Sorento keeps up with more butch Durango

One of my favorite automotive journals recently said the 2014 Kia Sorento fell short compared to vehicles like the Dodge Durango. It’s time to see if this assumption is really true.

The 2014 Kia Sorento EX AWD in our fleet isn’t top–of–the–line, but it’s stickered at $36,550 including its delivery charge. The 2013 Dodge Durango R/T had a rear–wheel drive only configuration, stickered at $43,555, which also included the destination charge. An All–Wheel Drive V6 version can come in closer to $40K and be similarly equipped to our Kia Sorento. Likewise, the Sorento would be about $38,650 if you add the third row.

The Durango is more than 15 inches longer and about 1.5 inches wider with 12 cubic feet more cargo capacity with the third row up. But the Kia only gives up space in the cargo room; in the legroom for the second and third row it actually has noticeably more more room than the Durango. In the front seat the 2014 Kia Sorento has a full inch more legroom. The final verdict from an interior view is that the Kia suffers the most in overall cargo and cargo with the third row up.

It made me wonder if it was the option groups that made it fall short. In the EX AWD with the Touring Package (which adds $4,000) you are lavished with a leather appointed interior, heated and ventilated front seats, panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, memory seats and mirrors, power liftgate, navigation with an eight inch touch screen and an Infinity Surround Sound System. That is in addition to the standard equipment of the EX that includes the UVO entertainment and Bluetooth system and dual zone climate control. The Durango can be outfitted with the same options with the exception of the panoramic roof, but a regular sunroof does the trick for most people.

In the end, the biggest difference between the two vehicles is personality and styling. The Dodge Durango, especially in the R/T with the Blacktop package, is a masculine and aggressive truck in both the way it drives and its outward appearance. It is, in a word, butch. And I might add pretty attractive to the motor head in me.

The Kia is softer and with its new 2014 front facia has better looks than its predecessor. In addition, the Kia has a lower price, better fuel economy and similar if not more options than the Durango. It just doesn’t have the same personality. Which ones is better? That is, as they say, a matter of opinion. What is clear is that the Kia can compete with the larger SUV competition making them a brand to watch and maybe give a try.