--- title: "2021 Kia Sorento revisited: Is it better or worse the second time around?" url: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/" publisher: "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" content_signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no" author: "Jill Ciminillo" published: "2021-12-06T15:00:34+00:00" modified: "2026-08-19T15:52:12+00:00" image: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-Kia-Sorento-28-scaled.jpg" --- # 2021 Kia Sorento revisited: Is it better or worse the second time around? By Jill Ciminillo Published: 2021-12-06T15:00:34+00:00 Updated: 2026-08-19T15:52:12+00:00 ![Featured image]() I previously had the 2021 Kia Sorento in [a brief “first drive” loan](), and I tested the hybrid version. The verdict was mostly favorable, but I didn’t love the third row or the hybrid powertrain. This time around, I was able to test the X Line trim with the 2.5-liter turbo. So, I had a new powertrain and different styling cues, so I figured I’d revisit my original review and see if I liked this version better than that one. ### **Let’s start with the engine** The pep of this 2.5-liter turbo is immediately noticeable, with quick acceleration of the line and excellent passing speeds. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise as this engine delivers 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. That’s 54 more horsepower and 53 more pound-feet of torque than the hybrid. While this generally comes off as fleet footed, there are two small things I noticed. First, when the auto stop/start engine system is engaged, there is a little turbo lag in addition to hesitation as the engine switches back on after you lift your foot off the brake. If you aren’t familiar with the stop/start systems (which I hate), the gist is this: They shut the engine down when you come to a complete stop so that you can save a pin drop worth a fuel each year. In case you missed it, I hate this feature and find it fairly pointless. Yet, most cars have it in 2021, and most cars also have a button you can push to turn it off. I recommend you exercise that button a lot on the Sorento. Second, I noticed a bit of torque steer under hard acceleration. And that’s a bit odd because the test vehicle was an all-wheel drive model. But there was a distinct tug at the wheel when I mashed the pedal to, say, merge with traffic on the highway. It’s not egregious, but for me, it was noticeable. **The verdict:** I really like this powertrain. It has the right amount of pep, and still manages to maintain decent fuel economy for a three-row SUV. I did a lot of highway driving (about 300 miles worth) with some city driving and idling thrown in and still managed to average 24.3 mpg. EPA estimates 24 MPG in combined driving. I rarely hit that number, so this is a huge win in my book.![2021 Kia Sorento]() ### **X-Line styling is > than EX** I generally like the styling of the new Sorento. Kia has been killing it with recent design direction – and from the Tiger Nose grille to the vertical taillights, the Sorento has a strong and handsome profile. But the X-Line styling takes it up a notch. With more ground clearance, torque-on-demand AWD, front and rear skid plates, hill descent control, center locking differential and better off-road specs, this version is meant to get a little dirty. Plus the bridge-type roof rack, matte black lower body cladding and 20-inch alloy wheels complete the look. Add to that the test vehicle’s Aruba Green paint, and the exterior has a solid, rugged look. Because the test vehicle was the top-tier SX Prestige X-Line, it came with all the whistles and bells I didn’t get from the previous EX tester, including the digital cluster, blind-view monitoring, up-level 10.25-inch infotainment screen, wireless charging and around-view monitor. It also had the rust-colored quilted leather seats, heated-and-cooled front seats, dual automatic climate control, heated rear seats and heated steering wheel. What it didn’t have: Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. **The verdict:** I love the X-Line styling and all the amenities you get with the SX Prestige trim for less than $45K. What you miss out on (read: wireless CarPlay/Auto) you gain in spades with other tech (read: blind-view monitor). ### **A second look at the third row** No, I still don’t like the third row. But I’m trying to be a bit more objective. The biggest problem is the one I pointed out in my previous review: the raised floor. Since Sorento will have gas, hybrid and plug-in electric powertrains, the floor pan design necessitated a raised third-row floor to accommodate for the technology. So, even though I was in the gas-only model, the floor was still raised. I went out in tennis shoes this time (no heels or knee boots), and it all still felt a bit awkward. My knees push toward my chest and I felt like a giant back there – and that’s saying something since I’m about 5-feet-tall. I also noticed there aren’t any air vents in the ceiling or D-Pillars. On the plus side: There were USB-A ports back there, and the seats bottoms themselves seamed cushier than the last time I sat back there. **The verdict:** This is an acceptable *occasional* third row for kids, perfect for carpools or trips to a restaurant when the grandparents are in town. But anything longer than a half hour back there might be tough. ### **![2021 Kia Sorento]()** ### **The bottom line on the Kia Sorento revisited** I like the Kia Sorento, and with a second go-round, I like it even more. And compared to third rows of other SUVs I’ve been in since driving this the first time – namely [the Mitsubishi Outlander]() and the Nissan Pathfinder – I’ll say this third row doesn’t suck as much as I initially thought. But I’d still only call it occasional – especially since you won’t be able to fit a lot of gear or cargo in the rear if the third rows are up. I put a roller board, backpack, helmet and tripod back there, and the liftgate just barely closed. Then everything fell out when I opened the hatch. So, that was fun. I’ve not driven the base powertrain yet, but of the hybrid and turbo, my pick would be the turbo – but I still can’t wait to check out [the plug-in electric version](). I have a feeling that will be my final pick. [2021 Kia Sorento]() [2021 Kia Sorento]() **Related posts:** - [2021 Kia Sorento X-Line: One of the best 3-row SUVs on the market?]