New Heights in Comfort: The 2025 Kia Sorento and the 2025 Kia Carnival Reviewed!

I had the chance to drive the 2025 Kia Sorento . Now I had the X-Pro , sx Prestige 2.5 turbo all-wheel drive . Now that's because this vehicle comes in five base trim levels LX , s , ex , sx and then the SX Prestige . At the top of the line , however , there are two add-ons . You can have Packages . I suppose you would call them the X-Line and the X-Pro . They bring in some enhancements , makes things a little more sporty , trim level wheels , a couple of things they've got . Now this vehicle , the Sorento . This is the fourth generation of this vehicle , introduced in 2021 . They continue to tweak it .

This is a three-row small SUV . To let you know where it fits in the Kia lineup . It is smaller than the three-row Telluride , but it's larger than the two-row Sportage . Now , up front , you're going to find typical modern cars LED projector headlamps . You got taillights that are LED , fog lights . Led got roof rails on it , power folding , heated side mirrors with led turn signal , so you got led lighting all the way around . Now you're also going to find that you've got the panoramic sunroof with the power sunshade , which comes in real handy . We had this power smart lift gate to make things easier to get packages in it . And one thing that was interesting is the SX Pro is rolling on some 17-inch black matte alloy wheels . 20-inch wheels are standard , but we were on the 17s , which we'll get back to that in a few minutes .

Now you get into the inside of it . We had an olive brown leather seating package Really nice stuff . The front seats are heated and ventilated . The rear seats are captain's chairs and they are also heated and ventilated . Now up front we're going to find we got the dual 12.3 inch panoramic displays , two different displays but they're parked together so that it looks almost like one complete Got one that's got all your nav or your convenience controls , your infotainment system , if you will . The other one's going to serve as a driver's information center we to call it gauge package , but it's got all the information the driver's going to be looking for . We also had a digital rear view mirror and I'm coming to like these a whole lot more and more as I see more of them . It's a better , wider angle shot of what you got behind you , the uh one thing .

Another interesting note on this vehicle we had the door window shades on the rear doors . You know kind that you can lift up and down and pull up almost like a sunscreen . It was kind of neat to see them and they worked really well , and I'm surprised that more people don't have them because of how well they work , instead of putting sun tent on the glass , because then that sun tent's there at night . We also had the Bose premium audio package . Now this is 12 speakers and a subwoofer that really will fill up this vehicle .

Under the hood Of the Kia Sorento , we're going to find that we've got a 2.5 liter turbo again , so we're not dealing with the hybrid model here has 281 horsepower , 311 pound-feet of torque , and it does run on regular fuel . Now this is backed by an 8-speed automatic , so it's capable of towing in this configuration , 4,500 pounds . It'll get most of your jobs done , unless you're really serious into something else . Now the EPA says in the city you should be looking for 20 miles to the gallon Highway , 27 combined for 23 . I drove 445.5 miles and I got 22.5 , and considering what I usually get , I'm quite happy with that .

Now I will say that around town it is a very easy . City driver is what I would call it . The size is easy enough to get in and out of traffic , parking lots , parking spaces . It's got very responsive steering , so that helps a lot too . Now you get out on the highway . You know you're on the highway ,

Introduction and Overview of the 2025 Kia Sorento

you feel it , but it doesn't wander all over the place . So it's , it's a . It's a solid ride , is what I would call it .

And here's where we get back to the 17 inch wheels . The 17 inch wheels have a taller sidewall on the tires . I am not a fan of the run flat tires because they have no sidewall . Every one of them I've ever been in were road rough and I understand why , but it's not something that I care for . And I think this high-level trim of the Sorento is the reason they've got the 17-inch on there to make it ride much better .

Now , if you're looking for something price-wise , the base model is going to be $33,405 . Now , that's for the LX model . Now the base trim price on the Prestige is up at $47,390 and MSRP as tested is $49,400 . Now , if you're looking for something to compare that to , because it is a very crowded segment , there's a lot of things to choose from in there . The Honda CR-V starts at $30,100 . The Toyota RAV4 comes in at $29,250 for starters and the Subaru Ascent is up at $38,910 .

So , again , there's a lot of things to look at in that segment and if I was to start looking at it , I would definitely look at this as be one of the first I would look at , because there are so many choices . But also my wife's got a 2015 . We've had it for 10 years . It's serviced this really well . It's got a hundred thousand miles on it now no problems so far and so she's happy with it . I'm happy without having the car note , but if I was to buy one , I would absolutely go look at this as part of looking in that segment , because that's the size of vehicle that she likes . So , again , this is my review of the 2025 Kia Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige 2.5 Turbo , all-wheel drive vehicle .

All right time now for our car review of this hour , and we're going to talk about the 2025 Kia Carnival . Now , the vehicle itself isn't a new new design . What's new about this one is this is the hybrid version . Okay , so let's go down the list here and tell you all about it . Final assembly location is Gwangmyeong , korea . That's where it's built . It is a Kia and that's their home base .

