We’re in the market for a new car (thanks for nothing, Peugeot - never buying one again, EVER) and have narrowed down the list to a single car, the Kia Sorento 2.2L 16v diesel automatic. They don’t sell the diesel version in the US. We rented one while in the US last year and drove it a LOT (~2k miles) over the course of the three weeks we were there. I loved it, but I’m wondering if anyone else has had experience with these.
what happened to the Skoda? no help here. I love my VW Golf TDI. it’s only 1.9l but it’s got plenty of git’up
We have a 2011 Kia Sorento 4 cyl automatic. I’m not crazy about the automatic shifting on it…I think it winds the engine to high before shifting. It does have the manual override shifting, but that’s a pain too ( I keep wanting to step on the clutch when I shift ).
Also, yesterday it would not go into park. I had to shutoff the car and restart it in neutral before it would let me shift into park. I found out on the Kia forums that it is because of a faulty brake sensor. It will be covered under warranty but it just makes me want to trade it in and get something else.
Of course this car is very different from what you are looking at, but I probably won’t buy another Kia again.
P.S. Also pissed about having to buy a separate cable to connect my iPhone. The dealer wanted something like $40 but I found it for $15 on ebay. My new Toyota Camry just uses the same iPhone USB cable.
My wife’s got a 2011 Kia Sorento standard transmission and she loves it. It’s been really good on gas, no problems so far although it’s fairly new. Ours even came with that iPod adapter that was mentioned above but maybe that was the dealer being generous or forgetting to charge us.
Based on our experience so far, we’d definitely buy another Kia. The real test will be when it gets a few years on it and we start to see if things go out on it. Obviously being a standard, we don’t have the other issue with the brake sensor that was mentioned either. I’ve had at least 3 different makes of vehicles (GM, Ford, Hyundai) that have all had “sensors” go out on various things. Nothing actually wrong with the car but the sensor was faulty and actually cased the problem. I think we have way too many of these sensors in vehicles now. Just ranting now.
Funny, it was hard to get a standard transmission. Nobody wants them anymore but both my wife and I learned on standards and our kids will be learning to drive in a few years so we want them learning on a standard so that they know how.
Skoda was too pricey in the end, plus the Sorento has 7 seats. Yes I know they’re small, but we have kids and want something that we won’t have to trade in for bigger in 6-7 years.
Pretty much all the ‘high-end’ cars these days do not offer standard, even in Europe. Personally I am not very good at driving a stick and use the thing either in start/stop traffic or on the highway, so when I do shift gears it’s pretty rare.
We just bought a 2012 Kia Sorento and love it as well. I was not a big fan of Kia’s having purchased a Kia Rio
fresh out of boot camp in 2003. We went to Carmax and took test drives in ALOT of SUV’s as we are having our first child in October. The Kia was simply the best car for the money. Feels good, drives good, looks good - IS good 
makes sense, the kid gets to ride in the VW jetta sport wagon. not 7 seats but roomy enough. I was thinking the sorento was a smaller car but now I see it is the ‘crossover’. makes more sense.
There will be plenty of brake sensors for the ABS and stability software.
My wife has had her Kia Sorento since 2005 and she loves it. Does great through the city, on long trips, and in heavy snow. She hasn’t had a single problem w/ it besides needing a new battery last year, changing a couple of tail lights/ head lights and getting new tires (all the basic stuff that comes w/ age). We are going to keep this one as long as we can, and when the time comes to get her a new car, there’s a 99% chance that we go w/ another Sorento.
This has always been my thinking too. I make the kids learn to drive my F150 5speed manual before they can get their license. The older one thought it was fun, the second one has fought it pretty hard but was the only person in her group who could move a car out the way one night because it had a manual in it. She still doesn’t like to drive a manual but now understands when Dad said “you don’t have to ever buy one but you need to know how to use one so you don’t stranded somewhere just because the only car available is a stick shift.” 8^)
The next one can see over the dash of my truck yet but I’ve still got a year.
I’ve heard good things about the newer Kias.
Paul
Not to make it a thead jack, but manual cars have a lower theft rate due to the fact that most crooks don’t know how to drive one.
so you’re thread jacking about car jacking?
Not in Europe
Not so sure I’m all that keen on the Kia’s though the Sorento appears to be popular due to how many I see on the road around here.
How about this…?
Good point. True for the US though. Know a guy who’s car was not jacked due to it being a manual.
My response sounds pretty jerky in retrospect, sorry about that, it’s what I get for writing just before bed when I’m half asleep.
I could not make myself purchase an automobile whose
name was an acronym for Killed In Action…just sayin…nay
Check out Consumer Reports’ Car Reviews book. Very good info there. It may not have the 2012 cars listed, but it will point you to trends for the models you’re considering, and point out the weak areas you should look for.
I just checked. They have the 2012 cars on their online car reviews. Worth the price of a subscription. (IMHO).
FWIW, thieves here in Hawaii prefer manual transmissions. A good portion of the cars stolen here are for chopping into racing parts.