I'm not the kind of guy who jumps to a
conclusion about a new or redesigned vehicle based on where the
carmaker decides to host its media debut. That's a good thing for the
renovated 2016 Sorento that Kia previewed in Lake Tahoe. The last
vehicle introduction I attended there was the Pontiac Aztek; we all
know how that turned out. Nope, the Sorento is no Aztek, not even
close.
Months in the writing, I've finally
gotten around to publishing my early December Kia Sorento adventure.
Too much travel, as well as too little motivation conspired to divert
my short-attention span to other interests, projects and extended
periods of goofing off. I apologize to those readers who have been
perched on the edge of their seats awaiting this epistle. And so it
begins....
Sunrise. |
Straddling Nevada and California, the
Lake Tahoe area is breathtakingly gorgeous. Its landscape is dotted
with a network of smaller cities and towns. Most of us flew in and
out of the Reno Airport. Kia then shuttled us the 40 miles or so to
the Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe in Truckee, Calif. Yes, sometimes we stay
in very high-end joints; well, often we stay in very high-end joints.
The Ritz in Truckee being one of the them. Please don't hate me.
Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe's great room. |
On the Sorento ride and drive on day 2,
we had ample opportunity to get a little familiar with both this
crossover and the Lake Tahoe area. I was dazzled by both.
Unseasonably warm, there wasn't much snow lingering about. In fact,
one of the optional activities offered to us – tubing – was
canceled for lack of snow. Half of the stuff in my suitcase was for
this little side adventure. Disappointed!
Here's what I discovered about Sorento:
Kia worked not only to make a Sorento a bit bigger, but to make it
more refined as well. Pricing starts at $24,900 for the entry-level
“L” trim. As any student of Kia will suspect, there is a lot of
value packed into that number. It's loaded with full-power
accessories, Bluetooth connectivity, air conditioning, cruise
control, a fold-slide-recline rear seat, and an audio system with
iPod interface.
Depending on the trim, one of three
engines power the front wheels. The base engine is a 2.4-liter
four-banger that delivers 185 horsepower. Upper trim levels use
either the new 240-horsepower 2-liter turbocharged four or a
290-horsepower V6. AWD is optional on Sorentos armed with the 2L four
or the V6. A six-speed automatic shifts the gears regardless of the
engine. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 25 mpg in combined driving
for the 2.4L and 23 mpg for the 2L. The EPA rated the V6 at 21 mpg in
combined driving.
Inside, much of the hard plastic in the
previous Sorento has given way to soft-touch surfaces. With prices
escalating to as much as $41,000 for the top-end Limited V6, one
would expect, at the very least, a near-luxury passenger experience.
Sorento delivers that and more. The audio upgrade is a 12-speaker
Infinity system. Available technology includes Kia's Uvo eServices
that includes Geo-fencing, Speed Alert, Curfew Alert and Driving
Score, all engineered to keep teen drivers on the straight and
narrow.
All in all, the Sorento provides a
quiet, stable, comfortable ride. This next-generation crossover
certainly advances the Sorento experience not just a few steps, but
by leaps and bounds.
Kia mapped a terrific ride-and-drive
route that exposed us to a variety of Lake Tahoe scenery and roads.
By noon we were lunching at Heritage in Reno. It's part of the
Whitney Peak Hotel. My cheeseburger was wonderful. Historically, I
eat way too much on these events, but I'm only human. While a salad
would have made more sense; I simply couldn't walk away from the
beef.
Truckee's FiftyFifty Brewery. |
On the way back from the ride and
drive, my driving partner and I made a quick detour to the FiftyFifty
Brewery in Truckee that, as fate would have it, was just a few miles
from the Ritz. This is a major craft beer maker distributing its
beers at least as far as San Diego because several weeks later we
found it at that city's The Taproom. I sampled a Donner Party Porter
that was quite wonderful. I was also impressed with the Eclipse
Barrel Aged Imperial Stout that Kia let us sample at dinner.
Three of the FiftyFifty crew at the tasting on Northstar. |
That night Kia swept us up to the top
of Northstar mountain via a ski-lift tram to the Tahoe Ski Resort for
libations and dinner. This was an entertaining and informal evening.
Pre dinner, there were some tasting stations sprinkled around the
area. One was the aforementioned FiftyFifty that had three of its
beer makers dispensing tastes of a few of its brews.
Some mountain-top entertainment. |
Part of the evening's festivities
included the time-honored Kia contest. Usually these competitions are
among driving teams. This time, though, it was mano a mano with an
ugly sweater contest. I must admit, there were some seriously ugly
ones. I managed to snag my third or fourth honorable mention in these
competitions with mine. Of course when it's an ugly sweater contest
and your entry consists of a head-shot photo of Kia's director of
corporate communications (and the contest judge) screen printed on
the front of a sweatshirt, you can't really expect to win. After I
signed it, my entry wound up in the hands of Kia's VP of sales and
marketing.
My honorable-mention entry with the director of corporate communications looking on. |
A first-drive of the very impressive
Sorento, craft beers, first-class accommodations and the beauty of
Lake Tahoe: what was not to like?
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