Compare the2022 Lexus RXLVS 2022 Kia Sorento

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RXL have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Sorento doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

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

The RXL has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Sorento doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The RXL has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the RXL has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the RXL and the Sorento have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the RXL the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sorento has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The RXL’s corrosion warranty is 1 year and unlimited miles longer than the Sorento’s (6/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the RXL’s reliability 24 points higher than the Sorento.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the RXL first among midsize premium suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Sorento isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 6th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in reliability, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked third.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus third in reliability. Kia is ranked 15th.

Engine

The RX 350L’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 99 more horsepower (290 vs. 191) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (263 vs. 181) than the Sorento 2.5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The RX 350L’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 9 more horsepower (290 vs. 281) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The RX 450hL’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid produces 27 more horsepower (308 vs. 281) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the RXL gets better mileage than the Sorento:

			MPG
RXL
	AWD	3.5 V6 Hybrid	29 city/28 hwy
Sorento
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/25 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the RXL Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Sorento doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The RXL’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sorento (19.2 vs. 17.7 gallons).

Transmission

The RX 450hL has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Sorento doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The RXL’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Sorento are solid, not vented.

The RXL stops shorter than the Sorento:

	RXL	Sorento
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	139 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RXL has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX.

Suspension and Handling

For greater off-road capability the RXL has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (8.1 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the RXL to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The RXL has 11.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sorento (117 vs. 105.3).

The RXL has .2 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more third row hip room than the Sorento.

Cargo Capacity

The RXL’s cargo area is larger than the Sorento’s in almost every dimension:

	RXL	Sorento
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	21.5”/48.5”/81”	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”
Max Width	51.8”	54”
Min Width	44”	42.4”
Height	30”	33”

Both the RXL and the Sorento offer second row automatic folding seats. The RXL’s third row seats also fold up or down via a control in the cargo area. The Sorento doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

Servicing Ease

The RXL uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sorento uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Lexus second in service department satisfaction. With a 40% lower rating, Kia is ranked 16th.

Ergonomics

The RXL’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Sorento doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The RXL offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sorento doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The RXL’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Sorento’s parking brake has to released manually.

The RXL’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 Sorento’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the RXL the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Sorento can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The RXL’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Sorento’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the RXL’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Sorento’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the RXL offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Sorento doesn’t offer cornering lights. The RXL also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the RXL to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Sorento doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the RXL is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Sorento’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The RXL’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Sorento offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The RXL has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige.

The RXL offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Sorento doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Lexus RXL as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Lexus RX Series outsold the Kia Sorento by 56% during the 2021 model year.

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