That’s a stretch

2016 KIA SORENTO SXL AWD

Every automaker wants to be considered progressive. For Kia, one of its latest examples of moving in a refined direction is the 2016 Sorento.

The one-time compact sport-utility vehicle is on a growth spurt, gaining three inches over the previous version with the additional space being found across the board as it heads into the midsize category.

Former Wheels editors Jimmy Dinsmore and Dave Mikesell recently took the Sorento for a spin.

DAVE: The Sorento that greets you on the roadway has a striking appeal for an SUV. A more prominent grille is accented by elongated headlights that lead to finely sculpted side panels. The big attraction for me, though, are the quad-LED foglights on each side up front.

JIMMY: This model year, the Sorento is completely redesigned. In addition to the handsome new looks Dave mentioned, the interior gets a boost in both material quality and overall capacity. As part of the redesign, the Sorento gains in length, and the second-row passengers are the big winners. The 2016 Sorento has almost an inch more of legroom, and even the third-row passengers will notice a little more room. Although, let's be clear, like most SUVs, the third-row area is best suited for children. Cargo room with the third row upright is still limited at 11 cubic feet, which is kind of disappointing. However, fold those seats flat (with a very simple process) and you have a healthy 38.8 cubic feet of space. Fold the second row flat and you have a tremendous amount of cargo room at 73.5 cubic feet.

DAVE: Kia provides three engines for the Sorento, a 185-horsepower 4-cylinder, a new 240-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and a 290-hp 3.3-liter gasoline direct-injected V6. We tested the latter over 400-plus miles and were thankful for it - and would have been even more so if we had needed to tow anything since it is rated up to 5,000 pounds for that purpose. The 4-cylinder engine does get 3 more mpg than the V6 and is in a more affordable package if that is your desire.

JIMMY: The GDI engine is definitely my choice of the three engines. It's both powerful and fuel efficient. The overall ride is quite smooth, and at times makes you think you're driving a luxury vehicle like a Lexus, as it's amazingly quiet. This is a noticeable improvement over the previous-generation Sorento. Typically GDI engines have a slight clicking sound, but you don't notice much engine or road noise. I also appreciated the driver select modes where you can choose how you want to drive (normal, eco or sport). Of course, if you ever give me that option, I'm going with sport. Although, I will say, in this instance, I found the Sorento performed best in normal mode, as the steering was way too tight in sport mode and the sport mode just felt awkward.

DAVE: Sorentos come in five trim levels - L, LX, EX, SX and SX Limited - and 15 price points ranging from $24,900 to $43,100 due to the three different engines and either front- or all-wheel drive. While I enjoy the simplicity of vehicle models that come in one form with one price, there's something to be said for having the option of getting into a line with just the necessities or being able to load up with the bells and whistles.

JIMMY: Two words Dave: ventilated seats. This is my favorite feature in vehicles. And the cooled (and heated) seats are available on the SX Limited trim. Other nice additions on this top-of-the-line trim include 19 inch wheels (which surprisingly don't inhibit the drive performance or road feel), LED tail lights and all the cool sensor-based safety features like front collision detection, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

DAVE: Our tester was the SXL so it came with the two-person third-row bench that folds in a 50/50 split manner. The cargo space behind this third-row seat is 11 cubic feet but with the third-row seats down space grows to 38.8 cubic feet. Should you just be hauling, the second-row seats also fold and allow for 73.5 cubic feet of space. Yep, the Sorento grows on you.

JIMMY: Kia knocks it out of the park with the redesigned Sorento. They show that they are in tune with the consumer demands for maximum space in an SUV. Also, most consumers don't want the huge SUVs that just drive too big. So, Kia delivers this Sorento which performs more like a crossover, but still gives 7-passenger capability and expands the overall interior space. Now that's a good thing!

David Mikesell is a freelance automotive reviewer based in Indianapolis. Jimmy Dinsmore is a freelance automotive journalist.