Available trim levels include the LXS to start off with , then moves up to EX SX and then top of the line , sx Prestige . We had the hybrid SX Prestige . Top of the line . It's a minivan all the way , no doubt about it , and I have to tell you I really do like minivans . As far as people movers , this is top of the line . You don't have to worry about going over rocks and that sort of stuff . Like most SUVs are set up , but minivans do have an image . I think that Kia has tried to set aside the image part and make it look more along the lines of an SUV , which clearly is the most popular form of transportation today . Seats including the driver , up to eight depending on the configuration , so that's good . This hybrid , as I mentioned , all new for 2025 .

Exterior features include a minivan that resembles an SUV . How did they do it ? Well , they laid the windshield back like an SUV much more aerodynamic and they did kind of a mind-blowing thing in design with the doors . Now it does have the sliding side doors in the back , but the way that they're designed , with the A , b and C pillar , with the windshield being laid back , it kind of looks like an SUV . You'll have to look at it to see , but I think you'll agree that it tries to break the minivan look . Attractive front grille and extensive lighting across it . It looks really good . Huge rear hatch with big lighting across it all adds to a sharp , sharp look . Some wheel designs are really not that attractive in my mind . You may think that they are , but each one is related to the certain trim level that you decide that you want to buy what you can afford , what I liked the clever way that Kia designed its look to look like an SUV .

What could use improvement ? A $495 extra charge for a silver paint job why Stick with just a regular paint job ? It goes into the same paint booth and there's no reason to have to pay extra money . All vehicles are painted . You know Interior highlights .

It's got the minimalist look dash design with a two-foot wide let's make it two foot six inch wide one screen that contains not only the instrument cluster in front of the driver , clearly , but it also contains the infotainment system over the center console . It works well . It works well except with the minimalist control surfaces that the volume control and the station tuning control double as the HVAC system . In other words , you turn up and down the temperature that you want in the vehicle or you can adjust the fan , but the same knobs not a big fan of that . Soft touch materials inside are top notch , cool and comfortable .

Second row seating reclines and the center seat actually will come out For those that have small children . Each one of the seats in the center section are adjustable back and forth , including the center one , which is really cool because if you have a small child then you can pull the small child up toward you in the center seat so you have access to them . Flat phone charger doubles as a storage area . It's well-designed , works well . Cargo and trunk room well , it's cargo room really behind the third row . It has a huge well back there that does two things Swallows up lots of luggage and whatever you need to have back there , but it also swallows up the third row seat if you want to fold that down and use the entire back area .

What I liked ? I liked the minimalist controls , except for , as I mentioned to you , the knobs that control the HVAC and the radio . What could use improvement Again ? Hvac control knobs , double radio volume I get the minimalist look , but that just a little bit over the top . Get the minimalist look , but that just a little bit over the top .

Anyway , as far as power is concerned , it is a 1.6 liter turbocharged hybrid configuration , so it does have a battery , so you don't have to plug it in . It does it all by itself , which is really cool . 242 horsepower , which is a lot out of this battery and engine combination , 271 pound-feet of torque it does well . I didn't drive it with a loaded-up vehicle , but it works for this vehicle . Six-speed automatic transmission and here's what really hits home . Miles per gallon it's rated at 34 in the city , 31 on the highway , for a combined of 33 . The gas version , by the way , is 21 miles per gallon . Combined . I got 32.2 miles per gallon over 368 miles . I loved it . What I liked , obviously , is the mileage . What could use improvement Acceleration from a dead stop sometimes is delayed's trying to think about okay , what gear do I need to go into ?

Is he pressing the accelerator hard enough to bring in the engine ? Uh , it could be annoying and it could be scary . It's not in all situations . You have to drive it and decide for yourself . Ride and handling pretty good .

It is a minivan . It's a big vehicle . The steering is light to the touch , so easy to maneuver through the parking lots of your favorite stores , which I'm sure you'll spend a lot of time in . Here's the pricing on it . The base trim price starts at $5,2600 . The price is tested $5,4490 . The base model price $40,800 . How does it compare with the other vehicles ? The Toyota Sienna is a hybrid-only vehicle and it starts at $39,000 , within $1,000 of the Kia Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid . It's a plug-in hybrid . It starts at $51,055 . It's the most expensive of our comparison and the Honda Odyssey starts at $41,920 , within a couple of thousand dollars of the Kia . By the way , the Kia has an overall warranty of 10 years and 100,000 miles and that pretty much kills it when it comes to comparison with the other vehicles . I really did like this vehicle a lot . I love the gas mileage and if you're going to be in the minivan market anytime soon .

Please check all of the minivans from all of the manufacturers . Drive them . Look at all of the minivans from all of the manufacturers . Drive them . Look at all of the features . Sit in all three rows of seating . See how easy it is to fold down that third row and get it out of the way . What is the adjustability of the center row , the second row , and are you comfortable driving it ? Check those out and then price compare . It's very important . You want to drive away loving your new vehicle , and that is my review of the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX .