Compare the2024 Nissan PathfinderVS 2023 Kia Sorento

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Pathfinder 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 Nissan Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Sorento doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Pathfinder 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, 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 Nissan Pathfinder is safer than the Kia Sorento:

	Pathfinder	Sorento
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	150	334
Leg Forces (l/r)	156/136 lbs.	212/405 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	312	390
Neck Injury Risk	45.1%	53%

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 Nissan Pathfinder is safer than the Kia Sorento:

	Pathfinder	Sorento
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	234	280
Hip Force	466 lbs.	579 lbs.

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

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 Pathfinder its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sorento was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

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

There are over 38 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Pathfinder’s warranty.

Engine

The Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 93 more horsepower (284 vs. 191) and 78 lbs.-ft. more torque (259 vs. 181) than the Sorento’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Pathfinder’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 3 more horsepower (284 vs. 281) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 14 more horsepower (295 vs. 281) than the Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Pathfinder has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sorento doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Pathfinder, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Sorento.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Pathfinder	Sorento
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12 inches

The Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder has larger tires than the Sorento (255/60R18 vs. 235/65R17).

The Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX.

The Pathfinder has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sorento doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Pathfinder’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the Sorento (114.2 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pathfinder is 2 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Sorento.

For greater off-road capability the Pathfinder has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (7.1 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Pathfinder to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Pathfinder has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Sorento can only carry 7.

The Pathfinder has 42.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sorento (148 vs. 105.3).

The Pathfinder has 2 inches more front headroom, 2.9 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear hip room, 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1 inch more third row headroom, 4.2 inches more third row hip room and 5.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Sorento.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Pathfinder’s middle and third row seats recline. The Sorento’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Pathfinder	Sorento
Behind Third Seat	16.6 cubic feet	12.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	45 cubic feet	38.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	80.5 cubic feet	75.5 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Pathfinder easier. The Pathfinder’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.5 inches, while the Sorento’s liftover is 31.7 inches.

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

	Pathfinder	Sorento
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	16”/44.4”/79.8”	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”
Max Width	58.5”	54”
Min Width	45.7”	42.4”
Height	33.3”	33”

Towing

The Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder offers up to a 6000 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The Pathfinder Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and incoming text message 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 Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sorento’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Pathfinder 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.