by Gabrielle DeSantis

After getting a total redesign, the off-roading-oriented 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line is ready for adventuring. But as people take the Kia Sorento into the wild, they are noticing a few aspects that don’t exactly line up. 

Is the 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line good for off-roading? 

The 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line is alright for off-roading. The team at Driving Sports TV found a few things that may be a little misleading or disappointing about this off-roading Kia Sorento model. 

For example, the all-wheel drive system relies on a center clutch to send power to the back wheels as needed. But according to the Driver Sports TV team, the Kia site said the Sorento X-Line has a lockable center differential. We did find that listed in the specs here. 

This is misleading because the Toyota Land Cruiser has a center locking differential and the Sorento has a multi-plate clutch. These are different types of equipment, and the locking differential certainly sounds better. 

Also, the X-Line doesn’t have an off-roading driving mode or undercarriage protection. This can make things a little complicated for going over rocks and steep inclines without the proper protection. 

How does the Sorento X-Line perform? 

The 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line AWD package can be added to the Sorento SX Prestige trim, which starts at about $40,590. It includes unique 20-inch wheels and has a ground clearance of 8.2-inches, which is pretty good for clearing obstacles. 

It comes with a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. It can tow up to 3,500 lbs, which is fine. We would like to see it tow up to 5,000 lbs to have more flexibility for towing campers. 

On the pavement, the Kia Sorento provides a comfortable ride with limited body roll. The suspension is a little stiff but absorbs impacts well. In sport mode, the Sorento accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds. Overall, it provides a fun and sporty experience. 

In the woods, the Sorento still provided a smooth ride, but there were concerns about the dual-clutch overheating. The steering felt a little numb. It was more responsive on the pavement. It was also challenging to maintain a constant speed because the turbo engine experienced some surging. 

The Sorento did an excellent job at climbing over wet rocks without slipping. It didn’t overheat and climbed down inclines at about two mph. The downhill brake control did suddenly jump to five mph, which was concerning and unpredictable. 

Is the Sorento worth buying? 

The 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line is pretty comfortable and luxurious. It’s fun and sporty on the pavement and does OK on trails. It will get you to campsites and some trailheads, but the team at Driving Sports TV recommends going for a different type of off-roader if you want something for adventuring. 

It provides plenty of space in each row for passengers with large and supportive seats. You can opt for captain’s chairs in the second row. An 8-inch touchscreen comes standard, but you can upgrade to the 10.3-inch unit. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard. 

Key safety features include forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, and lane-keeping assistance. You can add blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert. 

The Sorento is a well-rounded family vehicle that can do a little of everything. The X-Line is a light off-roader, but that doesn’t mean it can’t make it to campsites. It should also handle snow and other slippery conditions just fine.

RELATED: The 2021 Kia Sorento PHEV Won’t Solve Its biggest Problem

The post The 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line Is a Little Misleading appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The struggle between the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna is Japan’s version of the Ford F-150 versus the Chevy Silverado. The Honda-versus-Toyota rivalry started heating up in the mid to late-1960s when both Japanese automakers entered the North American market. It’s a complicated clash of titans — already the two largest auto manufacturers in Japan back then — competing for the same buyers.

A little over six decades later, in 2021, Honda and Toyota’s feud has only intensified. Both brands have garnered millions of loyal customers while designing, redesigning, building, and selling millions of vehicles to new buyers every year. For the 2021 model year, buyers have made it clear that the 2021 Odyssey beats the 2021 Sienna.

The Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna go toe-to-toe

According to 16-year U.S. sales figures published by GoodCarBadCar, 2,039,420 Honda Odyssey minivans have been sold in the U.S. between 2005 and Q1 2021. While sales figures fluctuated from one year to the next, Honda has managed to sell around 359,895 units quarterly throughout that time. Contrarily, between 2005 and Q1 2021, Toyota sold 2,028,627 (and counting) Sienna models with an average of around 357,993 units sold quarterly, per GoodCarBadCar.

At first glance, those figures may seem fairly closely tied. However, measuring by averages provides accuracy without precision. Looking more closely at the sales figures, the Honda Odyssey sold between 174,275 and 100,133 units from 2005 to 2018. Meanwhile, while selling around the same numbers monthly, there were months that the Toyota Sienna sold well below 100,000. The Odyssey first fell below 100,000 units sold in 2019, but even then, the amount was 99,113, just a hair shy of 100,000.

Q1 2021 sales figures reveal the Sienna outsold the Odyssey

In 2020, during the height of the global pandemic, there wasn’t an auto manufacturer that didn’t suffer drastically. Nonetheless, even despite how bad the U.S. economy got last year, sales for the Odyssey only dropped by 16 percent. Sales for the Sienna plummeted by 42 percent in 2020, reflecting which model buyers preferred. However, in Q1 2021, the Sienna sold 14,782 units, while the Odyssey only sold 10,873 units.

Q2 2021 figures have yet to be published by Toyota, so the higher numbers for the Odyssey posted by GoodCarBadCar for Q2 going into Q3 don’t necessarily mean it’s selling better than the Sienna.

What makes the Honda Odyssey more favorable among buyers?

Arguably, the 2021 Honda Odyssey hasn’t brought many trailblazing features to the minivan segment. Meanwhile, the 2021 Toyota Sienna is pioneering a new way forward with its hybrid-only powertrain across all trims. So, what is it that makes the Odyssey more favorable among vehicle buyers?

As put forth in an article published by Forbes, the only minivan still more popular than the Odyssey is the Chrysler Pacifica. A descendant of the original Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country, both champions of the minivan segment, the Pacifica has three decades worth of shared knowledge incorporated into it. That makes it a really tough contender for any automotive brand. Nonetheless, the Odyssey is the second most popular minivan for its own reasons, one being that Honda learned what worked and kept to it.

First introduced in 1994, the 27-year-old Odyssey is in its fifth generation, launched on September 26, 2013. So, to say that this minivan is well matured might be an understatement. According to MotorTrend, even with minimal updates for the 2021 model, the Honda Odyssey remains highly competitive. For a minivan, most reviewers unanimously tout the new Odyssey as feeling as sporty to drive as it looks, as well as feature-packed.

The Honda website has the 2021 Odyssey listed with an estimated MSRP of $32,090 for the base trim. The 2021 Sienna is priced slightly higher on the Toyota website, with an estimated starting MSRP of $34,460. There are seven trims to choose from with the Odyssey, with the top-tier Elite trim having a base price of $47,820. Meanwhile, the Sienna has five trims, with the top-tier Platinum trim priced at $49,900.

MotorTrend admitted that even the slightly lower price of the Odyssey seems a bit much at first until you spend some time driving it. Then you’ll realize it may actually be a fairly good deal after all. At the end of it all, “The Odyssey doesn’t feel as modern as the Toyota, but it still does more things right.”

RELATED: Honda Odyssey Maintenance Costs Are the Highest of All Minivans, Consumer Reports Shows

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