Kia Sorento or other 7/8 Passenger SUV Owners??

[llori7]

Hi, I am in the market for a new car. I have already decided instead of another van, I would like an SUV with a 3rd row of seats. It is just the 4 of us, but I want the option to take other people, like the kids' friends with us places. Right now, I am really interested in the Kia Sorento. Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly!!!!! Any other suggestions?

Also, looking online, some dealerships have an internet price. Is that price negotiable or is it as low as it can get?

Thank for all your help!

 

[sherry7]

I see that you're located in Ohio. There's a Kia dealership here in SW Pennsylvania that does rock bottom prices on Kia's. It may or may not be worth the drive to you. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give their name here, but you can PM me for the info if you want.

I have a Kia Borrego (also a 7 passenger SUV), and I like it quite well. Mine stickered for almost $39,000 and I got it (new) for $27,000 because it was a leftover model year.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I have a fully loaded Honda Pilot, love it and was worth the price!

 

[mrsmav]

I just got (last OCT) a Sorrento. I love it.

The third row is tiny and with the back seat up the trunk is almost non-existent. That being said, I only use the trunk when carpooling other people's children. I have three kids (13, 11, and 6) and they fit comfortable in the second row. Most of the time my third row is down and I have plenty trunk space. When I have to pick up more than just my three the third row pops right up very easily and there is still enough room in the trunk for backpacks or grocery bags.

I looked around online extensively before deciding on going to look at the Sorrento in the showroom. The Sorrento was the only one that had what I wanted (AWD; third row; decent gas mileage) at a price I could afford. I was also impressed with their standard features like bluetooth for example.

 

[PrinceCharmingsMom]

I have a Chevy Suburban with 3rd row seats...its GREAT and has tons of stuff my son DS3 calls it the rocketship! Love it!

 

[hsembrick]

I have a Ford Expedition and I love it!!! Well worth the price and my favorite feature is that the third row is by-split so I can only fold half of it down if I need too. The one thing I don't like is that there really is no truck to it so we are actually in the process of getting the XL edition which is basically the size of a suburban!

 

[DisneyMissy318]

Just a vote for a Kia! I just traded my 2007 Sportage for a 2011 - I have had no issues for the 3 1/2 years I had the first one - regular oil changes - new tires - that was it!! I drove a Sorrento for a couple of days as my new Sportage was being detailed - and it was a great vehicle. The new models and body styles have moved the Kia onto another level... (well... at least in my opinion)... I do not work for Kia - only a satisified customer!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Checking in to follow, because I want to get an SUV with 3rd row seating as well. DD is grown, but what a pain to take two cars because none of us in the family can seat more than 5. I've narrowed my choices to a (used) Toyota Highlander, Saturn Outlook and perhaps the Kia Sorenta. Watching this for more reviews as I'm at least a year away from buying on another vehicle.

 

[parith1114]

I highly recommend the GMC Acadia. It has plenty of room in the third row, and also offers the split seat, so room for 6 and cargo. Mine has the entertainment package, and the kids love that.
Best of luck for the right car and a great price!

 

[RangerPooh]

We ahve a Dodge Durango with 3rd row and really like it. It's worked great to tow our pop-up camper and haul our family around, all 5 (soon to be 6 of us). Plus the 4x4 feature has been wonderful. The downside is the lack of trunk space. So vacations mean the suitcases go on the roof rack while the double stroller goes in the back.

We ahve been considering trading in DHs Volvo towards a minivan (either a grand caravan or Sorento) for the larger trunk space.

 

[*love*2*shop]

I Also have the GMC ACADIA LTZ fully loaded and LOve it..I *THINK* if you get the Chevy or Kia version its a little cheaper?

 

[sameyeyam]

I LOVE my Ford Excursion. It seats 7 extremely comfortably and has enough room behind the third row seat for about 50 bags of groceries!

Now for the bad news, you can no longer buy them new and gas mileage is obviously not that great. I average 11.4 MPG. But you can get a used one very reasonable, $2,000 to $3,000

Mine has 175,000 miles on it, I bought it new and it's had a few minor problems in the last 10 years, but overall extremely dependable. It has never left me stranded.

All I can say is I hope it lasts another 175,000 miles, because I really love my Excursion.

P.S. Her name is Bea...short for Behemuth!lol.

