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I cannot say that I’m unhappy with my Sorrento would be too much. To say that I’m a little more than annoyed with KIA would be too little. At some point I found out that KIA motors built the Sorrento to compete with higher-end midsize SUV like BMW X5. They compete on price, and they lose sorely. My previous car was a BMW X5, my today’s car is an 05 KIA Sorrento. Sorrento had a better interior, more comfortable seats, better options and all of that at about 30% less money, it was wonderful, and then I drove it.
It’s ok, it drives, sort of. The automatic transmission sucks, the acceleration sucks even worse, and then talking about road handling at high speeds – well let’s be positive it is a big adrenalin rush, especially for those suicidal types. Since got on it straight from BMW I can tell you first hand, it is nothing like competition, not even close.
After driving it for a while I came to an inevitable and unavoidable conclusion – I needed to put some more gas in it. Has anyone ever heard of a defective fuel tank before? No, not leaking, the cut-off valve was working overtime cutting off the fuel all the time. It took me like forty-five minutes to fill the tank. People of KIA dealership Dulles Motor Cars in Leesburg, VA at first tried to explain to me that I did not how to put gas in a car, then tried to suggest that I got a defective gas station (I tried 3 different ones), and then they graciously agreed to take a look at the car. Luckily for me it rained on the day before so one of the headlights gotten all fogged out, so it saved a extra trip to the dealership. Let me recount – brand spanking new car with a defective fuel tank(!) and a defective headlight(!). Can anyone spell QA/QC?
Now I’m a proud owner of an almost functioning vehicle. I’m having some troubles with the overhead compass/console thingy because it insists on showing the temperature in the degrees Celsius, which is very useful in America. Another useful thing it shows is the altitude above the sea level, in meters, of course, but because it is so useful in a car, I don’t mind. In fact I enjoy taking a loop around the block and see me arrive at my parking spot about 20 meters below my original altitude, or sometimes I arrive to work and after the full day in the sun the car soars up to 35 meters above sea level higher than it was in the morning. Sometimes when leave my home I go west, sometimes south-west, and occasionally it is east. Need I say that take the exact same streets to get to the highway? How does my car manages to switch the polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field shell remain a trade secret of KIA Motors Co.
And last but not least – when I bought the car I was graciously given a “free” oil changes for every 7,500 miles. That’s very gracious of you, oh grand and exalted KIA. What they didn’t tell you that in order to get the “free” oil you need to get the not so free “service” to go with it. Let me make it plain to you – in order to get the oil change that costs $37.50 for free I need to pay $39 for a “service” on a brand spanking new car with not even 10,000 miles on it. And what is even better that so called “service” consists of checks and balances that good old BMW did for free every time you parked your car in the lot. Yesterday I greatly enjoyed talking to the team coordinator of the KIA dealership Dulles Motor Cars in Leesburg, VA, who showed me KIA-published flier with all the small-print being there. I can’t even blame the sleazy salesman, because apparently it is the sleazy company. Maybe someone just could not translate the original Korean hieroglyphics and used the best word they could come up with – “free”. Because I’m pretty sure that in the original brochure it said that nothing is free, but if you wanted to buy this ever so slightly more expensive, but at the same time utterly useless service, we will throw in the oil change as a consolation prize for the idiot. That’s what sounded like originally. Darned translators, couldn't KIA find anyone better qualified?
Last edited by Wild Rabbit : 07-20-2006 at 04:03 PM.
As far as the highly accurate compass/altimeter etc..
If I hold down either the Up or Down button for about 8 sec.
unit changes from Meters to Feet. Not tested with temp but probably the same.
Hope it helps.
BMW not.. but you can get alot of oil changes for the difference in price.
__________________
Drives: 2006 Kia Sorento Ex all Options
You will never keep everyone happy all the time.
I have not had any dramas with my 2004 model.
Read your hand book about changing from celsius. Those things are only a gimmic anyway.I think you got spoilt driving the BMW.
If you want to find the real difference try the BMW off road !!! It's diabolically bad !!! That's why the Sorento is not as good on the road cos it's HEAPS better off road and after all it's supposed to be a 4WD not a highway cruiser !!! In New Zealand you can buy 3 new Sorentos for the price of 1 BMW, sorry but I think the value is GREAT, I wouldn't have a BMW X5 if you gave it to me, except to sell it and buy some more bling for my Sorento !!!
Cheers
Derek
__________________
Derek
Alexandra
New Zealand
2005 2.5 CRDi Auto Sorento sold
2008 2.0 TDi VW Tiguan
Yes, in Oz too, the ratio is about 3 beemers to 1 Sorento and they are for different driver markets - but despite the price diffrence I'm sure the BMW has some issues which rankle their owners. The chances of a lemon though would be pretty rare whereas Kia do have a history of these across their models. A few years ago there was a chap in Oz with a Carnival who used to drive it around with signs all over it proclaiming its faults which Kia Australia wouldn't honour. And I could bore the ears of an elephant with my story of 15 dealer trips and 8 radios for a warranty exercise over a period of 3 years which still hasn't been resolved! Poor Kia - I signed up for a 6 year warranty - they haven't gotten rid of me yet!
