Nissan back at the Houston Auto Show! A review of the 2025 Kia Sorento!

Introduction to the In Wheel Time Podcast

Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast , a 30-minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am Central . This is the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show today coming to you from the 42nd Annual Houston Auto Show at NRG Center in Houston , texas . Today we talk to more participants in today's new car extravaganza . Later , jeff dives into extended car warranties and Mr Mars reviews the 2025 Kia K4 . Howdy , along with Mike out of this world , mars , who's behind us . We always need more . Jeff Zekin , what are you doing back there ?

Speaker 2 0:47

Giving you some information .

Speaker 1 0:49

And over here we've got David Ainsley . I'm Don Armstrong , Glad you could join us today . Okay , so why don't you give that to Jeff and let him introduce our guests ? All right , that'd be fine .

Speaker 2 1:03

All right , Jeffrey . To my left we've got uh , rodney collins and rodney tony leon yes , all right , yes , and you are with nissan nissan .

Speaker 1 1:14

Oh my god , all right . So let's start this conversation by asking the question do you know , steve parrot not personally .

Speaker 4 1:22

No , not personally . Okay , you're allowed to stay , yeah .

Speaker 5 1:25

Okay , I do send him a holiday card though .

Speaker 1 1:30

Dan , that's good . No , you don't Liar , liar , liar pants on fire , because you know Steve's going to hear this interview .

Speaker 4 1:38

Yes .

Speaker 1 1:39

And I'm going to do everything I can to embarrass Steve .

Speaker 3 1:42

Oh really Through you ?

Speaker 1 1:44

Are you employed by Nissan or some aftermarket company ?

Speaker 5 1:48

We're trained by Nissan . We go to headquarters , but we are affiliated with a third-party company . So where do you live ? I personally live in .

Speaker 4 1:54

Atlanta and you . I live in Los Angeles , los Angeles and the headquarters is in Nashville .

Speaker 1 1:59

So , none of that makes any sense . So how did you get this job ?

Speaker 4 2:04

I'll tell my story real quick . Yeah , please . I basically did an event for a company the third-party company that hired us , and they asked me after the event . They said hey , would you like to do an event for Affinity unveiling QX60 ? It was in Orange County , california . So , I went out there and I did a great job and then two weeks later .

Speaker 4 2:24

Yeah , allegedly , but . So I went out there and I did a great job . And then two weeks later yeah , allegedly , but two weeks later they actually said hey , we want you to send a video introducing yourself to Nissan . I was like , okay , sure , then about a month later I was in Nashville training as a product specialist . Very good , that's how it happened , very nice .

Speaker 1 2:38

Because you know I would love that kind of job .

Speaker 4 2:40

Yes .

Speaker 1 2:40

You know , I did NHRA drag racing one year and I thought this travel is absolutely killing me . Yes , I was doing marketing and PR . How about you ?

Speaker 5 2:49

How did I get the job ?

Speaker 1 2:50

Can you top ?

Speaker 5 2:50

that .

Speaker 2 2:51

Can you top ?

Speaker 5 2:51

that . Well , I'm a spokesperson by trade , like a host .

Speaker 1 2:55

So I say that because you know who he reminds me of .

Speaker 5 2:58

Jack Holtz .

Speaker 1 2:59

Michael Garfield . Okay , you don't know who Look him up . Anyway , go ahead .

Speaker 5 3:03

But it's a jack-of-all-trades kind of a job where hosting sometimes is sitting on the radio station with you .

Speaker 4 3:09

Yes .

Speaker 5 3:10

Doing an interview with the CEO . You know , juggling popcorn , who knows . You know you really kind of have to check off a lot of boxes . So I just proposed to my now wife and I was looking for another job to , you know , fund that ring . And yeah , I saw an email come through as far as looking for automotive hosting and I thought I was hosting for a commercial Ended up being this gig and yeah , met this guy in Nashville , trained along the way and yeah , I still do the hosting . We do trivia over here at the auto shows around the country .

Speaker 5 3:42

You did that last year I host trivia play games with the crowd . Invite them in . So yeah , I still carry the word .

Speaker 1 3:48

Well , I have to tell you that I had this flashback I have lots of those now at my age A flashback of going to car shows , one of them here , not in this facility , but it was part of the Astrodome complex at the time and going there and they had at the time and , uh , going there and they had at the time a lot of concept cars , so buick would have their latest buick concept on a turntable sitting up and they had the guy you know walking around and displaying the car and showing these certain things about the car and pointing it out , and he had memorized the whole script and it was well thought out and well done , all done by a marketing company . I thought , golly , that was really good . I want to buy that , but you can't , you know those kind of things . So , and I'm thinking they don't have that anymore . But you are the new spokespeople , yes , and this is where it all happens . Well , that's good . So what do you ? Got over there in the Nissan booth .

