KIA SORENTO First Drive -  Kia Sorento 2021. Kia Optima or Kia Sorento? Baby Kia Telluride?

Welcome to H&P, today I'm attending the media test drive for the all-new 4th generation Kia Optima. To prevent the virus from spreading, only one person is allowed for press cars. So it looks like I'm going to be filming the whole thing today. So before we begin, please do support us by subscribing to our channel and also hit the bell notification so you don't miss out in the future. Thank you guys and let's meet the all-new 4th generation Kia Optima. We tried to show you the design last week but it was too crowded. So let me just show you the front design one more time. Like we said, it has a new tiger face grille, which is a little bit wider concept compared to tiger nose grille. So the grille itself nicely blends it into the headlamp like this. That is DRL, also bi-functional as turn signal and still same Kia logo. So Kia, come on, give us new logo please. Lots of busy lines on the bottom but they are giving us fog lamps on two on each side and adaptive cruise control radar sensor. So I'll just put a b-roll showing you how the headlamp system works. Okay guys, let's move to the back. This actually has a fin type. Maybe design cue from, they got it from Kia Proceed. Looks pretty nice and a tester has a 20-inch rim. It's got 255, 45 by 20-inch front and back. I do love the new 20-inch rim design. Looks pretty, pretty solid. And new Kia Optima has about 1.3-inch longer wheelbase compared to the last generation. So let me just show you a third row and second row seat. Okay, we have two captain chairs in the middle. So this actually has a total six seats. Let me just show you the third row seat. You guys all know I'm about six too. So let's see. I mean, legroom is pretty tight but headroom is also a bit tight. This feels a lot better compared to the last generation Sorento. But it feels a little bit small compared to Hyundai Palisade. We also have an air vent right here. Separate control for the climate control system. So which is pretty, pretty good. And USB charging port. Some cupholders here. Some tie downs and 12-volt charging. And you can also take the seat out from here. And we also have a good panoramic sunroof on the top. And because we have, you know, captain chairs in the middle, you can sort of just walk right through the center. Excuse me. And as you can see, it's manual but you can slide and recline the seat like this. And please excuse me back. We also have a climate control down here. I mean, air vents down here. And 12-volt charging to 20-volt charging, which is very handy. One fast USB charging here, here and there. So that's, I don't know how many in total but it's got pretty lots of USB charging ports here. A walk-in device for lazy people like me. You know, good. Map pockets and also another one. So that's pretty smart. Unique design. They put cupholders like this. Two-stage heated seats. Window goes all the way down but it's not laminated. It's only double laminated for the front one. Manual but sunshade on the top. Nice, you know, finishing on the top and big panoramic sunroof on the top as well. So it's a very generously nice interior, I think. So if I were to get, you know, here in Korea, they're selling the all-new Kia Sorento with five, six or seven seats. If I were you, I would probably choose the all-new Sorento with, I mean, six seats. Like captain chairs in the middle. You know, but there's also some pockets here, either side. So the seats are very comfortable. Yes, don't have much time. So let's just keep going, okay? Okay, let me also show you the rear design. Many thought, you know, rear design would be like a baby Kia Telluride because Kia Telluride is selling so well. But I'm kind of glad that Kia designers gave a very distinctive design for the Kia Sorento. So it's got a vertical tail lamp like this. They're calling it a combination tail lamp because it's got a bird-type turn signal. I mean, the backup lamp right here. The turn signal is actually right here. Let me just put a B-roll, it's LED as well. Four-wheel drive system, Sorento, still Kia logo, come on. It's got a fake dual exhaust on the bottom. The actual one is on the bottom right here, okay? You actually have to press here for the trunk. It's got power liftgate. So you actually have to do it manually, the third row, but it's not hard. The trunk-wise, when the third row was up, it's not much. But when it is down like that, folded, it's pretty nice. I think it's got a good amount of space here. And here's some fire extinguisher. And I think this is a press car, but I think they're going to give you some tools and fix a flat kit. And if you're in North America, you're probably going to get a spare tire too, right? It says