Due to some Lexus-slug running a red light one moon back, I ended up driving a few affordable, heavy (4400 lbs.), R/4WD V6/5 speed tall station wagons.
Others call them SUVs. But these cars (OK, some call them trucks) are nothing more than stubby (180" oal, 107" wb), jacked up (68" high), full-framed versions of ye olde Country Squire. Updated to 2008 specs.
Updated with such unimaginables from Country Squire days as 4 wheel discs, abs, stability control, curtain and driver knee airbags, power windows, remote locks, power heated outside mirrors, 20+ mpg on-the-road economy, and of course air, flipper seats, and five 17" alloys with 245.70.17 Michelin tires.
Nice V6 burble, reminds me of a girl-pal's '88 Beretta way back when, very tight turning radius,
very comfortable ride. Hey, what they say about road hugging weight does have truth to it! How does this thing ride so smoothly with all that unsprung weight?
Yes, friends, this is a new 2008 KIA Sorento LX, stickered a bit north of $25,000 thanks to floor mats, cargo shade, and those cursed wheel locks.
I have carried my anti-SUV bias around without having actually driven one. So many SUV drivers are pests, whether they know it or not. They block the view of oncoming traffic when they pull up next to you. They block the view of traffic lights. They block, they block.
Being elevated in this Sorento, with its 8.2" ground clearance and a saddle about horse-high (actually, mule high as Festus might say), I notice just how damn many of these high chariots there are on the road. They're
everywhere! The majority, I'd say.
Anyway, this car has great, comfortable seats, a simple logical dash layout, KIA's typical grey/grey camo speedo cluster, plenty of power to make 0-60 come up in the 8 to 9 range, not much lean in corners, and at 16 grand plus tax with its 10/100 and 5/60 warranty, there was nothing close. A Vibe 2.4 was priced at 19...maybe 18 if we found a roll-up-window jobbie. A Torrent, well into the 20s. A Mazda 5, over 20.
I'd have loved to have driven a Taurus X, but the clowns dancing around the Ford showroom motived me to drive on by.
My wife is on the road as we speak, delivering the car to middle earth California.
Yesterday, heavy rains. Today, heavy rains and heavy winds. One disadvantage of a tall wagon is, tall feels more wind than short. A 58" tall car would definitely work better in the high desert windstorms.
But wife and car are OK after two days on the pre-springtime roads. The 16 grand Sorento is less than d-i-l paid for her new 07 Rondo EX less than a year ago. And for hauling two kids, one pooch, and an occasiona grammaw, it's just the ticket for driving around a crazy city.
Did I mention what a danged comfortable car this Sorento is? Yes, I guess I did.
You know, I could get used to something like this.