July 23, 2004 - There's no way around it. The SUV is more or less here to stay. A sort of child of the wagon, minivan and truck, the SUV has replaced almost all forms of family transportation. Saying its popularity is epidemic would be like saying Americans love to eat--either statement is obvious.

But the question is can any automaker sell a ute? Is it as easy as designing a vehicle, building it and selling it? Almost, but there are a few things that need to be addressed to make it appeal to whomever that target may be. Take the Kia Sorento, for instance. It's a relatively attractive utility vehicle from a Korean automaker.

Up until recent years the likes of Kia and Hyundai really had to fight to convince the buying public to, well, buy their respective vehicles. The easiest way to convince other people in your product is to show them that you have faith in it. A limited 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty is a good way to do that. Everyone else has been scrambling to follow suit, but the Koreans pioneered this unheard-of warranty.

The mid-size SUV beats out some of its in-class competitors with better, semi-conservative exterior styling. Still, it doesn't look like a minivan and manages to feel like a standard ute with a bit of crossover style. The Sorento doesn't have a menacing or frump stance, versus stuff like the Infiniti FX or Honda CR-V, respectively. It borders on typical, but doesn't bore. Interior could use some design work, but not too much. It's just really plain. The materials used within aren't cheapy, but don't scream luxury. Still, they're a few steps up from anything domestic.

Don't expect to tow any boats with the Sorento's 3.5L V6, but tackling that family road trip should be a breeze. It's definitely not sluggish. Our test vehicle came equipped with a five-speed manual transmission. It's a rare combination these days, a manny tranny in a ute. And we know why it's so rare, the combo doesn't really work. No one wants to shift an SUV unless we're talking about the Cayenne--even then it's debatable. Anyway, back to the Sorento, we don't see the reason to offer a manual transmission--other than to reduce MSRP to the consumer.

That manny tranny also makes the suspension feel a bit rough around the edges as the Sorento bucks to and fro during shifts. But that same suspension reminds us that this is a real ute and not some car-gone SUV or minivan-esque attempt at confusing us. In fact, the Kia's cabin proved more than sufficient to load up for a long road trip with three additional passengers.

Initial impressions can be deceiving, that's what we found in the 1,000+ miles we put on the Sorento. It beats out stuff like the CR-V, Highlander and RAV4 without flinching. Kia has learned quickly and the Sorento isn't shabby.

It's a solid contender in the mid-size SUV class and one that potential ute owners shouldn't overlook. With a starting MSRP under 20K, there's no reason for the money-minded individual to look elsewhere. With a V6 engine, air conditioning, ample storage and seating space, power everything, side-curtain airbags and an 8-speaker CD stereo system things are looking up.

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