Compare the2022 Kia SorentoVS 2022 Nissan Pathfinder

Both the Sorento and Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder’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.

Both the Sorento and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sorento the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 136 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Pathfinder has not been tested, yet.

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

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 Sorento’s reliability 20 points higher than the Pathfinder.

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 Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

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

The Sorento’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pathfinder’s optional 50 series tires.

For greater off-road capability the Sorento X-Line has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pathfinder (8.2 vs. 7 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 500 to 600 pounds less than the Nissan Pathfinder.

The Sorento is 8.7 inches shorter than the Pathfinder, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sorento has 6.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more third row legroom than the Pathfinder.

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

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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Sorento’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Nissan Pathfinder by almost two to one during the 2021 model year.