Compare the2024 Mazda CX-90VS 2023 Kia Sorento

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-90 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.

The Mazda CX-90 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 CX-90 offers an optional Secondary Collision Reduction System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sorento doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-90. But it costs extra on the Sorento.

Both the CX-90 and the Sorento have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Mazda CX-90 weighs 589 to 1528 pounds more than the Kia Sorento. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The CX-90’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sorento runs out after 100,000 miles.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 9th.

The CX-90 has more powerful engines than the Sorento:

On the EPA test cycle the CX-90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Sorento:

Regenerative brakes improve the CX-90’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Sorento doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The CX-90 Turbo S’ standard fuel tank has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sorento (19.6 vs. 17.7 gallons).

For better stopping power the CX-90 Turbo S/PHEV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Sorento:

The CX-90’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.

For better traction, the CX-90 has larger standard tires than the Sorento (265/55R19 vs. 235/65R17). The CX-90 Premium/Turbo S’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sorento (275/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

The CX-90’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.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-90 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX. The CX-90 Premium/Turbo S’ 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Sorento.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-90’s wheelbase is 12 inches longer than on the Sorento (122.8 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-90 is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Sorento.

For greater off-road capability the CX-90 has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (8 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the CX-90 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The CX-90 offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Sorento can only carry 7.

The CX-90 has 36.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sorento (141.6 vs. 105.3).

The CX-90 has .3 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more third row headroom, .8 inches more third row legroom and .3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Sorento.

The CX-90’s cargo area provides more volume than the Sorento.

The CX-90’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Sorento’s (3500 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Sorento is only 3500 pounds. The CX-90 offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

The CX-90 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 CX-90 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.

The CX-90 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 CX-90’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 CX-90’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 CX-90’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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-90 Turbo S has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Sorento doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-90’s optional 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 CX-90 Premium Plus has standard front air conditioned seats and the CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus also has them 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 CX-90 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.