Review: 2019 Kia Sorento First Drive
The 2019 Kia Sorento arrives at a unique time in the history of the Korean brand. No longer a hungry challenger to the established automotive order thanks to years of providing consistently excellent options across a wide swathe of vehicle segments, and poised mid-shift between value-oriented badge and style-focused mainstream player, Kia has arrived. It's an exciting moment for anyone planning Kia's future.
It's also exactly the wrong time to make any sweeping, meddlesome changes to the models that have helped the company get where it is - which is why the refreshed Kia Sorento feels like exactly the right direction for a very popular, and capable, SUV to take.
Minor Changes for a Major Player
Make no mistake: the Sorento is one of, if not the most important nameplate in the entire Kia stable, a family hauler that has sold in the six digits for the past seven years in North America, until a shorter 2018 model-year ended that impressive streak.
For 2019, then, there's no point in messing with success, and for the most part the updates that have been applied to the Sorento qualify as evolutionary rather than revolutionary. In fact, if you look quickly enough, you might strain to see the primary visual indicators that separate the new crossover from the old. These include a new set of rims, a revised front fascia, and a different rear treatment. Seen in profile, it's difficult to pick the refresh out of a lineup, and that's not a bad thing given how handsome the outgoing rig was.
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