A day with the 2024 Kia Sorento X-Line Limited
Every weekend we try to go out at least once a day. If not to enjoy the weather, to at least get in some movement to our day. As typically we treat our weekends as a way to rejuvenate ourselves from the week before, in preparation of the week to come. The alternative is spending hours in front of the television playing video games or watching television.
So this sunny and hot weekend we decided to go down to North Vancouver to enjoy a patio, seeing as we already had a beach day last week and were planning on another the day after.
And our vehicle to help us get there was the 2024 Kia Sorento X-Line Limited. A 7 seater SUV that looks compact from the exterior, but within it felt as spacious as it appears, with a full back row. Comfortable seats with cushions and enough leg room to seat you comfortably. The second row is 2 individual seats, which is very common in most modern vehicles, seeing as there really isn’t enough room to fit 3 in a row anyways.
As an SUV we thought to test the Sorento’s ruggedness. We found a pseudo skate park for cars, with a steep incline and loose gravel under tire. Here, we did some carcore (pun on parkour), and essentially built up our appetite for lunch.
There is no off-road driving mode, but the Kia handled itself well with a sturdy stance and traction giving wide tires. It scaled our challenge with ease and minimal body movement. We didn’t need to dial in any of the terrain modes: sand, mud, and snow. The drive modes are more city inclined and included normal, eco, and sport. We kept it on eco for the cost savings. A full tank at 576km took us through a whole work week’s worth of commuting, as well as an afternoon of travel for errands, and a trip to Cultus Lake and back.
But I digress, our second stop today was Wildeye Brewing for lunch. We noted the communal game wall and decided to play a round of Scrabble, as we took in their selection of beers on tap through a couple of flights. More about this in its own blog post.
After a challenging game, where I won, and a couple of share plates we wrapped up and came back to a hot car. Thankfully it was quick to cool with individual climate control and a toggle for seat cooling and warming. This I took note of as I have never seen anything like it, and liked the practical design.
I was also surprised that the leather seats didn’t really absorb the heat, but this could be due to its perforated surface.
Once the air condition was running on high, and the car cabin cooled; we thought to enjoy the sun via the double panel sunroof overhead. However, in order to fully expose the glass roof, you need to open the front window a crack, otherwise the back panel is left covered. All this is one button, with one motion.
We then went for dessert, a healthier option in frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, nearby. And those in the know, know the go to is Krave Kulture in Edgemont Village. More about this in its own review post.
Having had our fill of frozen yogurt as twist cones outside, and grabbing a jar of fresh yogurt to have at home later; we were then off to our next stop. We then got back into the 2024 Kia Sorento X-Line and headed to Metrotown Mall, in Burnaby to run a few errands.
When it came to driving the Sorento it was a steady ride and easy to handle. I am just not a fan of the gear shift. This was a hard grip: flat, wide, and large, ideal for someone with a larger palm, and not comfortable to hold for anyone but. My partner found himself struggling to keep it from going into mannual. That was his largest pet peeve outside of the seats lacking back or lumbar support: upright and rigid.
At Metrotown, my partner needed to shop for an outfit for an upcoming wedding. I was there looking for some white sandals for the upcoming Dine En Blanc in August. He was successful, I was came up empty.
We also stopped for groceries at Superstore, some chicken and potatoes that I failed to cook that night. We came back to the SUV with bags in each hand. We loaded everything into the trunk: a narrow space with all three rows erect. There was much more room when the back seats is easily lower with a tug and a push.
When the trunk is left open, the SUV lets out a series of steady beeps, non-stop to indicate that it is open, and still open. Failing to address this, the tailgate does eventually lower. On one occasion, it did so on to myself; although slow enough to not pain, and with enough response to sense there was an obstruction and raise.
Then we were off to call it quits for the day. Three cities and three stops, we were pooped.
