My new 2021 Sorento S trim is about a month old. The car performs excellently. Steers dead nuts striaght and the electric power steering is smooth and easy. The transmission shifts smoothly and take off from start is excellent. A couple of points that could use improvement. You have my money now you get my critique.
Correct me if I am wrong on any of these points.
1. The engine shuts off while waiting at lights and starts the instant you take your foot off the gas. It tends to jerk a little if you go from brake to gas quickly. In addition to save the battery the heater shuts down with the engine. It's now 25F outside so I don't want the heat to be shutting off while I wait at traffic lights. It looks like the default when starting up is with this feature enabled. As a result I press the AOC button to defeat this. There should be a way to disable this feature permanently rather than having to defeat it after every start.
2. The tire pressure monitors don't tell the pressure until you put it in gear and start to move. I would like to know if my pressures are low before I start off for work in the morning. My 10 yr old Santa Fe gave you a warning the instant you started the engine.
3 One of the back seat adjusters was defective. The Kia mechanic at the dealer fixed it but in the process when leaning on right rear door trim the black plastic shattered. Of course because the car is a brand new model the dealer did not have the parts in stock to replace it so I have to live with ugly exposed sheet metal in my brand new car until the part comes in. You might think about beefing up some of these parts. After all they will get stepped on by passengers while entering and exiting the vehicle. Not a very good advertisement when people look at the car either.
4. My previous Hyundai had a navigation package built into the infotainment system. The only expense was an occasional map update which I never did. Now there is the UVO system but it is a subscription service that you pay for every month and it links to your cell phone for navigation. It requires your cell phone all ready have a navigation navigation app installed. I don't need any more bills. If a stand alone navigation upgrade is available for the S trim I would like to know about it. Seems to me it should exist on any Android based system. I want to,pay once and be over with it.
5. The push to open gas fill door is just plain dumb. The previous Hyundai's and Kia's I have had all had a lever release inside the car. Now I look forward to a nice wear spot from my thumb on my nice PEARL WHITE finished car.
6. The car came with a swing up hood support which came down on me with a gust of wind the first week I had it. All the holes were there for hood gas struts.I retrofitted to to gas struts for $25. Every ad I have seem with the hood up for a 2021 Sorento shows two gas struts holding up the hood. That's how I figured out how they were installed. This vehicle cost me $40,000.00. Those swing up hood stands make the car look cheap along with the fact they are dangerous.
Now for some of the good points:
1. I live in a northern climate with snow. The remote start seems to automatically put the defroster on. That's a great idea.
2. The wiper park where by you can with a series of steps have the wipers park at the halfway point on the windshield for easy cleaning and access is a great idea. In heavy snows I park them and flip them up to scrape off the windshield.
3. The electric steering is great in that it does not tax the engine while idling or moving slowly nor does the assist lessen at low engine RPM. This has been around a while but it is the first time I have had it and it makes the car a pleasure to drive.
4.The new smart key FOB with the buttons on the side showed someone is listening. My last smart key was always triggering the panic alarm when I put it into a pants pocket. I would sit in my living room and complain about the noise made by someones panic alarm only to find out it was my own.
Over all I like the car and believe it to be a good investment. It replaced a Veracruz I bought used which became a money pit. The car comes with 5yrs and 60K warranty which I extended to 10 for $4,300.00. I have to say to Kia that was a little pricey considering I did the same thing on my wife's Santa Fe for $1,300 back in 2011. Back then it was worth it. The steering rack failed in that car at 9 years and 11 months.
Correct me if I am wrong on any of these points.
1. The engine shuts off while waiting at lights and starts the instant you take your foot off the gas. It tends to jerk a little if you go from brake to gas quickly. In addition to save the battery the heater shuts down with the engine. It's now 25F outside so I don't want the heat to be shutting off while I wait at traffic lights. It looks like the default when starting up is with this feature enabled. As a result I press the AOC button to defeat this. There should be a way to disable this feature permanently rather than having to defeat it after every start.
2. The tire pressure monitors don't tell the pressure until you put it in gear and start to move. I would like to know if my pressures are low before I start off for work in the morning. My 10 yr old Santa Fe gave you a warning the instant you started the engine.
3 One of the back seat adjusters was defective. The Kia mechanic at the dealer fixed it but in the process when leaning on right rear door trim the black plastic shattered. Of course because the car is a brand new model the dealer did not have the parts in stock to replace it so I have to live with ugly exposed sheet metal in my brand new car until the part comes in. You might think about beefing up some of these parts. After all they will get stepped on by passengers while entering and exiting the vehicle. Not a very good advertisement when people look at the car either.
4. My previous Hyundai had a navigation package built into the infotainment system. The only expense was an occasional map update which I never did. Now there is the UVO system but it is a subscription service that you pay for every month and it links to your cell phone for navigation. It requires your cell phone all ready have a navigation navigation app installed. I don't need any more bills. If a stand alone navigation upgrade is available for the S trim I would like to know about it. Seems to me it should exist on any Android based system. I want to,pay once and be over with it.
5. The push to open gas fill door is just plain dumb. The previous Hyundai's and Kia's I have had all had a lever release inside the car. Now I look forward to a nice wear spot from my thumb on my nice PEARL WHITE finished car.
6. The car came with a swing up hood support which came down on me with a gust of wind the first week I had it. All the holes were there for hood gas struts.I retrofitted to to gas struts for $25. Every ad I have seem with the hood up for a 2021 Sorento shows two gas struts holding up the hood. That's how I figured out how they were installed. This vehicle cost me $40,000.00. Those swing up hood stands make the car look cheap along with the fact they are dangerous.
Now for some of the good points:
1. I live in a northern climate with snow. The remote start seems to automatically put the defroster on. That's a great idea.
2. The wiper park where by you can with a series of steps have the wipers park at the halfway point on the windshield for easy cleaning and access is a great idea. In heavy snows I park them and flip them up to scrape off the windshield.
3. The electric steering is great in that it does not tax the engine while idling or moving slowly nor does the assist lessen at low engine RPM. This has been around a while but it is the first time I have had it and it makes the car a pleasure to drive.
4.The new smart key FOB with the buttons on the side showed someone is listening. My last smart key was always triggering the panic alarm when I put it into a pants pocket. I would sit in my living room and complain about the noise made by someones panic alarm only to find out it was my own.
Over all I like the car and believe it to be a good investment. It replaced a Veracruz I bought used which became a money pit. The car comes with 5yrs and 60K warranty which I extended to 10 for $4,300.00. I have to say to Kia that was a little pricey considering I did the same thing on my wife's Santa Fe for $1,300 back in 2011. Back then it was worth it. The steering rack failed in that car at 9 years and 11 months.