() - [2021 Kia Sorento: A solid contender in the midsize, 3-row segment \[First Drive\]]() - [5 things to know about the 2021 Kia Sorento]() ## Related vehicle coverage - [2021 Kia Sorento]() ## Structured page information ~~~json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/" }, "author": { "name": "Jill Ciminillo", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/17a307b2bd8654a0efc57d38f2e79df8" }, "headline": "2021 Kia Sorento revisited: Is it better or worse the second time around?", "datePublished": "2021-12-06T15:00:34+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-08-19T15:52:12+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/" }, "wordCount": 1048, "commentCount": 0, "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-Kia-Sorento-28-scaled.jpg", "keywords": [ "2021 Kia Sorento", "2021 Kia Sorento X-Line", "2021 Sorento", "Kia Sorento" ], "articleSection": [ "Reviews" ], "inLanguage": "en-US", "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "CommentAction", "name": "Comment", "target": [ "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#respond" ] } ] }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/", "name": "2021 Kia Sorento revisited: Is it better or worse the second time around?", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#website" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#primaryimage" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-Kia-Sorento-28-scaled.jpg", "datePublished": "2021-12-06T15:00:34+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-08-19T15:52:12+00:00", "description": "Our managing editor had a chance to take a second look at the 2021 Kia Sorento. Does she like it better or worse than before?", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#breadcrumb" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "ReadAction", "target": [ "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/" ] } ] }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "inLanguage": "en-US", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#primaryimage", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-Kia-Sorento-28-scaled.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-Kia-Sorento-28-scaled.jpg", "width": 2048, "height": 1536, "caption": "2021 Kia Sorento" }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/12/2021-kia-sorento-revisited-is-it-better-or-worse-the-second-time-around/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "2021 Kia Sorento revisited: Is it better or worse the second time around?" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#website", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/", "name": "Pickup Truck +SUV Talk", "description": "Latest News, Reviews and Stories", "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/?s={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": { "@type": "PropertyValueSpecification", "valueRequired": true, "valueName": "search_term_string" } } ], "inLanguage": "en-US" }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization", "name": "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "inLanguage": "en-US", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/logo/image/", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PUTC-Only-Shield.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PUTC-Only-Shield.jpg", "width": 613, "height": 379, "caption": "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/logo/image/" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/pickuptrucktalk/", "https://x.com/PickupTruckTalk", "https://instagram.com/PickupTruckTalk", "https://www.pinterest.com/PickupTruckTalk/", "https://www.youtube.com/pickuptrucktalk" ] }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/17a307b2bd8654a0efc57d38f2e79df8", "name": "Jill Ciminillo", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "inLanguage": "en-US", "@id": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f87b10595f005ae52b8598b3d0f279f342bca284aef7f845272864395212c4e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g", "url": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f87b10595f005ae52b8598b3d0f279f342bca284aef7f845272864395212c4e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g", "contentUrl": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f87b10595f005ae52b8598b3d0f279f342bca284aef7f845272864395212c4e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g", "caption": "Jill Ciminillo" }, "description": "Jill Ciminillo is a Chicago-based automotive writer, influencer, TikTok Creator, YouTube personality and podcast host, with her articles and videos appearing in outlets throughout the U.S. Additionally, she co-hosts a weekly radio show on car stuff via Talk Zone. Previously, Jill has been the automotive editor for the Chicago Sun-Times News Group as well as Sinclair Broadcast Group. She is also a past president for the Midwest Automotive Media Association and has the distinction of being the first female president for that organization. Jill is also currently a juror for the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) and Women's World Car of the Year (WWCOTY).", "sameAs": [ "https://www.instagram.com/jillciminillo/", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillciminillo/", "https://x.com/https://twitter.com/jillciminillo", "https://www.youtube.com/jillciminillo" ], "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/author/jillc/" } ] } ] ~~~