Compare the2025 Buick EnclaveVS 2024 Kia Sorento

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Enclave 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 Enclave and the Sorento have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, available all wheel drive, front parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

The Buick Enclave weighs 417 to 1018 pounds more than the Kia Sorento. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

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

There are over 34 percent more Buick dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Enclave has a standard 220-amp alternator. The Sorento’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick third in reliability, above the industry average. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

Engine

The Enclave’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 137 more horsepower (328 vs. 191) and 145 lbs.-ft. more torque (326 vs. 181) than the Sorento LX/S’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Enclave’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 47 more horsepower (328 vs. 281) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (326 vs. 311) than the Sorento EX/SX’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Enclave FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sorento (19.4 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Enclave AWD’s standard fuel tank has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sorento (21.7 vs. 17.7 gallons).

The Enclave 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.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Enclave has larger standard tires than the Sorento (255/55R20 vs. 235/65R17). The Enclave’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sorento (275/45R22 vs. 255/45R20).

The Enclave’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 Enclave has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX. The Enclave’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Sorento SX/SX Prestige.

The Buick Enclave’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Kia Sorento only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

The Enclave 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 a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 10.1 inches longer than on the Sorento (120.9 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Enclave is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Sorento.

Chassis

The front grille of the Enclave 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.

The Enclave uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sorento doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Enclave has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 2.9 inches more front legroom, 3.1 inches more front hip room, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear hip room, 4 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.5 inches more third row headroom, 2.5 inches more third row legroom, 6 inches more third row hip room and 4.8 inches more third row shoulder room than the Sorento.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Enclave	Sorento
Behind Third Seat	22.9 cubic feet	12.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	57.1 cubic feet	38.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	97.5 cubic feet	75.5 cubic feet

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

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Sorento is limited to 4500 pounds. The Enclave offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Enclave 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 Buick service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Buick third in service department satisfaction. With a 49% lower rating, Kia is ranked 24th.

Ergonomics

The Enclave’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 Enclave offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information 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 Enclave’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Sorento’s standard power windows’ passenger windows don’t open automatically.

The Enclave’s standard Keyless Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Smart Key is only offered on the Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige, and doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Enclave Avenir has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Sorento doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Enclave’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 Enclave has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Sorento Prestige.

The Enclave Avenir has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Sorento.

The Enclave 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 Buick Enclave has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige offers wireless charging.

The Enclave’s optional Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist 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.

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