I think the Sorento is in a new class of vehicles from Kia. We've been very impressed by the Sedona, which shares the same engine, I believe. We would buy it again over anything else on the road at the same price. I would look at the newest Toyota or Nissan vans, but the price delta would be enormous.
OTOH, I'd review carefully the roadside assistance plan for your type of operation (e.g., Will they come get you out in the woods near some good rocks for scrambling if something malfunctions?). Other vehicles in the class may have a history from which to draw conclusions about reliability, and/or a better support plan for offroad recreation.
Based upon past experience, I would never even consider a DC product, especially for reliability. That said, you have had a good experience with them. So, maybe consumer bias toward and against manufacturers is all a matter of perspective.
> I am considering a Sorento. Has all the features, but the bad PR has
> me thinking cautiously.
> I have noticed that a lot of the posts relating to stalling, brakes
> etc are dated 2-3 years ago.
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> Have they got their quality control up to the norm yet? or do they
> still have a long way to go?
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> I live in southern Nevada plan to take the dirt roads, where other
> vehicles/rescue are few and far between. Driving to back country
> trailheads for hiking, rock scrambling, etc.
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> Vehicle failures that are considered "normal" can be life threatening.
> Dependability is a MUST.
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> As a comparison, my current vehicle, a Plymouth Neon, though never
> taken off road, has never let me down in 7 years, and 65,000 miles. >
> If you had to do it again, would you buy another Kia?
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> Remove the "FOUR YOU" in my email to reply.