by Rich Taber ~
The calendar may say it’s spring but wintry weather persists here in New England. It’s enough to make me long for the all-weather dependability and cold-weather comforts I came to appreciate while test driving the 2024 Kia Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige back in February. Through cold, snow, rain, slush and gale force winds during seven of winter’s most nasty days, the Sorento confidently persevered while keeping me and my favorite passenger very safe and comfortable.
The test-drive week started on a Wednesday with temperatures right at about the freezing mark. There was some snow in the immediate forecast for that night but the looming threat of a major storm on the weekend dominated the reports. Anyone who knows New England, knows that many winter storms that come through can dump mountains of snow inland, while just a few miles away along the coast there’s nothing but rain or some slushy mix. That’s the worst outcome. Especially since the cold front which typically follows these storms turns everything to ice and ruts.
With the possibility of six to twelve inches of snow coming, a planned trip to upstate New York for the weekend started to take on a different level of decision making. The original itinerary had me and my spouse heading out on Friday, Valentine’s Day, and staying in Sturbridge one night and then proceeding to New York on Saturday afternoon. As Friday approached, it seemed that if our timing was right, the plan would give us just enough of a window to beat driving during the worst of the storm.
However, at the request of our New York hosts, who deemed it too risky, we changed plans. The all-wheel drive Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige notwithstanding, they just didn’t want us to find ourselves winding through treacherous snow laden mountain roads up to their lovely estate and end up being snowbound all weekend to boot.
So, we decided to stay a second night in Sturbridge, which had already seen snow earlier in the week. I felt confident that we could rely on the winter-ready Sorento to get us home the day after that no matter the weather, and anyway, why not just enjoy another day away instead of making our Valentine’s Day weekend getaway a complete bust.
Good call as it turns out. We arrived in Sturbridge late Friday afternoon more or less on schedule having had no issues with the weather or the Sorento enroute. No travel fatigue either. This is an SUV that’s built for comfortable traveling. We called ahead for evening dinner reservations at a place within walking distance of our hotel so the Sorento stayed parked at the hotel for the night. Saying we slipped out later for dinner has some literal truth to it since the walkway over to the restaurant had some treacherous stretches of ice and ruts leftover from the storm earlier in the week. We were more at risk with that bit of travel than with any driving in the Sorento. Fortunately, no falls, and the Valentine’s Day dinner at Avellino was simply superb.
On Saturday morning, we drove over to historic Old Sturbridge Village (a full-on, re-creation of an early 19th century village) to take part in a charming wedding vow renewal ceremony and celebrate 25 years of Valentine’s Days as a married couple. Then, after a delightful afternoon exploring the village we drove to the historic 18th century Publick House Inn to enjoy some snacks in the lounge by the fireside. Fresh snow began to fall just after we parked the Sorento. By the time we headed back the mile or so to our hotel to freshen up before going out to dinner, there was an inch or so of snow already on the ground. The Sorento X-Pro didn’t skip a beat – no slipping going up inclines, no skidding coming to a stop. No complaints either about the heated seats and steering wheel. Happily, they got going full blast quite quickly.
A few hours later, we drove just a little way down the road to catch our reservation at a popular sushi restaurant called Baba Sushi. The snow hadn’t kept the Saturday night dinner crowd away even though it was beginning to pile up. By the time we finished dessert and headed back out into the storm to our vehicle, there was at least four inches of snow on the ground. Still, the Sorento was unfazed. Not once did it give me reason to worry, even up the steep entrance to the hotel parking lot.
In the morning, after clearing the vehicle off, we turned our compass back east while plows set to work all around the snow-filled landscape. At that point, there was six to eight inches on the ground and the precipitation that was coming down was undecided if it was snow, wet snow, sleet or rain.
We made a quick return trip to the Publick House for coffee and danish after finding most places along Route 20 hadn’t shoveled out yet and were closed. Then, with coffees in hand we got back to the Sorento and made our way out to the Mass Turnpike. The main roadways were mostly down to pavement, especially after getting on the pike. A few slushy areas had to be dealt with, but mostly it was a cautiously easy bit of driving as things steadily turned over to rain. I began feeling nostalgic for snow.
But the combo weather did have a few startling moments that let the Sorento shine. The GPS took us down Rt. 146 toward Providence. The mix of snow and rain was causing some drainage issues here and there, so every so often where the roadway had a dip the vehicle would suddenly hit a patch of water a few inches deep causing an instant loss of traction on the left front wheel and a bit of hydroplaning. Fortunately, the Sorento’s ESC (electronic stability control) functioned flawlessly, so while the vehicle briefly tugged a bit to the left, the system kicked in almost immediately preventing the vehicle from veering off into the guardrail.
We reached home in the early afternoon grateful that the weekend hadn’t gone totally awry. For me, having been the driver, there was a sense of satisfaction that I had had an opportunity to drive a vehicle that had performed so completely well under the circumstances, ultimately returning me and my spouse safely to our little village on the shores of Buzzards Bay.
