2005 Kia Sorento Review

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Edmunds' Expert Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

Great value, long list of standard features, high-quality interior materials, solid construction, true off-road capability, lengthy warranty coverage.

Cons

Mediocre fuel economy, harsh ride over sharp bumps.

What’s new

The optional sport package now includes blacked-out headlamps and, on LX models, a premium audio system. A five-speed automatic transmission replaces last year's four-speed unit.

Edmunds says

Good-looking, comfortable, rugged and well equipped, the Sorento is one of the best buys among small and midsize SUVs.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2005 Kia Sorento LX Rwd 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio

$266/mo

$196/mo

Avg. Midsize SUV

Calculate my fuel costs

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2005 Kia Sorento.

5 (70%)

4 (19%)

3 (8%)

2 (2%)

1 (1%)

4.6

262 reviews

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Most helpful consumer reviews

Great SUV!

BSeverson, 11/13/2010

2005 Kia Sorento LX 4WD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)

I bought my Kia used in 2007. I had never even driven a Kia before this one and was a little uneasy about buying one. Turns out its one of the best cars I have ever owned. Perfect size for the family(wife and two kids). With good storage in the back and a decent roof rack. Love that it has full size tires and not the barbie doll ones like on the Sportage. Okay the wife is out of the …

Loved it at first...

Sandra, 08/17/2016

2005 Kia Sorento LX Rwd 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)

I have had this SUV for 11 years. I have constantly changed rear bulbs, A/C went out at 70,000 miles, rear end went out after 1 year. Radio and CD player has never worked correctly, interior plastic items break often, eats batteries and just stops running out of no where or will not start. Dealer says no problem found. I am finally moving on to a Honda.

Still Runs like a champ after 10 years!!

Ashton, 02/11/2016

2005 Kia Sorento LX Rwd 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5M)

Me and my family have owned this car firsthand since 2005 and it has been such a fun, exciting reliable car since the day we bought it! Ok so firstly Id like to say obviously if you bought the car second hand you cant really blame the car for poor performance issues or problems. Each car has its own history and of course with good care will last a long time. That being said I can start … my review... ok where to begin... alright well performance wise the car has alot more power than expected. The 3.5 V6 has about 195 HP which is really great and the engine combined with the transmission has always been very responsive and seems to never dissapoint. As far as comfort I personally am content with the vehicle. I mean its not comparable to a plush couch but its not uncomfortable either. The quality of the vehicle is decent, Kia is known for using cheaper parts but its nothing too degrading. When you enter the car its what you can expect from an average car. Now hands down this is the toughest car Iv ever owned. Iv only been in 2 accidents, one of them I was rear ended at a red light and it was an extremly hard hit. Other than damage to the bumper and tail gate towards the back of the car thats all that really happened, and I was personally ok other than a small ammount of whiplash due to my position at the time of Impact. The car has never left me stranded anywhere and I havnt had to replace anything too major other than thing that with wear and tear need fixing. Probably the biggist repair has been changing the timing belt just because you literally have to take off every accessory on the engine and its very time consuming and a bit of a pain. Our sorento now has a little over 160,000 miles and still runs like a champ, a can floor it anytime, make hard stops frequently, and steer abruptly anytime I feel like it without having to worry about damage or wear. And I can confirm I have driven the heck out of that car, I meanIv put extreme wear in it and she still runs great. So aside if all the great things the sorento has to offer, some down falls are... the paint on the hood, roof and other small areas has faded completley. Iv noticed my sorento isnt the only one that has a faded hood though and sort of in the same shape. I actually think it might be due to the heat of the engine over time... then again its a decade old so you can expect that. Another downfall is bad gas mileage. Its rated I believe at 16 MPG or so but when you drive it hard like I do go ahead and bump that number down to 14 mpg. And lastly, I wish the cars hood didnt slope down so much, it makes it look more like a van than a SUV. Although the 2009 Sorentos hood did improve concerning that... So yea anyways the cars not a clunker, Kia did a very good job with their 05 Sorento and obviously it does has flaws just like every other car but take it from me It still holds the champ title in my eyes, and I still pride the car to this day. So many valuble memories have been made with it, and I comend Kia on it. I just wish the 2016 Kia looked different and I also wish they hadnt strayed from the true SUV body style. The 2016 personally looks like a mini van and it doesnt have the same off road capability or ruggedness as my 05 does.

great design, but flawed!

Doug B., 12/23/2006

2005 Kia Sorento EX 4WD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)

This is a company car; we wanted something fairly new with a warranty and the Sorento fit the bill. I am impressed with the ride, the handling, the comfort (I am 6'8") and the storage. Despite its low horsepower, I find it to be a quick when you mash the pedal. What really impressed me is the storage, all the reviews by car mags complain about the lack of storage but I found it to be …

See all 262 reviews of the Kia Sorento

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2005 Sorento Highlights

Trim:

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$18,995
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	16 MPG
Cost to Drive	$266/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	31.4 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	rear wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver4 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Side Barrier Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front SeatNot Rated
Back SeatNot Rated
Rollover
RolloverNot Rated
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of RolloverNot Rated

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Not Tested
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Not Tested
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Acceptable
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Poor
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Not Tested
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Poor

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2005 Kia Sorento Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2005 Kia Sorento LX Rwd 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2005 Kia Sorento.

Trending topics in reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Great SUV!

Loved it at first...

Still Runs like a champ after 10 years!!

great design, but flawed!

2005 Sorento Highlights

Safety

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2005 Kia Sorento Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2005 Kia Sorento LX Rwd 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.

Most helpful consumer reviews

Great SUV!

Loved it at first...

Still Runs like a champ after 10 years!!

great design, but flawed!

2005 Sorento Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2005 Kia Sorento info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Kia

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2005 Kia Sorento LX Rwd 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}