Kia might be making huge efforts to make its products more appealing to us Americans, but we think their Pierce Brosnan Superbowl ad for the new Sorento is... cute.
Seriously, you can’t label it any other way. At least now when compared to the stunts people in the Sorento community pull. Let’s take the guy who drives the 2007 model in the videos below, for instance.
After an unfortunate experience with the dealership that, according to him, has led to the engine chewing on its own pistons, the man decided it was time for a change.
Did we say “change”? We meant swap. The car had been driven by his wife and the guy decided it was time for something a bit more serious in terms of motivation. One thing led to another and the ruined Kia motor made room for an LSX.
Touched by the GM V8 fairy, the 3.8 liters of the Kia mill turned into 6 liters, while the output at the crank jumped to 385 hp and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm).
The entire family took part in the build, with 7-year-old Zach sharing his father’s amazement at the amount of space available in the engine compartment.
The LSX-ization of the Sorento started back in October 2013, with the owner going over the final check engine light issues generally associated with such projects earlier this month.
So what do you do once you complete such a job? Well, pulling burnouts and enjoying the soundtrack of that GM engine should cut it. Not that this would be required, but it’s all explained in the video below.
And if you thought this guy went a bit too SEMA on his SUV, we’ll remind you that, back in June, we discussed a 600 hp Sorento. With stock brakes.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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