something like that, but we don't have it here in Korea. So that's what it looks like from the third row view. I do love the captain chairs in the middle, okay? Now we don't have much time. Now let's go out to the road with all new Kia Sorento. We have to go back. They're waiting for us. More people have to drive this car. Because like I said, only one person can be in the car to prevent the disease. So let's get going, all right? Okay, finally on the road with all new Kia Sorento. When Hyundai, Kia and even Genesis roll out a brand new model, they seem to add a new window near the A-pillar just like this. And also place the side mirror below the waistline. So which helps a lot with visibility. And just like any other Kia models, it's got big windows all around. So it's actually very easy and pleasant to see out of. And if you also need a help, you can also get some help from cross-traffic alert. And also blind spot monitoring system. So which will actually help you greatly when making lane changes, okay? I want to just show you how it handles a little bit. Wow, I would say it's pretty, pretty good for a SUV, tall SUV. Very nice. Didn't expect that from new Kia Sorento, did we? Very, very nice. Just like new Kia Optima, Sorento actually has 12.3 distal gauge cluster in the middle. And to the right, we also have 10.4-inch infotainment screen. Both are very easy on your eyes and very easy to operate. I'm not really a big fan of touch-sensitive buttons. But they actually left physical buttons and dials for important control. So it's pretty okay and easy to operate, I guess. And I wasn't really a fan of the air vent divided up and down like this. But after using it, I think it's a really good idea that you can actually control the way how the air vent is blown up and down like this. Pretty okay. Better than I thought. Okay, let's do talk about powertrain for a second. Here in Korea, Kia starts selling the all-new Kia Sorento with 2.2-liter diesel engine first. And then I heard they're going to also add 2.5-liter turbo sometime this fall. And also 1.6-liter turbo-based hybrid coming sometime in the future. So stay tuned as well. Our tester actually has 2.2-liter diesel, which puts out about 202 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. And engine is made it to 8-speed wet-type dual-clutch DCT unit. So let me just show you. Let's just put the car into sports and drive. I mean, 2.2-liter diesel actually makes about same output as the last generation. But it just feels a little bit more light compared to last generation. Maybe because it's made it to 8-speed DCT dual-clutch transmission. Pretty good. And we're also given paddle shifters. So let me just show you in action. 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6, 5. So compared to conventional 8-speed with torque converters, it's shifting much quicker. And Kia also says that DCT is actually helping Sorento stay more efficient. Pretty nice. 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6, 5. So yeah, shifting also pretty smoothly as well. Not bad. The all-new Kia Sorento actually has rack-type electronic steering system. So it feels pretty stable even on highway. The all-new Kia Sorento also feels very, very stable even on very, very high speed. And you know, it's not that loud either comparing to the speed I'm doing. And also good brakes. Good brakes for a tall SUV like this. Hope to show you how this guy handles and drives. And how efficient it is when we get a press car. We'll try to book it as soon as possible. Stay tuned for that as well, guys. The all-new Kia Sorento also has lots of driving aids. But since we're on the highway, why don't we use Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Keep Assist. If the lanes are clearly marked, it is supposed to drive itself pretty nicely for me. So let's give it a try. 1, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 9,000, 10,000. And it actually tells me to put my hand on the steering wheel in about 10 seconds. So I think they're shortening the interval with the new system. But it's actually a very, very good system. Reliable system. But like I said, always keep your hand on the steering wheel for your own safety. And let me just let you hear the diesel one more time. It drives pretty nicely. I know guys, it's been too short. But we are actually arriving to the destination. So thank you guys so much for watching our first drive on this all-new Kia Sorento. We'll also try to book a press car so we can show you how fast it is, how efficient it is, and also how it handles. So before you leave, please do support us by subscribing to our channel and also hit that bell notification so you don't miss out in the future. Thank you guys and see you soon and stay healthy. Bye-bye.