2016 Kia Sorento vs. 2016 Nissan Murano and 2016 Nissan Pathfinder

If you're looking at vehicles in the midsize SUV class, you're in the sweet spot between full-tilt power and sedan handling. They're versatile, rugged and still-nimble vehicles, all which makes them very popular. Among the contenders, let's do a side-by-side of the 2016 Kia Sorento vs. 2016 Nissan Murano and 2016 Nissan Pathfinder and see who wins.

The 2016 Nissan Murano is a fleet-yet-tough midsize SUV with solid fuel economy at 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and a V6 engine that tops out at 260 HP – not too shabby. The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder is a larger vehicle and takes a hit with the fuel economy but still registers 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, while earning the same 260 HP from a V6 engine. Now look at the 2016 Kia Sorento's numbers and try not to be impressed. It gets superior fuel economy at 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and exceeds both of these popular Nissans with an uproarious 290 HP that vigorously unleashes from a 3.3-liter 24-valve V6 engine.

We haven't even gotten to the features you need, whether you have passengers or whether you need power. The 2016 Kia Sorento is a 2016 IIHS Top Safety Pick, so its design is very impact-resistant and very family-friendly. Add in the Sorento's safety features like side-impact door beams and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) and you've got something special. On the power side, the 2016 Sorento can tow up to 5,000 pounds, which means you can haul a truck around if you need to. 

With the Nissan midsize SUVs, you have to make a tough decision – one has the safety of the Sorento but a lot less power; the other does not have the tough design of the Sorento but it can tow the same. Either way, you lose out on having both like you do with Kia's best-selling SUV. The 2016 Murano was also a 2016 IIHS Top Safety Pick but can only tow 1,500 pounds – good luck helping get a friend's ride out of ditch. The 2016 Pathfinder, on the other hand, can tow 5,000 pounds like the Sorento but did not do as well with extensive impact testing as the Sorento – the Pathfinder was not an IIHS Top Safety Pick. 

We'd love to give you more reasons why in the midsize SUV class, there's the 2016 Kia Sorento and there's everyone else, like its industry-leading 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty which will keep you serene as you conquer life's highway, but we think the Sorento's quality speaks for itself. We have the Kia Sorento on the lot at Friendly Kia, so come visit us and test drive one today. We're located at 5819 US Highway 19 in New Port Richey, FL, about 20 miles from Clearwater, less than 40 miles from Tampa, and less than 25 miles from Spring Hill.

Click here to read more about the award-winning Kia Sorento