[Kylelipp]

Hi all-

Right now I drive a 2011 Sorento EX 2.4L FWD that we got in 2010 and it is in flawless shape with 14.5k miles on it. I love it for every bit except the engine. In an area like Philadelphia where hills and holding your spot in traffic means a lot, being about to maintain performance is important for me. I have a new job this fall where I will have to drive around a lot, and I would really love to be able to accelerate faster than a golf cart while staying under 3k RPM with the little ECO light on.

My MPG is a crappy 19 right now and I would say I drive 45% highway 55% city.

Don't know whether or not I should

• Look into saving money to get a new one. (Would take ~6 months)
• Look into trading in for comparable V6 2011 Sorento somewhere
• Change Engine? (Is that even possible)
• Get a whole new crossover like GMC or whatever

 

[Sauron]

Have you considered getting something a little smaller like the Sportage or Tuscon? The smaller engine would be a bit more bearable in a lighter vehicle. If it was me, I'd probably wait a little longer and get one of the new redesigned Santa Fe's with the 2.0L turbo. You'd get 4-cylinder mileage and 6-cylinder torque/power while still enjoying the 10 year warranty.

Best,

 

[Cheekie B]

Have you considered getting something a little smaller like the Sportage or Tuscon? The smaller engine would be a bit more bearable in a lighter vehicle. If it was me, I'd probably wait a little longer and get one of the new redesigned Santa Fe's with the 2.0L turbo. You'd get 4-cylinder mileage and 6-cylinder torque/power while still enjoying the 10 year warranty.

Best,

The turbo I traded in for my Sorento was a 4 cylinder but under acceleration used just as much gas as a 6 cylinder. There is NO WAY I would consider buying a 4000 lb vehicle with a turbo thinking that I would be saving on gas vs a 6 cylinder. It wont happen, especially in city stop and go driving.
In fact, on the highway my v6 Sorento is getting pretty close to the same MPG as my old turbo was but with WAY more horsepower.

 

[Sauron]

The turbo I traded in for my Sorento was a 4 cylinder but under acceleration used just as much gas as a 6 cylinder. There is NO WAY I would consider buying a 4000 lb vehicle with a turbo thinking that I would be saving on gas vs a 6 cylinder. It wont happen, especially in city stop and go driving.
In fact, on the highway my v6 Sorento is getting pretty close to the same MPG as my old turbo was but with WAY more horsepower.

Dunno about that. Perhaps it depends on your driving style. I've had a number of turbo 4cyl and twin turbo 6cyl cars (mostly Audis) and you can definitely get the best of both worlds if you don't keep the pedal to the metal all the time. I was able to eke out 28 highway mpgs in my 2.7L twin turbo A6 that I'd modified to put out about 350hp (at the wheels). If I drove it like I stole it, the mileage would drop down into the mid-teens. The same goes for all of my 1.8T A4's. My last one had been modified to output about 260hp. On the highway, I'd get 31-32mpg. In drive-it-like-I-stole-it mode, it would be more like 22mpg. Those cars are both about as heavy as a small to mid-sized UTE and have full-time AWD.

Best,

 

[CarLover]

Hi all-

Right now I drive a 2011 Sorento EX 2.4L FWD that we got in 2010 and it is in flawless shape with 14.5k miles on it. I love it for every bit except the engine. In an area like Philadelphia where hills and holding your spot in traffic means a lot, being about to maintain performance is important for me. I have a new job this fall where I will have to drive around a lot, and I would really love to be able to accelerate faster than a golf cart while staying under 3k RPM with the little ECO light on.

My MPG is a crappy 19 right now and I would say I drive 45% highway 55% city.

Don't know whether or not I should

• Look into saving money to get a new one. (Would take ~6 months)
• Look into trading in for comparable V6 2011 Sorento somewhere
• Change Engine? (Is that even possible)
• Get a whole new crossover like GMC or whatever

Have you considered taking a look at a Ford Edge with the Ecoboost engine? 240HP 4 cylinder. Great power, awesome torque, and supposedly gets 21 City and 30 Highway. I loved it but when we were looking to trade our Sorento I found that it was the same size. Wanted something larger so ended up with a Highlander. You might be suprised what you can get on a trade. I had about 18,000 miles on mine and Ford offered me $23,000 which was the most out of the three brands I was looking to trade for. You definitely will lose some dollars trading it in. I think you have to weigh how much you paid otd minus the amount you get for it and then calculate how much gas you might save and how long it will take to make up the loss in the trade. I have rarely found a vehicle that lived up to it's city rating. The Highlander I bought was rated at 17mpg city, but my wife is getting about 15 to 16. Our V6 Sorento usually got about 16 to 17 city and sometimes as low as 15.

