There’s a reason 26 professional automotive journalists from all over the nation almost unanimously named the 2003 Kia Sorento the Best in Class under $25,000 and the Best SUV Value of the Year. When pitted against almost every other sport utility vehicle (SUV) in its class in head-to-head on and off-road competition at Mudfest, the premier SUV event in the nation, the Sorento quickly broke away from the pack.

The hot looking, attractively priced Kia Sorento offers many of the best features and amenities of midsize SUVs, but its size, power and ruggedness allow it to kick butt in its own market segment and still knock heads with many midsize sport utilities.

The Sorento, the largest SUV ever made by the South Korean automaker, is aimed directly at the compact sport utility segment — Ford Escape, Chevy Tracker, Toyota RAV 4, Honda CRV, Jeep Liberty, etc. However, physically, it is about the same size as some of the smaller midsize SUVs like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Highlander, but not the larger ones such as the Ford Explorer, Chevrolet TrailBlazer or Toyota 4Runner.

One big advantage the Kia Sorento has going for it is price — $19,500-$24,100. It costs thousands less than many midsize SUVs — and comes with a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Those two factors alone get a lot of people’s attention.

And those prices don’t reflect low levels of standard equipment with a laundry list of expensive options either. Even the base Sorento LX comes with a strong V6, automatic transmission, air conditioning, AM/FM/CD player, cruise control, heated mirrors and power windows and door locks. Most of its competitors’ base models only offer an underpowered 4-banger and manual transmission as standard and make a 6-cylinder engine with an automatic a spendy option.

The Sorento’s top-of-the-line EX adds upscale options such as a power sunroof, upscale sound system, alloy wheels, power driver’s seat, remote keyless entry and two-tone exterior body cladding.

Although it’s new, and Kia is still somewhat unproven, the Sorento should have a reasonably long life in part because it features rugged body-on-frame truck-style construction — typical of larger, costlier midsize sport utilities instead of the less substantial car-based unibody construction of most of it market segment.

The Sorento also debuted as the only under-$30,000 sport utility with standard front and rear side curtain airbags for better side-impact protection.

Inside, because of the price, the first thing you might expect is lots of cheap interior plastic. No so. Even the rear seat cupholders, which slide out from the rear of the front console, are pretty sturdy. All the materials are surprisingly a cut above average and the interior is quieter than you would expect.

The Sorento features large controls that are easily reached, and instrumentation can be read at a glance. The ignition switch is on the dashboard instead of the column, so you don’t have to grope to find it. However, I thought the switch is a little too close to that column.

There is plenty of room inside for four tall adults — or even five on short trips because the rear-seat area is spacious. There is no third-row seat — a hot item for larger SUVs, but less of a consideration in its own market segment. A third row seat would simply consume too much cargo room. However, the entire rear seat, both seatbacks and cushions, fold forward to offer a significantly large cargo area — which is roomy even with the rear seat in its normal position.

The cargo opening is low and wide, and the spare tire is tucked out of the way below the frame.

The Sorento offers two 4-wheel-drive systems. Both have low-range gearing for off-road driving, which is made easier thanks to the Sorento’s rugged construction and short body overhangs. One of those systems is for use only on dry roads, but the full-time automatic Torque-on-Demand system can be left engaged on dry roads.

However, the full-time system is offered only for the EX and comes as part of a $1,830 Luxury Package that includes leather upholstery, simulated wood interior trim, heated front seats, automatic climate control and an AM/FM/CD sound system with an in-dash CD player.

That same Luxury Package costs $1,330 for the 2-wheel rear-drive EX, but doesn’t contain the Torque-On-Demand system.

Stand alone options include an $810 leather package for the EX and $520 anti-lock brakes for all models.

I found the DOHC, 24-valve, 3.5-liter V6 to be a bit noisy when pushed, but it does put a very respectable 192 ponies to the pavement with good acceleration and passing power. It’s coupled to a responsive 4-speed automatic transmission.

A double-wishbone front suspension and long 106.7-inch wheelbase combine to provide a smooth ride that’s only occasionally bouncy. Steering is fairly quick and positive.

Even though the Sorento feels and drives lighter than its heavy 4,000+ pounds, fuel economy is mediocre — even when compared to mid-size SUVs. It delivers an estimated 15 mpg in the city and 18 on highways with 4-wheel drive and 15 and 20 with rear-drive. No midsize V6 SUV will ever win a fuel economy battle, but at least only 87-octane gasoline is required.

Whines: Hyundai-owned Kia, as with all the South Korean automakers, still need to demonstrate long-term viability. Therefore, the Sorento’s resale value could be a question mark — and that’s the trade-off for its relatively low price. Tall drivers with long legs may wish that the seat moved back a few more inches. Fuel economy is marginal for this class but acceptable for this physical size. Despite a 4-wheel-disc brake system, the Sorento delivers only average braking without the ABS option.

Applause: The natural inclination is to automatically compare the Kia Sorento to the larger, mid-size SUVs because of its size and amenities. However, if you do that it even looks good at the lower end of the spectrum, but not the upper end. It has lots of unexpected touches. For instance, the hood is held open with smooth struts found in more expensive vehicles instead of a cheap prop rod. This vehicle is just fun to drive, and has a solid feel, with no shakes or rattles.

Bottom Line: Kia once was considered the automaker of last resort, offering marginal basic-transportation. The Sorento shows it can be quite competitive and has come up with a surprisingly good, value priced and generally appealing new sport-utility vehicle that blows away its own class and compares favorably with some mid-size offerings.