 

[SarahKate]

We have a '11 Sorento which we've had almost a year. We did EXHAUSTIVE research and this is the one that gave us the most bang for our buck. Our model is loaded with features and we got a great deal on it. We've historically steered towards Japanese makers, but the models we wanted were just too expensive.

We found an awesome dealership in St. Louis who gave us invoice cost, $1k cash back, Kelly Blue Book on our trade in (we actually MADE money on our trade!), and a pretty good APR. When all was said and done, we got our Kia for about $6-7k off the MSRP.

Just do some searches on Google. I remember there was a website that showed you which dealerships offer invoice cost.

The 3rd row is tiny. Luckily there are three of us total. But we really like having that as an option should we ever need it in a pinch. Previous poster is correct - it takes up the entire cargo space, so it wouldn't work for trips where bags need to go in the back. If you do look into the Sorento further, I highly recommend the V6 if your budget allows. DH did research on the different models, and the 4 banger is NOT fast at all, and can be sluggish.

We took our Kia from IL to FL last year and it was great. Plenty of room for us, and it drove really well.

Mine came with Sirius built in and a 3-month trial. I ended up keeping it and got a pretty good deal (I think it's about $7 a month). Love having that.

The new Sorento gets the highest crash test ratings you can get and it's totally loaded with airbags in the front and 2nd row (none in the 3rd row though).

I'm not crazy about the interior color. It's super light tan color, and I'm always afraid of it getting dirty.

I will say that my Kia has had a few recalls. I think this is pretty common for the first year of a new body style. It hasn't changed my opinion at all, I really do like my Kia!

Good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[joy@disney]

I have an '04 Kia Sorento EX. It is not the new style and doesn't have the third row seating, but I can tell you that I love my Kia.
It has 97,900 miles on it and it still runs great. Have been doing some maintence on it over the last 6 months to keep it running (transmission flush, etc). Had to put new shocks and struts on it a few months back, but it does have almost 100,000 miles.
A few months ago we contemplated trading it in, because of the mileage, but I just couldn't part with it, even though we negotiated the best deal ever on a new (used) car.
BTW - A few years back, my husband bought his truck using the internet, and he was able to negotiate. Good luck in your search, buying a car is never fun.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I have a Mazda CX9 that I adore. It's been perfect for our lifestyle.

 

[PatMcDuck]

We just rented a Kia Sorrento AWD 2011 2 weeks ago thru Alamo, in North Carolina.

It drove great! I liked it quite a bit, I assume it is somewhat similar to the Hyundai Santa Fe?

 

[FINFAN]

I have a Mazda CX9 that I adore. It's been perfect for our lifestyle.

Us too, an '07 the basic sport model. We added the Bose and roof rack kept costs low (well, in car buying land they were low) The gas is so-so, but it drives great/ I have some issues with how high uppn the door the windows are, and the angles they cut them at, but most fof the new model behicles are that way allowing room in the doors for the air bags and then side pillar bags. If you are going to make the plunge I would get your homework done and use the end of this month to see of you can get a great deal...I have read that since sales are on the upsiwing dealers are not going to be offering the types of incentive/promos/deals that they have been for the last few years.

 

[Luv Donald Duck]

Just weighing in. I have a 07 Kia Sorento, unfortunetly I have bad luck with this car. Worst car I have ever owned. At 20,000 miles i had to replace the front brakes which is unheard of for a car with 20,000 miles. Currently at 32,000 miles, my brakes are bad AGAIN and the dealership keeps saying its because I do n ot drive my car enough so the brakes stick. I have never heard of this. Maybe its true but its extremely fustrating. I do not have 3rd row seating.

 

[jcanary]

We just bought a Dodge Journey, it has replaced the Chrysler Pacifica. We love it. It rides like a car and it has a third row seat. I highly recommend the journey. good luck in your quest, it only took us 4 months for my husband to finally find the car that was to his likings.

 

[vitfamily]

I LOVE my Ford Excursion. It seats 7 extremely comfortably and has enough room behind the third row seat for about 50 bags of groceries!

Now for the bad news, you can no longer buy them new and gas mileage is obviously not that great. I average 11.4 MPG. But you can get a used one very reasonable, $2,000 to $3,000

Mine has 175,000 miles on it, I bought it new and it's had a few minor problems in the last 10 years, but overall extremely dependable. It has never left me stranded.

All I can say is I hope it lasts another 175,000 miles, because I really love my Excursion.

P.S. Her name is Bea...short for Behemuth!lol.

I love my Excursion too.
Her name is Baby