sophistication and balanced percentages in and outside -appearance and -feel stuff encouraging the cottage that--we'll only say it--would do a Lexus or Audi crossover proud. A three-inch reach in overall length this year requires the Sorento as the 2015 Lexus RX350 to about exactly the same size nose-to-tail.

The turbo will replace the V6 in future iterations as Kia moves to meet tougher fuel economy goals. But for now the direct-injected 3.3-liter V6 is the best option for all around performance and drivability, particularly in the all-wheel-drive 4313-pound SX version we examined. It is additionally an excellent fit for the smooth style of the Sorento. It's a pleasant sound, considerable torque, and pulls to its 6500-rpm redline. The six-speed automatic offers clean, sharp shifts.

This crossover isn't a slouch, either.

Nevertheless, the 2016 Sorento--in V6, turbo four, or another guise--will not be challenging the Germans for fast-lane twisty or -road domination. Instead, the made-in-the-U.S.A. 2016 Kia Sorento is a crossover that is quite comfortable in its own skin. Despite using column-mounted electrical-steering boost, the Sorento is not quite as talkative as the most effective German systems, although weighting has become fairly great. Nevertheless, the Korean composed at speed and is quiet, very well made in, has comfy and supportive front seats, is steady, and feels quite sturdy. While the foundation L and mid-level LX and EX trims provide plenty of typical gear for the dollar, Limited and the SX dunk over a toe into premium land--for tens of thousands of dollars less than premium-brand entries. We had call a victor.

https://youtu.be/liijiFW-aYs
2016 Kia Sorento V-6