X

2019 Kia Sorento priced from $25,990

The high-zoot Sorento SXL climbs as high as $46,490.

Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
Steven Ewing
2 min read
Kia

Kia's updated 2019 Sorento is launching now, and it's only 90 bucks more expensive than its predecessor. The base price for Kia's seven-passenger crossover is just $25,990, not including $990 for destination, but from there, the price quickly climbs.

The base Sorento L is joined by the LX at $27,490, EX at $35,590, SX at $39,990 and SX Limited, or SXL, at $44,690. All of those prices are for front-wheel-drive models; if you want all-wheel drive, add $1,800 to those prices. The base Sorento L isn't available with all-wheel drive.

Kia offers two engines in the 2019 Sorento. On the base end, there's a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. A 3.3-liter V6 is optional on the LX and standard on EX and above, producing 290 horsepower and 252 pound-feet. The V6 gets a new Kia-built eight-speed automatic transmission, though fuel economy actually takes a small hit compared with the 2018 model.

2019 Kia Sorento
Enlarge Image
2019 Kia Sorento

All-wheel drive is available for $1,800 on all but the base Sorento L trim.

Kia

The 2019 Sorento looks a bit different from the outgoing model, with a slightly redesigned front fascia. Slimmer headlamps and new foglamps are the most noticeable changes, and Kia says the top-level SXL gets full-LED front lighting.

Inside, all Sorentos get a 7-inch touchscreen audio interface. On EX models and above, Kia offers its AVN 5.0 navigation/infotainment system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The SX and SXL now get wireless phone charging, as well. As far as driver assistance tech is concerned, Kia offers a full suite of good stuff, including park distance warning, lane-keeping assist, a driver attention warning system and high-beam headlight assist.

Look for the new Sorento to hit dealerships in the not-too-distant future. You can't yet build and price one on Kia's site, but that'll change soon. We'll have a full First Take in the coming weeks.

2019 Kia Sorento gets a fresh face, more tech

See all photos