That is one high maintenance color; I know, my truck is black.
Anything you touch the paint with will scratch the paint and cause swirl marks. Wash mit/brush/sponge, drying towel/chamoise, wax applicator and even the wax itself can cause swirl marks.
In my opinion, and I say that because EVERYONE will have an opinion, wash with a sponge. Not just any sponge, go to the hardware store and find a grout sponge. They are cheap, so get two because you will want one for the bottom of the car and one for the top. These sponges rinse cleaner than wash mits so you're less likely to scratch the car with dirt you've already washed off. They aren't the most pliable instrument to wash with, so don't be afraid to cut holes and notches in it so that it forms to curved surfaces better.
While you're at the hardware store, get some PVC rings and some glue. You are going to glue them together and put them in the bottom of your wash bucket. This is so the dirt has a place to go, and you're less likely to pick it up after you drop your sponge in the bucket. Other things work for this too, but this is what I like.
After your Sorento is washed, take the nozzle off of your hose and turn the pressure down. Run a flowing stream of water over the vehicle because this will make the water sheet off. It works very well if you do it right and you won't need to scratch the car by drying it so much.
The only time I actually dry my cars is when I am going to wax or polish them so that I don't take the risk of scratching them. After the water sheeting step, they dry very quick anyway.
Then I usually clay bar the whole vehicle. It's strange that it works at all, but you basically take a certain spray (clay bar box will say what to use), spray a little section of the car and then take a special bar of clay and go over it. This removes contaminants from the surface that you can't even see. After you do a section, dry it off and rub your hand over it, then rub your hand over a section that you haven't clay-bar'ed. The contaminants will come off when you wax or polish if you don't clay bar and create small scratches.
Then I usually polish, once a year at least. Polish will remove scratches, where wax just covers them up. Some polishes will just cover also, so find one that says it doesn't contain any silicones. For application and removal, I use a 100% cotton towel; some people insist on cloth baby diapers. Use one for applying it, and a few others (unfolded and always shaking it out) for removing it. If you go over it quickly first you'll remove most of the excess polish. Then go over it more thoroughly to buff it to a shine.
Do the wax the same way. Paste wax lasts longer than liquid wax, but it honestly isn't much longer. Paste wax also tends to ball up when you're removing it and that can cause scratches also.
Mequiars products work really well, but I'm going to try something different next time. The finished job turns out beautifully. The color is deep and shiny, but I've tried three different waxes of theirs and they don't seem to last very long. I bought some new stuff from a car show, but I haven't used it yet.
So far, this is the best technique that I have come up with. Unfortunately there is no one right way (or materials) to use. Like I said, EVERYONE has an opinion.