Speaker 5 4:45

Oh , there's a lot of excitement right now , especially for Armada and Murano owners . Why ? Because we have a brand new one . That's why 2025 , new Murano , new Armada . You were asking for it , so get a little long in the teeth as far as a new redesign , and here we are .

Speaker 1 5:03

Yes , as a matter of fact , I got to see those . Steve brought the new lineup of Nissans down . It was a little over a year ago before they made their official debut . Yes , I got to see the new Z .

Speaker 4 5:18

Yes .

Speaker 1 5:18

And I'd never seen it before in person . Do you have one of those over there ?

Speaker 4 5:21

Absolutely , yes , we do .

Speaker 1 5:23

So you got the full lineup of Nissans over there , not the full lineup . But what are you missing ?

Speaker 4 5:28

We're missing .

Speaker 1 5:28

Versa Sentra , our Leaf .

Speaker 4 5:31

Yes .

Speaker 1 5:32

The Leaf's not there .

Speaker 4 5:33

No , it's not over here . No .

Speaker 1 5:34

Okay .

Speaker 4 5:35

But we do have the Aria , which is our electric vehicle . Yeah , that's very nice .

Speaker 1 5:50

I was so impressed by seeing that when he , when steve , brought it down here , I mean it's nice , it's very nice and it great design . Now that's the all electric . Yes , sir , yes , yes . And how's that doing in sales ? Because you know , rumor has it , uh , and all of the news , people like us are saying , well , eb sales are kind of waning , is it ?

Speaker 4 6:03

I would say the aria is still performing pretty well in the market . That's why we still bring it out to the shows . I for the ride-along experiences like when we do that at the shows are you doing a ?

Speaker 4 6:12

ride-along here not here , okay , but normally when we do that at the shows , I drive it uh oftentimes and people love the aria , yeah , and just about I can say honestly say about 65 percent of the people I talk to in the car has either bought one or is looking to buy an Aria when they come and ride with me .

Speaker 1 6:28

So it's doing very well . I mean , not only does it look good on the outside , it's really got a cool interior . It's very cool , very new and modern .

Speaker 5 6:35

Speaking of that outside , the one that we brought to this show is probably my favorite colorway of the whole lineup . It is the Northern Lights Metallic . So if you're familiar with the Aurora Borealis those Northern Lights you see that on this paint job on the outside . There Again , my favorite colorway and pretty much all of our vehicles that is , it is yeah , okay , so you've got a nice display over there .

Speaker 4 6:55

Yes .

Speaker 1 6:55

Do you have the new truck ?

Speaker 4 6:59

The Frontier .

Speaker 1 6:59

Yeah .

Speaker 4 7:00

Yes , the Frontier is definitely . Our Pro 4X is over there . It is , yes , it is .

Speaker 1 7:04

Because you know I ran into Steve on press night . You know , preview night Were you guys here ? Probably not , that was Tuesday night .

Speaker 4 7:11

Yeah , we were flying in at the time , so yeah .

Speaker 1 7:16

Losers , so we were here I missed you yeah exactly , I was waiting for you at the airport .

Speaker 2 7:22

There it is . That's why they get picked up .

Speaker 1 7:25

But yeah , so I saw , steve , and we had a little quick jaunt around your display over there and it's nice . Yes , and so if you come in the front door , generally speaking it would be off to the left over toward the boats , right , yes , yes , so those people that ? Okay , send the Nissans over there . When you come in the door here at NRG , there's a map that shows all the displays and where they are Schematic of the layout .

Speaker 1 7:53

The layout and the car show takes up half the area . You know this is a very big place , it is huge and so it takes up half . The car show takes up half , the boats take up the other half . Have you been over to visit the boats ?

Speaker 4 8:06

Absolutely yes , we have you picked out your favorite . I picked out one that my wife would kill me if I bought it that big cabin cruiser . Yeah , yeah , yeah , exactly Well .

Speaker 1 8:15

I mean , you know LA Harbor .

Speaker 4 8:20

I mean it's go Pop one in there ?

Speaker 1 8:22

Exactly yes . So what are you going to tell people when they come and visit your booth about the Nissan lineup ? Because you know they're going to come in there and they're going to be looking for an SUV . Chances are you may be looking for a truck . You got that . So what do you ? I mean , you say anything I can interest you in today ? Okay , anything I can show you .

