Cool all-weather traction crossovers
Kia Sorento EX offers bang for your buck based on power, resale price and strong crash ratings
Postmedia’s Graeme Fletcher combines manufacturers’ incentives from unhaggle.com with resale value, dependability and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new cars. This week, we look at mid-priced crossovers — the hot deals for November are on the 2017 Kia Sorento EX Turbo AWD, 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander SE AWC and 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TSI Highline 4Motion.
2017 Kia Sorento
Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $35,995
Kia Canada Incentive*: $2,250
Unhaggle Savings: $750
Total Savings: $3,000
Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,880
Total Before Tax: $34,875 The Kia Sorento EX Turbo deal arrives with a wealth of equipment — everything from leather upholstery, a 14-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated steering wheel and front seats to a seven-inch infotainment screen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The five-seater Sorento (there is a seven-seat V6 model available) delivers 1,099 litres of cargo space with all seats upright and 2,082L with the rear seats folded flat. The storage area has a flat floor and it is nicely squared off. The rear sightlines are helped enormously by the standard backup camera.
The EX Turbo arrives with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that cranks out 240 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque at a low 1,450 rpm. The latter effectively banishes turbo lag and delivers a strong run from zero to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds. It drives all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. The AWD system has a Canadian connection — Magna designed the Dynamax system. It is both proactive and smart in operation, which minimizes wheel slip under just about all conditions.
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander SE AWC
Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $31,198
Mitsubishi Canada Incentive*: $1,500
Unhaggle Savings: $500
Total Savings: $2,000
Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,840
Total Before Tax: $31,038
Mitsubishi’s 2016 Outlander earned a fresh look and bolder exterior styling. The work sees new front and rear fascias, LED daytime running lights and taillights, plus new alloy wheels. The changes bring a brighter exterior visage and a more attractive interior. Here, the SE arrives with all the usual power equipment plus a six-way manual driver’s seat, heated front seats and an infotainment interface. Sadly, a few key features like power seats are only offered on the top-of-the-line GT S-AWC.
The seven-seat SE brings 292 litres behind the third row, 968L with it flat and 1,792L with the middle row folded. The back seat also slides back/forth, which maximizes leg space when the third row is not in use or provides some additional third row room when needed.
The SE AWC arrives with Mitsubishi’s 3.0-litre V6 engine. It produces 224 horsepower and 215 lb.-ft. of torque, driving all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission — the base 2.4L engine is teamed with a CVT. The All-Wheel Control (AWC), as Mitsubishi calls its all-wheel drive system, has a mode selector with Eco, Auto and Lock positions. Frankly, leave it in Eco and use Lock on very slippery roads. One of the Outlander’s big plusses is the 10-year/160,000-km powertrain warranty.
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TSI Highline 4Motion
Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $36,998
Volkswagen Canada Incentive*: $2,000
Unhaggle Savings: $1,000
Total Savings: $3,000
Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,935
Total Before Tax: $35,933 The Volkswagen Tiguan continues into 2016 basically unchanged. There is nothing wrong with that, as it’s a well-conceived ride that brings a ton of equipment when dressed in Highline trim.
The lengthy equipment list includes 12-way power driver’s seat with memory, Vienna Leather upholstery and a Discover Media infotainment system with a 6.33inch touchscreen and a proximity sensor, CD player, two SD card slots and navigation. A Fender audio system and power panoramic moonroof are also standard.
The Tiguan’s cargo lags behind much of its competition, at 700 litres with the seats up and 1,600L with them folded down. However, the fold-flat front passenger seat allows anything up to 2.5 metres in length to be carried inside with the tailgate closed.
The Tiguan arrives with a perky 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that pumps out 200 horsepower and 207 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,700 rpm. This brings a run from rest to 100 km/h in 8.9 seconds.
The slick six-speed automatic transmission supports the engine’s work very nicely.
The Haldex-based 4Motion allwheel drive system then delivers power to the road with minimal fuss — it drives the front wheels under normal conditions, but it is quick to ensure slip is eliminated.
Finally, of the three deals, the Tiguan has the most polished handling. The taut suspension limits body roll without giving up on highway ride comfort. For those with a driver’s bias, this is a big plus. All three mid-priced crossovers are very strong contenders. The VW Tiguan is more sports wagon than it is crossover, which makes it a pleasing drive.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is the underestimated contender here — it has good power, balanced ride and handling along with that strong powertrain warranty. The disappointment for both is anticipated resale value down the road.
This leaves the Kia Sorento EX as the hot deal this week. The turbocharged power, strong crash ratings and stronger resale value helped to push it over the top.
*Manufacturer incentive displayed is for cash purchases and may differ if leasing or financing. For more information on purchasing any of these vehicles or others, please visit Unhaggle.com. While data is accurate at time of publication, pricing and incentives may be updated or discontinued by individual dealers or manufacturers at any time. Typically, manufacturer incentives expire at the end of every month. Vehicle availability is also subject to change based on market conditions.
Unhaggle Savings is a proprietary estimate of expected discount in addition to manufacturer incentive based on actual savings by Unhaggle customers.
Taxes are extra and vary by province.