2012 Kia Sorento Test Drive {Review}

I grew up with a car fanatic for a father. He sure did love his cars! Looking back, it seems like my dad had a new car every year or so. He had a need for speed, so most of his cars were fast, but regardless of what kind of car he had, he always cared about them and kept them nice, inside, outside and under the hood. Needless to say, I learned a lot about cars and knew my way around them.

Not only did I grow up with a car fanatic, I married one too. In fact, I think my dad and my husband bonded pretty quickly because of their love for fast cars. They use to attend car shows, go to the race track, and seemed to always talk cars when they were together.

When Brian and I got married and our family grew, he had to give up his need for speed and instead focused on practicality, and even luxury. He said goodbye to his sports car and said hello to a 4 door family car. Since then, we focus more on space than anything else. Not only do we have two kids, but we also have a large dog, so we need room. I currently drive a very large SUV, so when I had the opportunity to test drive the 2012 Kia Sorento, I was excited to see if I could get by with something a little smaller.

Here are some facts about the Kia Sorento that might interest you:

• The Kia Sorento is manufactured in America at Kia’s U.S. facility in West Point, Georgia.
• The 2011 Sorento won a prestigious Red Dot Design Award in an internationally acclaimed design competition in Germany.
• Kelly Blue Book recognized Kia as the brand with the Lowest Total Cost of Ownership for 2011.
• The luxuriously appointed interior of the Kia Sorento easily accommodates seven passengers and has ample cargo room.
• Bold styling and high-tech features like Kia’s exclusive UVO Infotainment System powered by Microsoft® (available for 2012) has made the Sorento Kia’s most popular vehicle in the U.S.

Now, I have to admit that up until I actually drove this car, I most likely would not have considered purchasing a Kia. As I mentioned, I grew up around nice cars and have pretty high standards when it comes to what I will drive. When I thought of Kia, I always thought of a low-end, affordable car that wasn't necessarily NICE. Boy was I wrong! The 2012 Kia Sorento is a NICE ride!

I was immediately impressed when I saw the Kia Sorento! The exterior was a bright silver color, and the car had a nice style to it.

The Sorento had some nice touches on the outside like the Turn Signal Indicators on the Power Folding Outside Mirrors, and the shiny 10-spoke Mirror-finish Alloy Wheels.

Once I got inside the Sorento, I also thought the interior was very stylish. The seats were two-toned leather and there was wood trim along the dash and the doors. The front seats are heated, and the driver's seat is even air cooled! That is a fabulous feature to have here in Florida! The Sorento is quite roomy inside. Once we put our huge car seats in the back, there was still plenty of leg room for the kids.

One of the best features of the Sorento, and the one that my kids particularly loved, was the panoramic sunroof. It started in the front, and went all the way back over the middle row of seats. The back half of the sunroof didn't actually open, but the kids liked being able to see up through the glass.

The Sorento has third row seats, but with car seats in the second row, there is no way to get to that third row. We folded the third row down flat to have some extra cargo area. After all, I did have it during Thanksgiving week and we had a road trip planned, along with a few shopping trips.

The cargo area (with the third row of seats flat) was very roomy. Now, it wasn't as roomy as my huge SUV, but there was plenty of room for my friend's suitcases when I had to pick her and her son up from the airport after doing some Christmas shopping, and plenty of room for several bags after a shopping trip.

So now that you have seen what it looks like, I'm sure you want to know how it drives, right? I was even more impressed with the way this car drove than all of the fancy interior and exterior features!

Thanks to my dad and husband, I also tend to like fast cars. Even though I can't go speeding down the highway in a two seater sports car, I still like some get-up-and-go when I press down on the gas pedal. The Sorento certainly didn't disappoint me there. It had plenty of speed, and even when I needed to pass someone at higher speeds, it was quick to take off when I needed it to.

The Sorento handled well too. In fact, the ride is so smooth that there were plenty of times I was over the speed limit and didn't even realize it! OK, so I have a lead foot.

We had planned to take the Sorento on a road trip for Thanksgiving, but Rylie ended up with a fever the day before, so we had to stay home. I do a lot of highway driving on my commute to and from work, so I was able to drive the Sorento at several different speeds and driving conditions. It was great for running errands and all of my holiday shopping too. I had so much fun driving this for the week I had it!

The drive is even more enjoyable with the Infinity Surround Sound Audio System that comes with a 3 month complimentary subscription to SIRIUS Satellite Radio. This car was also equipped with Navigation, which I definitely need since I would be lost without it. The dash and all of the controls were very easy to reach. The only problem we had is that when the sun was coming in through the windows and shining directly on it, it was hard to see the screen.

There is one thing that I absolutely did not like about this car, and that was the chrome trim on the dash. When the sun hit this just right, it was literally blinding! I had a hard time driving to work in the mornings because of this, even with my sunglasses on. Sure, it looks nice, but not when the sun is reflecting off of it and causing you to squint while you're driving.

The total MSRP of the particular Sorento I test drove was $35,450. Everything was included in the base price, except the sunroof, which was an additional $1,500. When I first told my husband and my boss the price of this car, they both said "For a Kia?!?!" My boss even said "Why would I pay that much money for a Kia when I can get a {insert another brand here} for that price?" My answer: "Why not?"

The Kia Sorento is a NICE car. It is right in line with several other "high-end" brands as far as the features and the handling of the car. When I asked them what was different about those other brands over the Kia, they really couldn't give me an answer. I think many people, including myself, have the misconception that Kias are "cheap", and I am telling you that there is nothing "cheap" about this car.

After my husband removed the car seats and the DVD players the night before we had to give the car back, he came in the house and said "yeah, that is a nice car, I wouldn't mind having one of those." He really enjoyed driving it. And remember, this is a guy who loves cars.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Kia Sorento for a family that needs more room than a trunk can offer. This would be great for a family of up to four or five that likes to travel, or is running around to different extra-curricular activities on a daily basis. If you have older kids who do not require car seats, the third row has plenty of room for friends that want to come along on your fun adventures.

As far as this family goes, for now we have to keep our large SUV as our main car. If we go away for the weekend, our 60 pound golden retriever has to come with us, and unfortunately, the cargo area in the Sorento is not big enough for her and all of our stuff. However, this would be a perfect second car for us for those times when we don't need the extra space my big SUV offers. This is way more fun to drive, and would also save a little on gas.

For more information about the 2012 Kia Sorento, visit Kia Motors America online. You can also follow Kia on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest news.

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I was given the opportunity to test drive the Kia Sorento for a week, along with a gift card to cover fuel expenses. No other compensation was received. I was very sad to see this awesome car leave my driveway when that week was over.