Speaker 5 8:44

I mean they kind of flock by themselves to the Armada . I'd worked the Texas State Fair for the full month and that was when , again , we don't really have concept cars too much anymore but that was we brought that before it officially released , and Texans love themselves a bigger SUV .

Speaker 5 9:02

And you talk about the comfort and convenience with the newer Armada , not only heating , not only cooling , especially down here in Texas , but also massage chairs are also available there . So the vehicle kind of sells themselves , both the Murano and the Armada . But then when you talk about some of those luxuries , hey , how about a biometric cooling sensor that keeps all of us comfortable in the cabin when it's super hot ? You get those 101 , you know Fahrenheit days out here , oh we know , very well it's really humid .

Speaker 5 9:29

You know you've got a wet seat . You're leaving behind no more because of that biometric cooling sensor . So you have the . Ac that's keeping us all cool and comfortable . What are you laughing ?

Speaker 1 9:37

at he caught up on the wet seat . You like the wet seat ?

Speaker 2 9:41

That happens in the winter too , For you it does .

Speaker 1 9:45

Yeah , well , I think that the diaper booth is over on the other side over there

Highlights from the Houston Auto Show

Speaker 1 9:50

by the boat .

Speaker 2 9:50

It's on the boat section . It's called the life vest . Yeah , that's it .

Speaker 1 9:55

Well , that's interesting , and we offer incentives too .

Speaker 4 9:59

We got up to $1,000 in cash incentives too .

Speaker 1 10:01

Really , are you handing out the cash over there ? Yeah ?

Speaker 4 10:04

You know what we got ? A way of kind of letting them know where they go get it .

Speaker 5 10:07

I got you the simple email . They just stop by , so it's also one of those . Oh , you like this one . If you're thinking about getting it , how about $1,000? , are you ? The only two guys over there . We have a couple other people on the team for sure .

Speaker 4 10:18

Hopefully some females . We have some amazing , very beautiful women working over there . Because you know we do too yeah you definitely want to have a reason to come over .

Speaker 5 10:28

That's right . Do I not do it for you ?

Speaker 1 10:31

That's why we're not getting any action . Me personally , no , but I would like to run my hands through your hair , I can tell you that I wish I had all that .

Speaker 5 10:40

I conditioned just for you today .

Speaker 2 10:41

That's it You're going to end up with a wet seat .

Speaker 1 10:43

Yeah , so when I come over there , you guys know all about the engine , engine sizes , the options , whatever they are , and you have option packages yes , Like all the other car makers , and I'm looking for this , but I don't need that . Well , you're gonna get that with this option package and it's going to be more affordable for you if you buy it in the package as opposed to . But you get all of this , yes , but the same price as you could get . Just pick and choose . Yes , yeah .

Speaker 4 11:14

I just had a experience where I helped the gentleman over here this morning . He was looking at our Rock Creek Rogue and he was looking at the Rock Creek Pathfinder that we have over there and he was trying to compare it because his wife is an owner of the 2017 Rogue , so he loves the Pathfinder , the Rock Creek , but he also did not know we had a Rock Creek Rogue because that's like their favorite vehicle , so it really fit their needs . Because my question was what are your driving habits and what do you need ? What are you guys looking for ? And he said he wanted to keep the same size , but he needed to be able to go off-road and have some fun . I was like , well , here you go .

Speaker 1 11:48

So the Rock Creek is a trim package . Yes it is yes .

Speaker 5 11:52

And it was so popular with the Pathfinder that we copied and pasted it on the Rogue , which is our best seller .

Speaker 1 11:57

So my ex-wife has got a Rogue and my oldest daughter has a Rogue . Yes , and you got a Rogue too . I got a Rogue as well . You know they're extremely popular and people don't . It's not one of those vehicles that comes top of mind . You think about all of those that you see on television . Right , and the advertising isn't there for the road because I don't think it really needs it . It sells itself ?

Speaker 5 12:20

Absolutely not . You are correct , and that's the beautiful thing . You said your ex-wife , your daughter , I have one as well , and the beautiful thing about it is that they probably all three of them look different and unique . Mine is all blacked out because I just introduced a child , so I needed a family vehicle , but we didn't need that much space . But I told the wife hey , I'm not driving a minivan , okay , I'm entering dad mode , but I still want a Batmobile .

Speaker 1 12:40

Well , amy , amy , I've got a two-year-old grandson . He fits great in the back seat , in his car seat , yes , and it's just kind of like the right size when you're starting a family .

