Compare the2026 Kia SorentoVS 2026 Acura MDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Sorento and MDX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The MDX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Sorento is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Acura MDX, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Sorento	MDX
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-19 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-17 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-34 MPH	-33 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	-33 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.1 sec	No Warning

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia Sorento achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Acura MDX which scored only an “Acceptable” in these critical safety features.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The MDX doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Sorento and MDX have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sorento has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The MDX’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Sorento and the MDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Acura MDX:

	Sorento	MDX
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	29%
Neck Stress	208 lbs.	304 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	59 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	276/445 lbs.	463/521 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	52 lbs.	75 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	118/119 lbs.	392/458 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Sorento is safer than the MDX:

	Sorento	MDX
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	POOR

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Acura MDX:

	Sorento	MDX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	107
Hip Force	196 lbs.	226 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	142
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	41 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	228	549
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	40 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Kia Sorento has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The MDX is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Warranty

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The MDX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Acura covers the MDX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the MDX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Acura is rated below average.

Engine

The Sorento EX/SX’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 267) than the MDX’s standard 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Acura MDX V6:

	Sorento	MDX
Zero to 60 MPH	6.3 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	88.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento gets better mileage than the MDX:

			MPG
Sorento
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
MDX
	FWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	17 city/21 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento uses regular unleaded gasoline. The MDX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento higher (6 out of 10) than the Acura MDX (4). This means the Sorento produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the MDX every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The MDX doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sorento stops much shorter than the MDX:

	Sorento	MDX
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the MDX SH-AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the MDX SH-AWD (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the MDX’s (37.9 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento has a greater minimum ground clearance than the MDX (8.2 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 550 pounds less than the Acura MDX.

The Sorento LX/S/EX/SX is 8.8 inches shorter than the MDX, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Sorento has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more rear headroom, 3.2 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more third row headroom, .5 inches more third row legroom and 1.9 inches more third row hip room than the MDX.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The MDX doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The MDX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Payload

The Sorento has a higher standard payload capacity than the MDX (1255 vs. 1173 lbs.).

The Sorento has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the MDX (1543 vs. 1173 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Sorento and the MDX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The MDX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Sorento has standard extendable sun visors. The MDX doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Kia Sorento retains 47.74% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 46.29% resale value of the 2025 Acura MDX after five years, which can save the Kia’s owner up to $11103.78252 in depreciation.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Sorento and the Acura MDX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2021 issue and they ranked the Kia Sorento X-Line SX Prestige higher than the Acura MDX SH-AWD.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Acura MDX by 85% during 2024.

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