Which car is better: Ford Escape or a Kia Sorento and why?

Question

I want to buy a new SUV. I like the new 2008 Ford Escape and the Kia Sorento. I want some opinions of current owners or people who just know about cars. Thanks!

Answer 1

You know.. I don't even know which is better but I'll make a personal wager here:

People will say Kia because it's the new national passtime to hate Ford.

.

Answer 2

im a dealer and i guess i look at it in a different light. the kia is a little larger than the escape, and ford did a pretty good job in building the escape. im not a big fan of kia's in general but the sorento and the sedona are the two vehicles that kia did right. mechanically the kia sorento is a good car. (top heavy though) but one thing to keep in mind. as good as the sorento's are, kia's have one of the worst resale value's of any vehicle made. so if you spend $20k on it, its worth $13k when you drive it away and it keeps going down. so if you know your going to drive it until the wheels fall off, go for it. otherwise, get the ford. no they dont have the best resale value either but anything is better than the kia.
the problem is that most people trade their vehicles every 3 to 4 years. and if your going to do that, your going to be upside down in the kia. probably the ford too but youl be worse off in the kia. i have certain banks that wont even finance them because they lose value so quickly.

Answer 3

I have not owned a Ford Escape but do own a Kia Sorento 2004 model EX we bought brand new. We (my wife and I) absolutely LOVE IT. We opted for the full package with leather seats, tush warmers, 6 CD changer, etc. The Sorento has not given my family any problems, rides comfortably, plenty of room for me, my wife, and two kids, nicely priced, great warrenty, and it just plain looks good! Would I buy another Kia...in a heartbeat (at least a Sorento or Sedona). For a comparison, my parents own a Lexus 330 and they have had more problems with it. My father says if he had to do it over again, he would have bought a Sorento and saved some money.

Answer 4

Good lord, definately the Ford Escape..there's a reason it's the best selling compact SUV. Kia rates towards the bottom in dependability according to JDPower (providing a link below).

Granted, the Kia has a longer warranty which they definately need. BTW, check the fine print of that warranty and visit a few sites like Edmunds.com. Kia will decide if they will cover a particular item, or not. There's alot of complaining going on in those forums.

Having a longer warranty doesn't mean it's better, it's just a tactic to change peoples perception over the quality of a product. Plus, the 10/100,000 warranty is not bumper to bumper, rather, powertrain. The basic bumper to bumper is much lower than that, about half.

Also check out insurance rates on both, you'll notice the Escape is much lower as well...plus a large dealership network so if your stranded in the middle of no where, your covered.

Right now it's trendy for people to hate domestic brands, because of preconceived notions or issues of the past. Ironically, they rate competively with japanese brands, and in some segments, lead in initial quality and dependability.

Check JDPower.com , it's the automotive authority for reliabile survey/research since it takes a much higher sample data.

Answer 5

I bought a 2003 Escape last summer and love it. It has plenty of space and it really doesn't fill like a big SUV. I have drove a Sorento and did not like it at all it felt like driving a focus lifted. The Sorento is made very cheaply. I would test drive the two and see what you think everybody test is different. I also want to add that when we talked with a local dealer about buying a Sorento he told us that there was a $300.00 service charge when buying any KIA or Suzuki because they lose value so fast.

Answer 6

If you can get a car newer than 10 years old as a first car, and 2007, there should not be any problems with any of these cars. All should last 200,000+ miles like all newer cars. The Escape is most fuel efficient. The SanteFe is best looking inside and out and has best quality and most features. The Sorento is largest and most practical.

Answer 7

I would go for the ford escape. if a ford breaks down, there's always a ford outlet somewhere near. The Kia is a foreign car and would is less known about things, and the escape has a better, neater look. The escape would probally ride better than the sorento.
May i suggest to you to look at the Ford Explorer, expedition, Chevy Trailbalzers, tahoe(<

Answer 8

Kia Sorento is better. Granted its not a good car, but compared to a Ford anything is great. I know alot of people will argue but all i can say is don't buy any cars that are made by a company that's going out of business. Ford is having Billion dollar loses and its because they make cars that give alot of power for a couple years then give out. Stick with a Kia but for the same price you can probably get a Toyota prius.

Down the page Who Knows tries to insult me for talking trash about Ford. Here is my response: Hey moron, she asked which car is better, not which will help the american car industry. Before you start talking know what your talking about.. If you want to be stupid and blow your money on a piece of crap cause you think it will save the economy then go ahead but its wrong to tell someone else to do the same. you said "you dont like american vehicles move overseas to buy there piece of **** vehicles....... "
using your way of thinking, are you going to have to go to iraq or saudia Arabia to fill up your gas tank then? because your buying foreign oil. sit there in your trailer and think about that. If you want to argue with somebody go the consumerreports.org site and argue with millions of people and professionals that say that Ford sucks.

Answer 9

KIA..... cause of 10yr/100k mile warranty. FORD is only 5 yr/60k miles. As former FORD owner, that's not enough. Every FORD we owned broke down 30k-100k miles with MAJOR problems.

Hating FORD is JUSTIFIED because they have made such crappy cars for so long. And when a problem surfaces such as the stalling problems due to defective ignition switches, they refuse to fix it and fight a recall. That's why they are in the toilet today and deservedly so.

FSCK FORD!!!!!!!