Speaker 4 12:49

To me .

Speaker 1 12:56

It is . I get a different car every week . I get to see all the different cars . As a matter of fact , last week I had the 392 Jeep Wrangler , which is , you know , high horsepower , bad to the bone Wrangler . Yeah , you know , today I'm driving the Silverado pickup truck , electric , $83,000 . But boy is that nice .

Speaker 1 13:17

Yeah , it noise , you know and here in Texas trucks man . I know it's funny to me , because here in Texas you'll find you go look at the bed of the pickup truck . It's gonna got enough scratch in it . It's three years old . Oh well , yeah , I really don't haul anything except passengers in the backseat . Why'd you get a pick here in Houston ? That happens here too , yeah .

Speaker 5 13:39

It's like coming from Georgia . What is that about Growing up ? You'd see it in the high school parking lot . Every kid's got a truck and I'm like you're too young to work . What are you doing ? What are you hauling ? You know we ain't hauling nothing .

Speaker 1 13:55

Nothing . What are you hauling ? You know , we're not hauling nothing , nothing Except butt Right .

Speaker 5 13:58

Yeah , I'm happy to know it happens here too .

Speaker 1 14:00

Oh yeah , I mean it's huge . People buy trucks because they like the big yes , and you know we've got rodeo coming up here , which is a mega event for an entire month , and there's a lot of pickup trucks out of this place . This is the actual arena , where it's . The barn is what they call it , is that ?

Speaker 2 14:22

right .

Speaker 1 14:22

So all of the cattle and the horses and all that stuff here in this particular space that we take up now , yeah , and so it's amazing . Ford actually has a huge display here and they sell lots of Ford trucks in Houston Texas . It's the number one selling truck in Texas .

Speaker 5 14:41

Makes sense .

Speaker 1 14:42

Number one selling vehicle in Texas .

Speaker 4 14:46

Understanding .

Speaker 5 14:48

They see this rodeo show for a month long and they think you know what I got to have me one of them , I got to hop on a bull .

Speaker 4 14:54

That's it , that's it .

Speaker 1 14:55

Pretty much , but in Houston , texas , it's a huge mixture . Obviously , suv is hot yes , everybody's got one and I know that the Rogue in particular is very competitive and it's got a great track record and people love them . And they love them for a reason .

Speaker 5 15:15

Yes , 100% of me . I can't complain .

Speaker 5 15:17

It checks off all of our boxes like I said , and then now , with the introduction of the Rock Creek Edition , I mean , you had a conversation I was spoken with a woman who did cross-country like expeditions and events everywhere from Atlanta , san Diego , yeah , and so she's constantly climbing hills . But , again , smaller woman , she doesn't need the Pathfinder when she goes out off-roading , and so the Rogue , seeing that Rock Creek , she goes oh , this is my vehicle , this is exactly what I need , and you're looking at a great price too . You're looking at the low 30s with that Rock Creek edition , so it's great .

Speaker 1 15:48

Yeah , and my daughter never goes off-roading she said maybe just get the two-wheel drive model . It's all you really need . And the nice thing about vehicles these days new vehicles there's so many options on so many vehicles . Even the Wrangler's got a two-wheel drive model . If that's what you want , right that truck . I don't know why you'd buy that , because that's strictly an off-roader in my mind . But whatever the case may be , it works really well .

Speaker 4 16:17

Gentlemen , thank you , gentlemen , thank you . Well , thank you , it was a pleasure .

Speaker 1 16:20

Hope I didn't embarrass you too much , not at all . I got stories to tell you when we get off the air about Steve Parrott , please , so when you send him a thank you note or a hate note because he's hooked us all up .

Speaker 4 16:34

Yes .

Speaker 1 16:35

And the same goes for Rochelle Salina . She knows the story . We'll be sure and bring in Steve Parrott .

Speaker 5 16:41

We'll pass it along . We see him at training every now and then . Gentlemen , thank you , Nissan . God bless you . Thank you , Jensen .

Speaker 3 16:47

Come by for $1,000 . Just ahead .

Speaker 1 16:48

Mars has his review of the 2025 Kia K4 and Jeff's feature on car extended warranties . Feature on car extended warranties . It's going to be good . Stay with us .

