We see the sun rise and set, watch the seasons change, and realize that in just two months it will be 2009. It's still hard to believe how quickly and inexorably times and tastes change.
One day the Yankees are a Major League Baseball dynasty, then seemingly overnight they're on the golf course watching the Phillies celebrate a world championship.
Time also seems to skip a beat in the automotive world. It seems like only yesterday that everybody was buying SUVs and manufacturers couldn't come out with new models quickly enough to sate the public's appetite for them.
Now nobody seems to want one.
True, crossover SUVs -- vehicles that look like trucks but are built on car platforms -- are still somewhat popular. But real SUVs that can cross streams, slog through mud and shake off blizzards are being shunned like a vegetarian at a Texas barbecue.
That makes vehicles such as the 2008 Kia Sorento that I tested last week an afterthought to most consumers.
The smallish and stylish Sorento looks like a new breed crossover, but one glance at its EPA fuel economy rating tells you it's not. Most crossovers get better than the Sorento's 15 city and 20 highway miles per gallon.
Looking beyond the window sticker confirms the Sorento's real nature. On two-wheel drive models, the rear wheels push the Sorento instead of the front wheels pulling it like most crossover SUVs.
And unlike crossovers, the Sorento is built on a true frame chassis braced by nine cross members. That kind of robust construction enables a vehicle to withstand the rigors of real off-roading that would turn the average crossover into a bucket of loosened bolts.
The problem is that most consumers don't need that kind of robustness any more than Louie Anderson needs a Krispy Kreme gift certificate. Rugged, body-on-frame construction requires compromises that get you in the end, like the calories in a box of doughnuts.
That's apparent in the Sorento, which weighs nearly 4,500 pounds in the 4x4 configuration and EX trim of my test vehicle. That's portly for an SUV that slots somewhere between compact and midsize.
A vehicle's weight affects its fuel economy, which helps explain the Sorento's EPA mileage ratings.
The biggest mileage factor, of course, is typically a vehicle's engine. Kia offers two different V6 engines on the Sorento. Base and LX trim levels get a 3.3-liter version that produces 242 horsepower and 228 pounds-feet of torque. The top-of-the-line Sorento EX gets a 3.8-liter that puts out 262 horsepower and delivers 260 pounds-feet of torque.
The smaller engine only gets slightly better mileage and won't tow as much as the 3.8; 3,500 versus 5,000 pounds.
Both of those numbers are beyond the capability of most crossover SUVs. But the best crossovers also deliver a better combination of ride and handling than the Sorento.
That's not to say that the Sorento is a slacker in either department. Its ride is reasonably comfortable, and it does a decent job of muting wind and road noise.
But it's not as good as the best crossovers in those areas. For example, the Sorento's suspension includes a solid rear axle that isn't as compliant as the independent rears on most crossovers. Big bumps and potholes are more noticeable in the Sorento. And the Sorento leans more when navigating corners than most crossovers.
None of that means the Sorento handles poorly. Its behavior is simply more truck-like than car-like. Such characteristics would have been overlooked just a few years ago, when truck-based SUVs were all the rage. In fact, the Sorento was named edmunds.com's "Most Wanted SUV Under $25,000."
But that was for 2004. The Sorento hasn't gotten worse; our sensibilities have changed. It remains a good value in a body-on-frame SUV that delivers robust performance and ruggedness.
Scott Wasser
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