Compare the2026 Acura RDXVS 2026 Kia Sorento

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Acura RDX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sorento doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the RDX. But it costs extra on the Sorento.

The Acura RDX comes with a standard Surround-View Camera System and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Kia Sorento doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

Both the RDX and the Sorento have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 and available 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 Acura RDX is safer than the Kia Sorento:

	RDX	Sorento
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	300	446
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	58 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	43%
Neck Stress	99 lbs.	139 lbs.

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

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 Acura RDX is safer than the Kia Sorento:

	RDX	Sorento
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.7 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	15 inches

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

Warranty

The RDX’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sorento runs out after 100,000 miles.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the RDX’s reliability 20 points higher than the Sorento.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the RDX first among compact premium suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Sorento isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Acura vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Acura 4 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The RDX’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 81 more horsepower (272 vs. 191) and 99 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 181) than the Sorento LX/S’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

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

	RDX	Sorento
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	6.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.3 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the RDX gets better fuel mileage than the Sorento 2.5T AWD (21 city/27 hwy vs. 20 city/27 hwy).

The RDX has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sorento doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Acura RDX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Sorento.

Brakes and Stopping

The RDX stops shorter than the Sorento:

	RDX	Sorento
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	129 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The RDX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sorento LX’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RDX has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX.

The RDX has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sorento doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The RDX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Sorento’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The RDX A-Spec handles at .82 G’s, while the Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The RDX A-Spec executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Chassis

The RDX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sorento doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The RDX has .2 inches more front legroom and .6 inches more front shoulder room than the Sorento.

Cargo Capacity

The RDX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Sorento with its rear seat up (31.1 vs. 12.6 cubic feet). The RDX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Sorento with its rear seat folded (79.8 vs. 75.5 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The RDX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sorento uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 45% lower rating, Kia is ranked 27th.

Ergonomics

The RDX Advance has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sorento doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The RDX’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sorento’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the RDX the driver can close all of them at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Sorento can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The RDX’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sorento’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the RDX’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sorento’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The RDX’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sorento’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The RDX has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Sorento S/EX/SX.

The Acura RDX has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Kia charges extra for Homelink® on the Sorento.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Acura RDX retains 52.21% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 47.74% resale value of the 2025 Kia Sorento after five years, which can save the Acura’s owner.

Recommendations

The Acura RDX has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	RDX	Sorento
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE

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