Kia Sorento review: a genuinely useful third row without the Highlander price
4.1/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
For a Bahrain family that genuinely needs seven seats on occasion rather than as a marketing checkbox, the Sorento is one of the better-reasoned choices in the segment: the third row folds flat properly, the cabin is a step above the Sportage's already-good one, and the price undercuts the Highlander by a meaningful margin. Stick to front-wheel drive unless dune driving is a regular plan — all-wheel drive adds cost without much benefit on Bahrain's roads.
Pros
- Third row is genuinely usable by adults, not just children
- Independently sliding and reclining second row
- Undercuts the Highlander by a meaningful margin
- Five-year, typically unlimited-kilometre warranty
- Composed ride over Bahrain's expansion-joint-heavy roads
Cons
- Cargo space behind the third row is tight
- 2.5-litre engine works audibly when fully loaded on inclines
- All-wheel drive adds cost with little benefit on Bahrain's roads
- Resale trails the Santa Fe
Most three-row crossovers in this price bracket treat the third row as an afterthought. The Sorento's is genuinely usable by adults for causeway-length trips, which is the single biggest differentiator against the Sportage one rung below it in Kia's own range and against several rivals at the same price.
Space and everyday use
Second-row seats slide and recline independently, which matters when the third row is occupied and everyone needs to negotiate legroom. Cargo space behind the third row is tight, as it is on every seven-seat crossover this size — fold the third row down for airport runs and the Sorento becomes properly practical again.
On the road
The 2.5-litre four is not quick, and it works audibly when fully loaded and climbing the on-ramp to the King Fahd Causeway, but the eight-speed automatic hides the strain better than the Sportage's six-speed does. Cabin noise isolation at highway speed is genuinely good for the class, and the ride is composed over Bahrain's expansion-joint-heavy roads.
Kia's five-year warranty is the same reassurance it offers across the range, and it matters more here given how few owners keep a family SUV past that point without needing at least one significant repair. Resale is respectable, sitting behind the Santa Fe but ahead of most of the field outside the established Japanese names.