At first glance, the price of the new 2023 Kia Sorento looks pretty reasonable. Starting at $31,285 for the LX model (the most basic one), it´s only $440 more expensive than last year. However, according to Consumer Reports, the Sorento is sold in showrooms for 21% over MSRP, making it one of the worst deals on the market today.
Is It Worth It?
This isn´t to say that the Sorento is a terrible car. Styling-wise, the 2023 version has changed very little from its one-year older brother: same grill, same headlights, same bulky-yet-slick design. But besides the rampant inflation, there´s another reason for the ever-so-slight price hike of $440.
The base LX version does gain Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance (BCA), Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance, and Safe Exit Assist as standard features. Other trims aren´t left out:
- S: wireless smartphone charger
- EX: 8-way power front passenger seat and frameless rear-view mirror
- SX: 12.3-inch color digital instrument panel, power-folding exterior mirrors, and rain-sensing windshield wipers
- SX Prestige: standard AWD, gloss back exterior accents, revised bumpers, a 115-volt power inverter that can charge household items such as a laptop, Homelink, and retractable rear door shades.
- X-line package: unique bumper and exterior details, 20-inch alloy wheels, and bridge-type roof rack.
Hurting Sales Numbers
Of course, all of that is cool, but there´s very little point in adding a few safety features when dealers around the country hike up the price by 21%. The LX version has an MSRP of $31,285, add 21% to that, and you´re looking at a whopping $37,854 for a standard Kia.
Also, consider that the most expensive Sorento (the X-Line SX Prestige) comes in at $44,885 MSRP; add 21% to that, and you end up at $54,310.
Therefore, it´s not surprising that the Sorento isn´t selling as well as it used to. According to GoodCarBadCar, the Sorento sold 107,846 units in 2018, whereas it´s currently at 65,341 units sold in 2022 and will likely end up in the 80,000 range at the end of the year.
Now, there´s more to it than just the rise of MSRP, of course. The giant supply chain issues and economic uncertainty aren´t helping Kia or any other car maker. But we can´t help but think that the blatant dealership markups aren´t beneficial to the popularity of the Sorento.
Not Just The Sorento
To add insult to injury, it´s not just the Sorento that is marked one of the ´worst deals´ in October, according to Consumer Reports. The Sorento ends up in the third spot on the list, whereas the second place goes to the Kia Sportage (+21% MSRP as well) and the Kia Rio (+24% MSRP). Therefore, it seems Kia has no problem squeezing its customer base for every last penny it got.
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
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