Speaker 1 16:57

The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show is back after this quick break . The Tex-Mex dining experience is defined by Loopy Tortilla , your destination for Texas' best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas . Since 1983 , loopy Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients . Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience at Loopy Tortilla , all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in West Houston . Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail in each and every location . Start your Loopy experience with queso flammeado and guacamole , along with a classic frozen margarita . Dine on famous Loopy beef and chicken fajitas or pepper shrimp brochette , or a fish or vegetarian entree , and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert . Find Loopy Tortilla in Houston , college Station , beaumont , austin , san Antonio and Dallas Fort Worth . There's a Texas location near you . The recipes are authentic and time-tested , the ingredients always fresh . Loopy Tortilla he's pretty good .

Speaker 1 17:59

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Speaker 1 18:26

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Speaker 3 19:23

We're doing three hours today , so we've got a bonus hour from noon until 1 pm , central Time .

Speaker 1 19:30

So we invite you to stay with us All right time now for Jeff's feature . Today we're going to talk about extended warranties , jeffrey .

Speaker 2 19:36

Yes and the reason I did this . We're here with all these beautiful automobiles , all these wonderful manufacturers , and they offer a warranty with their vehicle . Sometimes it's three-year 36 , sometimes it's five-year 60 . So what should you consider when you buy an extended warranty ? Now , all these folks have the extended warranties in addition to that three-year 36 and 560 , but what else do you want ? You want a bumper-to-bumper warranty . Well , it covers all the mechanical systems , except for a few items explicitly listed in a non-covered binder of what they're going to sell you .

Speaker 2 20:07

Bumper-to-bumper warranties typically offer excellent coverage and include a lot of repairs , and other warranties don't . So what about the powertrain ? Well , the powertrain includes the engine , transmission , front and rear wheel systems , the related components on those systems . The warranty covers the cost of repairing or replacing these parts should they malfunction . A powertrain warranty covers fewer parts than the car , but usually some of the car , but usually lasts longer than the other types of warranties . Wear and tear warranties , now , that's stuff that doesn't always get covered on a warranty program , but most manufacturer warranties don't cover repairs due to the natural wear and tear Belts , tires , hoses and things of that nature . So look for a good one . Some of them do offer that , and beyond the normal experiences of a warranty Maintenance plans . Well , plans are similar to the prepaid service plan , but with more coverage . Like a service plan , it covers basically inspections and basically maintenance of that particular vehicle , some of the labor and some of the parts .

Speaker 2 21:09

Emissions Do you be concerned about emission warranties ? Well , you should , because warranties protect you from the cost of repairs , of emission-related failures and beyond your control . Catalytic converters comes to mind . Manufacturers are required to provide broad emission warranty coverage for your cars younger than five years old and have less than 50,000 miles . Factory accessory plans they're all out there About wheels , tires . You can actually get that protective paint coverage , rust and corrosion warranties . They're available as well . So look into it , choose the right plan and even though you have a warranty 3 or 36 , whatever the case you can still buy added coverage onto that . Now , with my new vehicle I could have done that . It would have been another $6,000 for a factory warranty from Buick . Now , if you're doing these outside coverages , be careful , because they list them . There's like 10 of them out there and they list them top to bottom and there's a lot of them you see on TV that are at the bottom .

Speaker 1 22:04

You know what I do . I don't want to mention them . I go to Consumer Reports and see what they say .

Speaker 2 22:09

That was my next one .

Speaker 1 22:10

You get on there , do that research , you can apply for that , get a temporary pass to get in there , and you know we have a relationship with Consumer Reports . Matter of fact , I now am a subscriber , you are , and I didn't get a discount . I paid my 20 bucks or whatever it was they were offering a 10 discount I know that and I didn't do that .

Speaker 1 22:30

They gave him the special 20 dollar one yeah , I didn't get that , but I'm starting to get the magazines now . There's so much in there but be lacking it be aware of what you want .

Speaker 2 22:40

uh , you know , if you got the money to do that and you got the means , go ahead and do it if you want to . I used to do it . I don't have one now , but be careful . And because we're here with all these fine folks , something to look into , yeah .

Speaker 1 22:52

Well , I have to tell you that this is a new car show . There are also some exotics here , there are detailers here , there are a lot of ancillary support people here that do all sorts of different things . So when you come here to look at the cars , be sure and look at some of the people . What no , you got nasa here too with one of their moon crawlers yeah , that would be interesting just yeah , yeah , where is that ?

Speaker 3 23:19

I think it's in that front corner , kind of opposite of us so that would be that way or that way yeah no , I believe it's this way .

Speaker 1 23:26

Okay , whatever the case may be , Mars put a cable in it . Yeah , Are we on the air ? We are on the air . This is a new car show and we do new car reviews .