 

[Kylelipp]

Have you considered taking a look at a Ford Edge with the Ecoboost engine? 240HP 4 cylinder. Great power, awesome torque, and supposedly gets 21 City and 30 Highway. I loved it but when we were looking to trade our Sorento I found that it was the same size. Wanted something larger so ended up with a Highlander. You might be suprised what you can get on a trade. I had about 18,000 miles on mine and Ford offered me $23,000 which was the most out of the three brands I was looking to trade for. You definitely will lose some dollars trading it in. I think you have to weigh how much you paid otd minus the amount you get for it and then calculate how much gas you might save and how long it will take to make up the loss in the trade. I have rarely found a vehicle that lived up to it's city rating. The Highlander I bought was rated at 17mpg city, but my wife is getting about 15 to 16. Our V6 Sorento usually got about 16 to 17 city and sometimes as low as 15.

I've looked into Fords. I actually really like the Escape, but they are all way too overpriced. I'm in college and I will have about $5k discretionary income this year. The new ones have great MPG but aren't worth it for the prices Ford is asking.

 

[spongebob218]

Hi all-

...

• Look into saving money to get a new one. (Would take ~6 months)
• Look into trading in for comparable V6 2011 Sorento somewhere
• Change Engine? (Is that even possible)
• Get a whole new crossover like GMC or whatever

1. Maybe a GDI would save a little fuel. But would it save enough to justify buying a new one?
2. The V6 will get the same mileage, just have more power, and cost more. Again, worth the extra cost?
3. Engine can't be changed.
4. The GMCs don't do great either. Heard someone complaining today about getting 18 in a Terrain.

 

[Wry 'Cuda]

Right now I drive a 2011 Sorento EX 2.4L FWD that we got in 2010 and it is in flawless shape with 14.5k miles on it. I love it for every bit except the engine. I have a new job this fall where I will have to drive around a lot, and I would really love to be able to accelerate faster than a golf cart while staying under 3k RPM with the little ECO light on.

Forget about the ECO light and 3000 RPM. If you drive it properly, the acceleration shouldn't be that bad. Any of your suggested options for a change will be far more expensive than burning a bit of fuel. I do think, however than any sort of 4-cylinder engine is a bit puny for a medium-sized SUV such as the Sorento (or is it considered "small" in the US?)

I've driven a Sportage with the 2.4 engine, and while it didn't exactly set the road on fire, it was able to keep up with traffic (it felt like a grown-up Forte).

 

[Kylelipp]

Forget about the ECO light and 3000 RPM. If you drive it properly, the acceleration shouldn't be that bad. Any of your suggested options for a change will be far more expensive than burning a bit of fuel. I do think, however than any sort of 4-cylinder engine is a bit puny for a medium-sized SUV such as the Sorento (or is it considered "small" in the US?)

I've driven a Sportage with the 2.4 engine, and while it didn't exactly set the road on fire, it was able to keep up with traffic (it felt like a grown-up Forte).

Keeping up with traffic/not letting folks cut me off is what gets me the most. And it is very small. Wish I would have known about that when I had the decision to make (I was young and had very little driving knowledge). I could legit hide a body under my hood there is so much extra room.

 

[Mysticality]

Don't forget that the Ecoboost is also a turbo...

Turbo's... When you put your foot down you get more air, and fuel. When you keep your foot off, you get less air, and fuel.
A turbo 4-cyl not on boost will use as much fuel as a N/A 4-cyl.
On boost, it will use more fuel than a V6. But you only get boost when you put your foot down, not cruising.

Especially with these fancy new VGT's...

 

[phillyguy]

Hi all-

Right now I drive a 2011 Sorento EX 2.4L FWD that we got in 2010 and it is in flawless shape with 14.5k miles on it. I love it for every bit except the engine. In an area like Philadelphia where hills and holding your spot in traffic means a lot, being about to maintain performance is important for me. I have a new job this fall where I will have to drive around a lot, and I would really love to be able to accelerate faster than a golf cart while staying under 3k RPM with the little ECO light on.

My MPG is a crappy 19 right now and I would say I drive 45% highway 55% city.

Don't know whether or not I should

• Look into saving money to get a new one. (Would take ~6 months)
• Look into trading in for comparable V6 2011 Sorento somewhere
• Change Engine? (Is that even possible)
• Get a whole new crossover like GMC or whatever

Amen to the shit roads around here. I assume you do a fair amount of driving on the Schuylkill expressway since you described to a "t" how awful that thing is at any time other than off hours. I have the V6 and am averaging 18.5 over the last 5-6K miles. So your mileage won't increase with the V6, but you will have more power when you put your foot down. That extra power makes a surprising amount of difference in hilly Manayunk and Conshy.

I probably would not go out and buy a whole new vehicle if you like what you've got other than the motor, but if you really want one the new Santa Fe has the turbo 4, which is probably superior to the current V6 and slashed several hundred pounds off the waistline. That should make a big difference in responsiveness of the car.

 

[Cheekie B]

On boost, it will use more fuel than a V6. But you only get boost when you put your foot down, not cruising.

Or when towing something and power is needed or in stop and go traffic.

 

[Cheekie B]

Dunno about that. Perhaps it depends on your driving style. I've had a number of turbo 4cyl and twin turbo 6cyl cars (mostly Audis) and you can definitely get the best of both worlds if you don't keep the pedal to the metal all the time. I was able to eke out 28 highway mpgs in my 2.7L twin turbo A6 that I'd modified to put out about 350hp (at the wheels). If I drove it like I stole it, the mileage would drop down into the mid-teens. The same goes for all of my 1.8T A4's. My last one had been modified to output about 260hp. On the highway, I'd get 31-32mpg. In drive-it-like-I-stole-it mode, it would be more like 22mpg. Those cars are both about as heavy as a small to mid-sized UTE and have full-time AWD.

Best,

Thats my point....on the highway and cruising the MPG is good with a turbo. Under acceleration, in stop and go, towing something, into a wind the MPG will drop way down. I also had a 1.8T I was glad to trade it only for the fact that it used pretty close to the same amount of fuel as the Sorento but it was premium fuel. Obviously the Sorento has way more space/room (which I need for my 2 dogs) and horsepower from the V6. Under hard acceleration in my 1.8T I could almost watch the fuel gauge go down.
Again, I wouldnt buy an turbo SUV, crossover, whatever that weights what the Sorento does and expect to see much of a difference in MPG vs a V6.

Sure you drive a turbo like a granny and the turbo will hardly ever kick in but lets talk reality here..... most people are always in a rush and have heavy feet.
The car manufactures are throwing turbos into everything these days simply to make their MPG targets.

 

[mogulman]

I had a mazda CX-7 turbo 4. good excelleration. MPG was way less for me with that car. I was lucky to get 20MPG. V6 Sorento has more power and better MPG.

Also, there is more chance of issues with a turbo. It's true that the warranty is long on the Sorento, but still.

 

[GDi24]

After driving cars with v8 engines over the years, I was accustomed to immediate torque and lower RPM. My 2009 corvette cruised at 75 mph at only 1500 rpm. When i bought my 2.4 Sorento, i felt the power was lacking at first, but then realized that a 2.4 engine needs to be driven differently than a large engine. So forget about keeping the RPM under 3000 - in fact, 3500 RPM is where this engine starts to come into its powerband. There is a lot of usable power in the 4-5K range, and fortunately the auto transaxle does a really good job of keeping the RPM in the right range when you step on it. I have never redlined mine so I am not sure if there is a rev limiter on the Sorento, but I imagine it does have one to prevent over-revving.

 

[Izzy]

Most every new car has a rev limiter since it is electronically controlled. When you hit it the engine will sound like it is missing and won't rev any higher. I would suggest if you are going to trade it, just stay with KIA Sorento and get the AWD V6 and enjoy both worlds, power on demand and excellent fuel economy once broken in. In WDC I average 19mpg and on the open road running from DC to NY @ 75mph average -26-27 mpg no problem using regular gas. I use full synthetic oil however.