Ideally, this is not how we’d kick off a Thursday morning – or any morning for that matter – but whaddya gonna do? We kneel helplessly at the feet of the auto makers we cover, and if they want to unveil boring, lifeless products, we’re obligated to write about them. So, here it is folks, the 2011 Kia Sorento. Try not to piss yourselves with excitement.

If you feel the 2011 Sorento looks awfully similar to the current gen then don’t worry, although mixing those pills might have been ill-advised, you’re not hallucinating. Aside from the few extra inches padding its measurements (new dimensions: 184.4″ x 74.2″), very little has visibly changed for the 2011 model year. Beneath the hood, the 2011 Sorento receives a new 172-horsepower 2.4L 4-cylinder option in addition to the currently available 273-horsepower 3.5L V6, both of which Kia claims are more powerful than the comparable Ford Escape and Honda CR-V3.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but we expect the details to drop when the 2011 Sorento hits dealer lots in January 2010. Hope you can stand the suspense.