Speaker 3 23:36

This week 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 .

Speaker 3 24:09

Now this vehicle , the sorrento . This is the fourth generation of this vehicle , introduced in 2021 , and 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've got taillights that are LED , fog lights , led . You've got roof rails on it . You've got power folding heated side mirrors with LED turn signals , so you've got LED lighting all the way around . Now you're also going to find that you've got the panoramic sun roof with the power sunshade which comes in real handy . We have 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 .

Speaker 3 25:06

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 used 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've got behind you .

Speaker 3 25:50

The 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 suntan on the glass , because then that suntan'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 .

Speaker 3 26:21

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 . It 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 .

Speaker 3 27:01

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 , 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 .

Speaker 3 27:24

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 rode 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 .

Speaker 3 27:49

Now if you're looking for something to 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 .

Speaker 3 28:28

So again , there's a lot of things to look at in that segment

Interviews with Automotive Participants

Speaker 3 28:30

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 . I've we've had it for 10 years . It's serviced us 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 .

Speaker 1 29:08

You know we have a new award here on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show . That's the Cute Baby Award . Just walked by here just a second ago . Oh my God .

Speaker 2 29:16

Yeah , yep Okay , got you . I was wondering what you were doing , he shut me off .

Speaker 1 29:24

Well , he has a tendency to do that .

Speaker 2 29:26

I know that . And then he wanders around yeah , cute baby awards , we're handing those out left and right over here . There was a little tiny one that didn't walk by . It was being carried . That's the one I was talking about . Yeah , a little tiny one .

Speaker 1 29:36

With the big bow on her head .

Speaker 2 29:37

Yeah , the bow was bigger than her . It was Lots of folks here now and the Jeep Camp Jeep ride is full .

Speaker 3 29:49

They're lined up A lot of people in this exotics that are straight across from us too , where they're doing the wraps I'll have to tell you we don't have it .

Speaker 2 29:56

But there's Ferraris and there's , what is that ? Over there , there's a .

Speaker 1 29:58

Porsche . That's a G63 wagon from Mercedes-Benz over there that they have massaged All decked out and it's got a lot of carbon fiber on it and I will tell you that that orange interior pops and it works so well with that dark forest green you go over there and take a look .

Speaker 3 30:18

This one right here , I can see it now between the crowd , kind of thinned out a little bit .

Speaker 2 30:22

We're not going to show it to you . So you've got to come out to the show and look at it yourself .

Speaker 1 30:27

I'm sure that you will .

Speaker 2 30:28

We'll get a lot of calls on that . I'm the international correspondent and I'm inviting everyone .

Speaker 1 30:32

Jeff is the international correspondent . We send him all over the world in our minds .

Speaker 3 30:39

Be sure and join us next .

Speaker 1 30:40

Saturday , when we'll be back home in the Sugar Shack Studios , the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues after this . Pro-am Auto Accessories has been serving Houston's auto enthusiasts since 1984 , providing world-class products for sports cars , european sedans and American muscle . Pro-am is known as the place to go to find exclusive and hard-to-find parts and accessories . Pro-am is one of the very first distributors in the USA for brands such as Recaro , redline , momo Corbo and Simpson . Located in the heart of Houston's premier retail and service corridor , the Galleria area , pro-am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000-square-foot warehouse , showroom and installation bays . Pro-am not only sells parts and accessories , but also offers installation and service . Pro-am is now reaching a worldwide audience through Pro-Amcom , taking its local reputation to the rest of the world . At Pro-Am Auto , you'll be dealing with a small group of professionals who truly want to help you with your automotive needs . If you don't see what you're looking for on the website , call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand . Pro-am Auto 6125 Richmond at Greenridge in Houston's Galleria area . Call them at 713-781-7755 .

Speaker 1 31:46

It's time for the 47th Annual Corvette Chevy Expo in Galveston . Saturday and Sunday , march 15th and 16th , at the Galveston Island Convention Center . This premier indoor event features iconic Chevrolets , from classic Camaros to America's sports car Corvette . See over 135 displays , automotive vendors and unique finds at the expansive swap meet . You'll also see the all-handmade Galveston craft show featuring over 100 local artisans . Be part of the Chevy celebration March 15th and 16th . For tickets , visit CorvetteChevyExpocom . That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show . I'm Don Armstrong , inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook , youtube , twitch and our InWheelTimecom website . Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts , spotify , stitcher , iheart Podcast , podcast Addict TuneIn , pandora and Amazon Music . Keep listening and we'll see you soon .