Compare the2024 Lexus NXVS 2023 Kia Sorento

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus NX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Kia Sorento doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Lexus NX 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.

Both the NX 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, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the NX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 30 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sorento was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

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

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 Lexus NX’s reliability 57 points higher than the Sorento and the Lexus NX Hybrid is rated 79 points higher than the Sorento.

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

The NX has more powerful engines than the Sorento:

	Horsepower
NX 250 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	203 HP
NX 350h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	240 HP
NX 350 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder	275 HP
NX 450h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	304 HP
Sorento 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	191 HP
Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder	281 HP

As tested in Motor Trend the NX 450h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	NX	Sorento
Zero to 60 MPH	5.5 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.1 sec	14.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	99.4 MPH	97 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the NX running on electricity gets better mileage than the Sorento:

			MPGe
NX
	AWD	450h Electric Motors	93 city/75 hwy
Sorento
			MPG
	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

On the EPA test cycle the NX running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Sorento:

			MPG
NX
	FWD	250 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
	AWD	350h 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	41 city/37 hwy
		450h 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	38 city/33 hwy
		250 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
		350 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		350 F Sport 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
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

The NX 450h can travel with zero emissions for 37 miles. The Sorento can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the NX 350h/450h’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Sorento doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lexus NX higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Kia Sorento (5). This means the NX produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Sorento every 15,000 miles.

The NX offers an available 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.

The NX’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 NX stops shorter than the Sorento:

	NX	Sorento
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	133 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

The NX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 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 NX has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the NX can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Sorento doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The NX offers an available 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.

For greater off-road capability the NX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (7.7 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the NX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The NX is 5.5 inches shorter than the Sorento, making the NX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front step up height for the NX is 1.2 inches lower than the Sorento (17.8” vs. 19”). The NX’s rear step up height is .8 inches lower than the Sorento’s (18.2” vs. 19”).

The NX has a much larger cargo volume than the Sorento with its rear seat up (22.7 vs. 12.6 cubic feet).

The NX 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 first in service department satisfaction. With a 63% lower rating, Kia is ranked 26th.

The NX’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Sorento does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The NX 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 NX’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 NX’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.

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

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

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

The NX’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 NX 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 NX 350h/450h+’s optional Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Sorento doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® chose the Lexus NX as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Sorento isn't recommended.