Compare the2021 Kia SorentoVS 2021 Toyota 4Runner

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Sorento and 4Runner 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 4Runner’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 4Runner doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 4Runner 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/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line’s blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line’s standard cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Sorento uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Sorento and the 4Runner have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

Warranty

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 4Runner’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 Toyota covers the 4Runner. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the 4Runner ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sorento first among midsize suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The 4Runner isn’t in the top three.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 41 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fourth.

Engine

The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (281 vs. 270) and 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 278) than the 4Runner’s 4.0 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota 4Runner:

	Sorento	4Runner
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.5 sec	7.7 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	3.9 sec	4.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	16.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	99 MPH	89.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento gets better fuel mileage than the 4Runner:

			MPG
Sorento
	2WD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
		2.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	4WD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/25 hwy
		2.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
4Runner
	2WD	4.0 DOHC V6	16 city/19 hwy
	4WD	4.0 DOHC V6	16 city/19 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Sorento’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The 4Runner doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento higher (5 out of 10) than the Toyota 4Runner (3). This means the Sorento produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 4Runner every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Kia Sorento, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a five-speed automatic is available for the 4Runner.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sorento stops shorter than the 4Runner:

	Sorento	4Runner
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Sorento LX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4Runner’s standard 70 series tires. The Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the 4Runner Limited/Nightshade’s 60 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Sorento has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota 4Runner has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 4Runner.

Chassis

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 pounds less than the Toyota 4Runner.

Unibody construction lowers the Sorento’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The 4Runner uses body-on-frame design instead.

Passenger Space

The Sorento has 1 inch more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 8.8 inches more rear legroom, .3 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.5 inches more third row headroom and .3 inches more third row legroom than the 4Runner.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the 4Runner.

	Sorento	4Runner
Behind Third Seat	12.6 cubic feet	9 cubic feet

The Sorento has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The 4Runner doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento’s optional second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The 4Runner doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sorento EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Sorento’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Sorento to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Toyota doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the 4Runner.

Ergonomics

The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The engine computer on the Sorento automatically engages the starter until the car starts with one twist of the key and disables the starter while the engine is running. The 4Runner’s starter can be accidentally engaged while the engine is running, making a grinding noise and possibly damaging the starter and ring gear.

The power windows standard on both the Sorento and the 4Runner 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 4Runner prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Sorento’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The 4Runner’s power mirror and cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Sorento has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sorento has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the 4Runner only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Sorento has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The 4Runner has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Limited/TRD Pro/Nightshade.

The Sorento’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The 4Runner’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

On extremely cold winter days, the Sorento Prestige/X-Line’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 4Runner doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sorento, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Toyota 4Runner isn't recommended.

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