Compare the2021 Kia SorentoVS 2021 Honda Pilot

Both the Sorento and Pilot have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Pilot’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sorento are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Pilot doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia Sorento has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Pilot doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sorento Prestige/X-Line has a standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Rear that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Pilot doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Pilot doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Sorento Prestige/X-Line has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Pilot only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Sorento’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Pilot doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento and the Pilot have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Pilot’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the Pilot. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Pilot ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Sorento has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Pilot’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sorento first among midsize suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Pilot isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 41 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 19th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 48 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 1 more horsepower (281 vs. 280) and 49 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 262) than the Pilot’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento gets better fuel mileage than the Pilot:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento higher (5 out of 10) than the Honda Pilot (3). This means the Sorento produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pilot every 15,000 miles.

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Pilot doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Sorento’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Pilot:

The Sorento stops shorter than the Pilot:

For better traction, the Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pilot (255/45R20 vs. 245/60R18).

The Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pilot SE/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s 50 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Pilot’s (37.8 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Pilot (8.2 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Honda Pilot.

The Sorento is 7.5 inches shorter than the Pilot, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sorento has .2 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom and 3.3 inches more rear legroom than the Pilot.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento’s optional second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Pilot doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The power windows standard on both the Sorento and the Pilot have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Pilot prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Sorento Prestige/X-Line’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Pilot’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Sorento’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the Pilot EX/EX-L/SE/Touring/Elite/Black Edition.

The Sorento’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Pilot’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Sorento and the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance.