2019 Kia Sorento Gets a Face-lift, Loses Turbo

Alterations to the Kia Sorento for the 2019 model year make an already legendary off-roader even greater. Kia’s flagship SUV after a mid-cycle refresh gets improved performance, some sophisticated tech tidbits inside, and revised styling including both the cabin and the exterior. Sorento now boasts seven-person seating, for better comfort. Cool.

However, under the hood SUV drops the 2.0-liter turbo-four engine; instead of, it gets a 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated inline-four unit mated to a six-speed automatic transmission to produce 185hp, or a 3.3-liter V6 paired with an eight-speed automatic, to deliver 290 horses. Moreover, a diesel option will apparently arrive soon.

Revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the crossover features a cabin’s makeover with a new shifter knob, steering wheel and air vents. Safety improvements include an adjusted navigation system, lane departure warning along with lane keeping assist, a highly-rated driver’s monitoring system, in addition to blind spot detection. Outside, Kia spruces up the exterior with a redesigned tailgate, an updated grille and redesigned wheels. Pricing info has yet to be released.