Compare the2023 Kia SorentoVS 2023 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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

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

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 RDX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento and the RDX 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Sorento	RDX
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	26%
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	262 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	23 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	212/405 lbs.	328/464 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	81/191 lbs.	362/441 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Sorento	RDX
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	280	486
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	39 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 RDX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Acura covers the RDX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the RDX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 21st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 99 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 13 places higher in reliability than Acura.

Engine

The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (281 vs. 272) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 280) than the RDX’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Acura RDX:

	Sorento	RDX
Zero to 30 MPH	2.3 sec	2.6 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.3 sec	7.1 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	10.3 sec	11.8 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.1 sec	3.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	90.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Sorento
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/25 hwy
RDX
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento uses regular unleaded gasoline. The RDX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Sorento	RDX
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.4 inches

The Sorento stops much shorter than the RDX:

	Sorento	RDX
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the RDX (110.8 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the RDX AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the RDX AWD (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the RDX’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.9 feet).

Passenger Space

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the RDX can only carry 5.

The Sorento has .7 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 3.3 inches more rear legroom, 5.2 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the RDX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Sorento’s middle row seats recline. The RDX’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Sorento	RDX
Third Seat Folded	38.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	31.1 cubic feet

Towing

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RDX’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Acura RDX is only 1500 pounds. The Sorento offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sorento uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The RDX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Sorento Prestige has a 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 RDX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Sorento will be $6591 to $8023 less than for the Acura RDX.

Recommendations

The Kia Sorento outsold the Acura RDX by almost three to one during the 2022 model year.