Personally I am annoyed with Wild Rabbit's post. I don't own a Sorento myself but a beloved Kia Optima, however, a friend of mine back in New England loves his '06. He can afford a BMW SUV and has. He did his home work this time around and couldn't justify wasting money on a BMW that handles badly off road, that was expensive to repair, and had annoyances far worst than his Kia. The money he saved went into a pull along RV that the Sorento has attached to it in the wild.
As far as Kia having the free oil change for the Sorento. Your dealer is the one with the promotion, not Kia HQ. Did you read the fine print before buying? I am always amazed coming from the auto industry myself (Nissan Corp, retired exec) how people who buy vehicles don't do more research before buying although this might not be your case Wild Rabbit. Surveys show majority of people buy based on monthly payment and not overall cost of ownership. Dealers know this and will always work the customer based on how little they do their home work in advance. Most buyers don't read about the warranties in depth and have no idea what is policy states except for the length of the warranties. I say many buyers have no idea who to contact if they have a problem with the vehicle, the salesperson, the serivce dept. Immediately these people blame the vehicle manufacturer when the problem is with the local dealership who did NOT prep their vehcile prior to delivery or if they did, performed a half-hearted one.
The problem many have with the on board computer / compass / temp device is common in many vehicle brands and they are purely a cheap "toy in part" for buyers to get a kick out of. It is the least of a worry in my view. It is better to have done your home work, studied the forums for complaints and praise, and then do a real test drive of the vehicle before buying. The Sorento is a beloved Kia by a majority of owners I undestand by what I have read on this forum and others. BMW is not a perfect vehicle builder but you are comparing little problems as if they are big problems and they aren't. Annoyances, YES, so find a dealer that can fix your problems OR SELL THE SORENTO AND BUY A BMW!!! I for one could care less about your little annoyances. Bad mouthing Kia gets you no where. It shows you didn't do your home work before buying that perfect vehicle you apparently were looking for. Good luck finding it.
Last edited by Schnauzer : 07-21-2006 at 06:30 AM.
As far as the highly accurate compass/altimeter etc..
If I hold down either the Up or Down button for about 8 sec.
unit changes from Meters to Feet. Not tested with temp but probably the same.
Hope it helps.
BMW not.. but you can get alot of oil changes for the difference in price.
Tried the button things. I guess my timer is as accurate as their altimeter - nothing happen. Will try again. Not sure how will it solve the precision problem
In case you didn't notice my first paragraph - you also get a lot better driving expirience, transmission and road handling, trust it is well worth the price difference.
As far as oil changes are concerned my beef was not with the price, per say, my beef was the BS "free" (bait and switch) advertisemnet.
Personally I am annoyed with Wild Rabbit's post. I don't own a Sorento myself but a beloved Kia Optima, however, a friend of mine back in New England loves his '06. He can afford a BMW SUV and has. He did his home work this time around and couldn't justify wasting money on a BMW that handles badly off road, that was expensive to repair, and had annoyances far worst than his Kia. The money he saved went into a pull along RV that the Sorento has attached to it in the wild.
As far as Kia having the free oil change for the Sorento. Your dealer is the one with the promotion, not Kia HQ. Did you read the fine print before buying? I am always amazed coming from the auto industry myself (Nissan Corp, retired exec) how people who buy vehicles don't do more research before buying although this might not be your case Wild Rabbit. Surveys show majority of people buy based on monthly payment and not overall cost of ownership. Dealers know this and will always work the customer based on how little they do their home work in advance. Most buyers don't read about the warranties in depth and have no idea what is policy states except for the length of the warranties. I say many buyers have no idea who to contact if they have a problem with the vehicle, the salesperson, the serivce dept. Immediately these people blame the vehicle manufacturer when the problem is with the local dealership who did NOT prep their vehcile prior to delivery or if they did, performed a half-hearted one.
The problem many have with the on board computer / compass / temp device is common in many vehicle brands and they are purely a cheap "toy in part" for buyers to get a kick out of. It is the least of a worry in my view. It is better to have done your home work, studied the forums for complaints and praise, and then do a real test drive of the vehicle before buying. The Sorento is a beloved Kia by a majority of owners I undestand by what I have read on this forum and others. BMW is not a perfect vehicle builder but you are comparing little problems as if they are big problems and they aren't. Annoyances, YES, so find a dealer that can fix your problems OR SELL THE SORENTO AND BUY A BMW!!! I for one could care less about your little annoyances. Bad mouthing Kia gets you no where. It shows you didn't do your home work before buying that perfect vehicle you apparently were looking for. Good luck finding it.
It's always good to make friends quickly. Look I'm not retired and I'm not an exec, and worst of all - I'm not reach. I got married, so the beamer went, ok? I'm very glad that your friend "couldn't justify", I could, I couldn't afford... Anyhow I did my research, and I did my test drives, and I did my budgeting on both, and buying a car should not be more difficult than buying a house, and yet somehow it is. Because of me eternall bliss of marriage I was stuck to the low family budget and in this particular category KIA came on top with the flying colors. FYI the free oil changes was the HQ or the regional which is what I clearly indicated in my post, and the small print was there too. I specifically enjoyed the price differential. of $1.50 or something like that. Like I said the car is bearable, the company is annoying, and I can't even say that will never buy KIA again, I'm just saying that you will have to hold a pretty big gun to my head to make me do it.
Annoyed with KIA
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