The Sorento is built to a price, and this is most evident in the interior. The EX has splashes of "woodgrain" trim, which is plastic doing a poor job imitating wood. The woodgrain surrounds the center stack on the dash and splashes of it are on the door panels. The steering wheel rim on the Luxury package Sorento is half leather, half woodgrain, where a full-leather wheel would be nicer to grip.

The interior of the Kia Sorento is loaded with features, however. An overhead console offers sunglasses storage, map lights and a garage door opener pocket. A display provides readouts for outside temperature, compass, altitude, and, for weather buffs, barometric pressure. (We can think of no other car in history that has offered a barometer.) The center console has double bins, and there are useful cubbies, including a soft-touch slide out storage bin and a tip-out coin bin, both felt lined. A storage bin under front seat is standard, and the big lockable glove box has a map shelf plus the usual room. There are two power points up front, one for the second row and another in the cargo area.

The shifter is easy to reach and has a straight fore-and-back pattern. The control for four-wheel drive is a twist knob on the dash to the left of the steering wheel; the part-time 4wd in the LX includes a low range. The ignition key is on the dash, easier than fumbling to find a column-mounted keyhole behind the steering wheel.

The cargo area is accessible through the hatch, or through the rear glass window. There's another storage area under the cargo area floor. A cargo cover comes standard. The full-size spare tire is mounted under the vehicle and, if the model has alloy wheels, the spare is mounted on an alloy wheel as well. The rear seat flips and folds 60/40 to form a flat floor with a cargo capacity of 66.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. With the seat raised, there's 31.4 cubic feet of cargo room.