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Final Decision

8K views 52 replies 9 participants last post by  tt101 
#1 ·
Well as I have posted I have been shopping for a new ride. As posted I have test driven every vehicle in this CUV class. I narrowed my final three to; Ford Edge, Dodge Journey and the Kia Sorento.

This week I test drove the final three again and today I made my final decision. I purchased a 2015 Sorento EX (w/o panoramic roof) in Satin Metal. Got a great deal I thought ending up at 5% over invoice. Also got $17K for my 2010 SF LTD with 74K. The $1500 refund also helped. Was really happy and the sales lady I dealt with was really great! After driving the final three again the final decision was easy. There was no comparison when you get right down to the basics as the Sorento just out shines the competition when it comes to standard equipment and overall bang for the buck. Will pick up on Monday and I really can't wait to get it home and get a coat of wax on it. We couldn't really decide on the color and it was between the new Sterling Silver (Bright Silver), Titanium and the Satin. When we put them side by side we felt that the Satin was the nicer color. We have has four silver vehicles before and we felt the Titanium was just a little too dark and too common at least here, The Satin seems to change tones and is more on the taupe side.

Anyway the shopping is over for another three years. Had fun but this is a very confusing market these days. About the only thing we wish it had was a bigger screen for the infotainment. But on the other hand when we tried out the Edge with MFT and the Journey with the Uconnect we both found that we were playing with the screen a little too much. Maybe we did not need the distraction. I am an old school kind of guy and I kinda like the knobs and buttons.
Thanks for all the input from everyone as it really helps to have everyone available when questions and opinions are asked for. Have to update my profile now as a proud new owner of a 2015 Sorento. Now I feel more at home on this forum and it is one of the best out there.

Thanks again everyone.:beer:
 
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#3 ·
I went through the almost identical decission process, I did also include the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Cherokee and the Nissan Murano.

The Murano was almost the winner, a little more expensive than the Sorento, but it has a soft dash top and a few more upscale appearances. But the trunk area is to small when the rear seat is up, and my tow dogs (a Rottweiler Black Lab mix and a Black & Tan Coonhound) would not have fit there.
The Sorento it was!

The two most disliked vehicles I drove was the Ford Edge (it has, in my opinion, terribly uncomfortable seats) and the Dodge Journey (which is a big tin box).
 
#4 ·
I went through the almost identical decission process, I did also include the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Cherokee and the Nissan Murano.

The Murano was almost the winner, a little more expensive than the Sorento, but it has a soft dash top and a few more upscale appearances. But the trunk area is to small when the rear seat is up, and my tow dogs (a Rottweiler Black Lab mix and a Black & Tan Coonhound) would not have fit there.
The Sorento it was!

The two most disliked vehicles I drove was the Ford Edge (it has, in my opinion, terribly uncomfortable seats) and the Dodge Journey (which is a big tin box).
I thought we were on the same page when we talked about VAG stuff, now that your mentioning soft touch dash, I KNOW we are on the same page here. So many people over-look it, I hate that the sorento doesn't have it and the optima/rondo do
 
#7 ·
I too went through a similar decision process before picking the 2014 LX. I test drove 12 different CUV'S/SUV'S. My top 3 were the Edge, Equinox, and Sorento. I liked the Equinox MPG but did not like the slanted dash board. The Edge had a smooth ride but was not worth $5K more then the Sorento. And let's face it you can not beat the Sorento warranty.
 
#17 ·
I also looked at the Equinox.
Found it to be very cheap. If you push on the doors the metal is so thin it sounds like you are pressing on the bottom of an oil can. Roof is the same. Also interior is really bad, dash is hard to reach, cargo area is very small and the carpets are very cheap. There is no pile to them. Like you said the Edge was pricey and still weren't getting what you get in the EX. ;)
 
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#11 ·
I purchased a 2015 Sorento EX (w/o panoramic roof) in Satin Metal.
Congrats man! You finally pulled the trigger.

The only thing I'd like to be not plastic and a softer material, is the top of the door edge, on the window frame/pane. In the summer I rest my arm on there if the windows are down, and occasionally would even with the windows up, but it can hurt sometimes to rest your arm on there...
Exactly. I don't mind hard plastics on areas that I will not be touching. But it would have been nice to have some padding on the window sill. I have been debating whether I want to take it to an auto upholster and see how much they would charge to add 1 or 2mm of padding and leather wrapping the plastic there. Or the cheap and ugly solution would be to attach a cut out pad via velcro sticky tape to the sill.
 
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#12 ·
When I am just cruising, I prefer to hold the steering wheel with my left arm at the 9, 10 or 11 o'clock position of the steering wheel. This means I like to prop my elbow on the window sill.

