INTRO CAVEAT:
All these hopefuly statements are moot. Why? Kia is still furious with your humble scribe for what he said about the current Sorento’s woeful steering.
The Kia Sorento has the makings of a great SUV – but needs a few extra tweaks to really get to the same levels as its Hyundai Sante Fe cousin.
Those changes required include a fresher and more appealing exterior style, some dynamic tweaks, and a sportier cabin and driving position.
2014 Kia Sorento SX-L
Kia looks set to address all three of these needs in one fell swoop for the all-new 2015 (or perhaps 2016) Kia Sorento. The latest preview for Paris in October shows a far more organic flow to the sheetmetal, a more macho and premium nose, and a sportier tail with a large roof spoiler.
The window-line of the current car looks set to carry forward, which is no bad thing for this seven-seat crossover.
The real appeal of the new Sorento will be a fresh nose – enlivening the current generic-premium face. The current model vaguely resembles assorted SAAB models as well as just about any other quasi-premium brand. The badge could be swapped without much notice to shoppers.
But the latest Kia grille is a deep chain-linked mesh inside a three-dimensional oval ring of brightwork. It has been shown most recently in the new Sedona minivan — but do not hold a minivan style share against it!
2015 Kia Sedona
The new Sorento will also be influenced by the amazing K900. Fingers crossed that the quad-beam LED lights make the jump….!
2014 Kia K900
The new Sedona looks extremely premium and distinctly Kia from the front and front-three-quarter angles. Paired with the racy and low-roof proportions of the next Sorento, Kia is primed to have not just features and price appeal – but new style that pips the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander as well.
2016 Kia Sorento
Bold and sophisticated styling for third-generation Sorento
The all-new third-generation Kia Sorento will be unveiled in Korea next month, featuring bold, swept-back exterior styling.
The new model boasts a lower roofline, higher beltline, more muscular stance, rounded shoulders at the rear and deeply sculpted body surfaces. Together with a larger, more upright ‘tiger-nose’ grille, these design changes raise the aesthetic sophistication of Kia’s best-selling SUV.
Styled at Kia’s design studios in Korea, Germany and the USA, the all-new Kia Sorento will be showcased in Korea at the end of August, and is due to make its European premiere on 2nd October at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.