2021 Kia Sorento price creeps upward with the redesign

Pricing for the redesigned 2021 Kia Sorento is out, and it’s more expensive than the outgoing 2020 model. You will be paying a heavier sum for the snazzier exterior and higher quality interior on the new model. In its base LX trim, the Sorento is $30,560, including the $1,170 destination charge. That’s $2,450 more than the standard L trim of last year. Since Kia dropped the L trim for 2021, a more fair comparison would be LX to LX trim, where the Sorento only costs $1,350 more than the 2020.

If you want all-wheel drive, that’ll cost you another $1,800 over the standard front-drive model. Both the LX and S models come with the low-power, naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder. That gets you to 60 mph in the nine-second range. More power can be had in the form of a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, but it’ll cost you. This engine (good for 0-60 mph in the seven-second range) is standard on EX trims and above, and it can't be added to the lower trims as an option. The cheapest Sorento available with it is $36,160. Adding all-wheel-drive with this engine involves paying the same $1,800 upcharge as you do with the base engine.

The top trim level has two tiers: SX and SX Prestige. The standard SX is priced at $39,160, whereas the Prestige comes in at $41,760. The latter trims is the only way to get the off-road-oriented X-Line package, too. This version of the Sorento will cost you $43,760, making it the most expensive version of the crossover. The package adds an extra inch of ground clearance, locking center differential and more useful roof racks.

Pricing for the late-coming hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions is not listed by Kia yet. Compared to the other three-row Kia on dealer lots (the Telluride), a base Sorento is $2,600 less. That price gap is far less than what it was before Kia eliminated the basement level L trim. However, it still provides an incentive for folks to buy the smaller Sorento if they don’t need the extra space that the Telluride offers.

Expect the first 2021 Sorentos to start hitting dealer lots soon.

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