Compare the2023 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 Kia Sorento

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery 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 its second-row seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery. But it costs extra on the Sorento.

Both the Discovery and the Sorento have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and driver alert monitors.

The Land Rover Discovery weighs 745 to 1445 pounds more than the Kia Sorento. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The Discovery’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 Discovery’s reliability 20 points higher than the Sorento.

Engine

The Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 105 more horsepower (296 vs. 191) and 114 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 181) than the Sorento’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Discovery’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (296 vs. 281) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid produces 74 more horsepower (355 vs. 281) and 58 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 311) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Discovery has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sorento (23.8 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (7 out of 10) than the Kia Sorento (5). This means the Discovery produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Sorento every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Discovery P300	Discovery P360	Sorento
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	14.4 inches	12.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.8 inches	12 inches

The Discovery’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.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Discovery has larger standard tires than the Sorento (255/55R20 vs. 235/65R17). The Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sorento (285/40R22 vs. 255/45R20).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sorento LX’s standard 65 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Sorento’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX. The Discovery’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Sorento.

The Discovery offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Sorento; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Sorento, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Sorento’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Sorento doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Discovery’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Sorento (115.1 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Discovery is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Sorento.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 4.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (11.1 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Discovery’s minimum ground clearance is 2.9 inches higher than on the Sorento X-Line (11.1 vs. 8.2 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Discovery uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Sorento doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Discovery has 2.2 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear hip room, 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom and 3.9 inches more third row legroom than the Sorento.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Sorento doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Discovery	Sorento
Third Seat Folded	45 cubic feet	38.5 cubic feet

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

	Discovery	Sorento
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	11.5”/43.4”/76.9”	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”
Max Width	55.6”	54”
Min Width	47.24”	42.4”
Height	33.6”	33”

Both the Discovery and the Sorento offer second row automatic folding seats. The Discovery’s optional third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a button. The Sorento doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

Towing

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Sorento’s (5925 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Sorento is only 3500 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Discovery 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.

The engine in the Discovery is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Sorento. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Sorento Prestige, the Discovery offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Discovery offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Discovery’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Sorento’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Discovery’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.

The Discovery’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 standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Discovery to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Sorento doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Sorento doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Discovery’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 Discovery has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Kia doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Sorento.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan has standard front air conditioned seats and the Discovery offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Sorento doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Sorento.

The Discovery 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Discovery has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige offers wireless charging.

The Discovery’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Sorento doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

The Discovery will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Discovery will retain 50.7% to 50.86% of its original price after five years, while the Sorento only retains 46.98% to 47.45%.