Kia’s->ke41 love affair with super heroes is well-documented. How can we forget the quintet of cars it rolled out at the 2012 SEMA Auto Show,->ke216 all inspired by our favorite members of DC’s Justice League. In July 2013, West Coast Customs even dressed up a 2016 Kia Sorento with all members of the Justice League getting prominent face time. Not one to corner itself in the DC Universe, Kia’s latest superhero-inspired creation is another heavily customized Sorento that pays homage to everyone’s favorite mutant super team, the X-Men.

The X-Men-inspired Sorento was created to commemorate the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past on Blue-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. The release itself is irrelevant in our eyes, but the X-Men Sorento certainly isn’t. In addition to serving as a promo vehicle for the release of this summer’s blockbuster movie, the SUV->ke145 will also do double-duty as a showcase piece at the 2015 Australian Open in Melbourne. Additionally, It will star in a video of sorts with tennis star Rafael Nadal and a handful of mutants to take on the Sentinels in the lead-up to the Australian Open.

Kia’s keeping mum on the inspiration behind the X-Men Sorento. Instead, it’s inviting fans to vote on its Facebook page from a pool of choices that include Storm, Wolverine, Mystique, and Magneto. Unless you have absolutely no clue who the X-Men are, we’ll venture a guess that nobody’s going to get this multiple choice question wrong.

On that note, we would’ve loved to see how Kia would adapt Mystique on the Kia Sorento. Something about her scaly blue skin would probably look cool as a paint job, wouldn’t it?

Click past the jump to read more about the 2015 Kia Sorento X-Men.

2016 Kia Sorento X-Men

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2016 Kia Sorento X-Men
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Let’s be clear here. This Kia Sorento is inspired by Wolverine, without question the most popular X-Men character in the history of the Series. The two sets of claws on the front section are dead giveaways, as is the single set of claws on the rear section.

The front section also gets a new grille showing the iconic ’X’ logo of the mutant team and a new lower bumper where those claws originate. A new lighting system just below the back end of the headlights runs south before moving inward, separated only by the front intakes. The Sorento’s trapezoid-style fog lights are partially hidden by the claws, but look closer and you’ll still see them in their usual location just below headlights.

Graphic details depicting a large ‘X’ appear on both sides of the Sorento, completing the Wolverine-inspired look of the SUV.

Interior

The renderings here don't show the interior.; that's too bad because we would've loved to see how Kia continued the Wolverine treatment in the cabin. Maybe the interior has some kind of reference to Logan's abundance of body hair, or maybe it's got more of those adamantium claws lying around somewhere in there.

Drivetrain

Kia didn't say what engine the Sorento X-Men Edition has under its hood, so we're guessing that it has the meatiest of the SUV's three powertrain options. That would be a 3.3-liter V-6 that pumps out an impressive 290 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque, and mates to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Conclusion

The overall look is a little better than what you see on a standard Sorento, but a lot of people might have trouble accepting its design. Those who love the X-Men will love this Sorrento. Those who don't will probably think it's a nuisance more than anything else.