Yes, you can rest your elbow on the arm rest of the door, but then I can only reach the 7 o'clock position of the steering wheel. That is not as safe hand position if you suddenly have to make an emergency maneuver. Having hands relatively near the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions is the most optimal for emergency maneuvers.

I guess I can always wear long sleeved sweaters with elbow pads. LOL.
 
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#16 ·
Look at my post above, I talked about how old cars all had it lol. We're on the same page I guess!. But with newer technology, I have rarely seen any cracked soft dashes in the last 10 years....none actually. The only car I know is notorious for cracked and warped dash is the 2003-2008 infiniti fx....everything else holds up remarkable well.
 
#25 ·
I just kinda hate the thought of unrolling and rolling it it back up all the time when using it. The accordion-folding ones are much quicker but . . . they aren't custom cut and fitted to any particular vehicle where this one is.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I agree, it can be a really huge pain in the butt sometimes. You should try parking while facing north as much as possible, or the opposite of where the sun is. when you can't, or if your expecting to be somewhere for a long time, then use the sun blind.

It is nice that those blinds are custom made to fit the vehicle, but its not necessary, and at $40 that's pretty darn expensive for a sun blind. I would just get anyone and give it a try.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Are you guys aware that all modern vehicles have UV protected glass all around. That is the reason you don't see cracked/damaged interiors anymore. The primary purpose of a windshield shade is to reduce temperatures. The surfaces will still get hotter with the sun hitting them, than when they are shaded, which drives up the overall temp inside. I always use a shade of some sort in the summer, and it does help.
 
#32 ·
EXCELLENT POINT!.....I completely forgot about that...that's a failure on my part.

I was also going to mention that a light tint on the front windows would make a world of difference. I have seen this product that claims to reflect the sun and people who had it were hooked on it....I forgot the name but its like a clear film but its reflective.
 
#33 ·
Well guys picked up my new Sorento today. I cannot say enough about the experience. The sales person we dealt with was a female and she was exceptional. She knew her product, spent an hour with us today going over all of the features, set up my phone, the UVO system and ensuring we knew how everything worked before we left the dealership. With out a doubt the best sales experience I have ever had. Love the new ride! The only thing I noticed on the way home was that the ride was a little hard. Got home and found the tires were inflated to 38 lbs and they should be 33. I have since corrected. Should make a difference. Washed it when I got home even though it did not need it however I am going to wax it tomorrow so I wanted to make sure not dirt on surface.

Currently reading over the manual to get acquainted with all of the new features. Will spend some time in the car tomorrow getting more familiar with the UVO etc. By the way I started a new thread in regards to the tires that came on my 2015. Mabe you could post a thread if you have time in regards to my question.

Will keep posting in regards to what is happening.
 
#35 ·
Congrats on your new ride!
I am still waiting for mine to get its new engine installed. They upgraded my free loaner today, and switched me from the brand new Chevy Cruse into a brand new Chevy Equinox. Not a bad ride either! what i like with it is the fact that it shows the actual pressure of every individual tire all the time!
 
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#42 · (Edited)
Yup, heaven forbid people should actually do things like oh, check their own tire pressure once every couple of weeks (TPMS system), or look behind them when backing out of a driveway (rear camera and back up monitors) or check their blind spots when changing lanes themselves (blind spot monitors) or even keep a safe distance between them and the car in front of them when driving along, and then even have to step on the brakes when the car slows down in front of them, all by themselves (auto vehicle space monitoring and braking on some new cars) haha!!!

God, I want to be able to text, watch movies, talk on my phone when I'm driving, I don't need to be 'inconvenienced' by having to do things like, oh, I don't know, pay attention and actually drive my vehicle now, do I?

:p

It gets worse than that, and soon you may have your wish to being able to be conveniently chauffeured around by just the car itself. Just updated in the news today (locally in the Bay Area of California), Google has been testing their "self-driving" cars for the past few years around test tracks and even some streets in Mountain View (headquarters city).

They say they should be fully operational around 2017, not really that far off. Of course, there's a lot of legal wrangling to do, and sensors would have to be installed in, or alongside the streets, some of which has already happened for their testing. But it's coming.

They say even now the cars can identify and maneuver around construction zones, pedestrians jay-walking and even recognize bicyclists (and their hand signals) plus hundreds of others distractions, situations and danger issues all at the same time.

Coincidentally, when I had my Sorento in for service at the dealer a week and a half ago, I saw a whole line (maybe 6-8) Kia Souls parked along the side of the building as I was walking to get my car from the parking lot. They all had a hand written piece of paper hung of the rear-view mirror inside that said "Sold To Google". I wonder if these are designated for further testing, or just part of their fleet?

Further info on this can be found here:

Google's Self Driving Cars
 
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