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27/02/2011, 19:25
Car Review By MURRAY HUBBARD
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It is only when slip behind the wheel of an overtly Korean car - in this case a Kia Sorento - that you realise how far the Korean car industry has come both as manufacturers of quality vehicles and the perception. No doubt one has led to the other with the bottom line the stigma of being ‘built in Korea’ is now all but gone, although some buyers remain badge conscious.
Safety awards, car of the year awards, long and generous warranties - and that always immeasurable ` word of mouth’ from those who have owned a Kia or Hyundai have combined in just more than 20 years to give the brands street and buyer credibility. After a week in the Sorento we have no hesitation in recommending this as a vehicle people should consider when looking at a medium size SUV.
In fact during our week at the wheel we became quite attached to the entry-level Si AWD Sorento complete with a torquey 2.2 litre turbo-diesel and six speed manual shifter. At $39,990 before on-roads you get a lot of vehicle for your hard-earned.
Late in 2010 Kia refreshed the Sorento giving all models the latest Bluetooth technology for both hands-free mobile use and wireless media streaming using wheel-mounted controls. It’s a move that keeps Sorento in touch with younger buyers in a world obsessed with technology. The Sorento range also received a headlight on safe-home function where the lights stay on to see people into their homes before the lights turn off.
BODYSTYLE AND TRIM LEVELS
Kia released the current shape back in 2009 and have not seen a need to give it a facelift. It is still a good-looking SUV with a design which will not date in the short term. Even this Si variant is a seven-seater - defacto people mover - with the third row of seats folding flat to create a good size luggage area. Larger families and soccer or netball mums and dads will appreciate the obvious benefits. Sorento was launched back in 2002, it is now an established SUV in one of the most competitive market segments. Sorento comes in four variants starting with a 2WD Si petrol and then moving to the AWD diesels, Si, SLi and Platinum with prices starting from $36,490 for the 2WD petrol up to $49,190 for the Platinum. Prices do not include dealer or government charges.
POWERTRAIN/PERFORMANCE
Kia downsized the engine to a 2.2 litre turbo-diesel late in 2009 – small engines mean better economy – again a consideration for any growing family. Kia claim a combined economy of 7.4 litres/100 km from the auto CRD Sorento. We managed around 8.5 litres/100 km in a Platinum Sorento last year. This time we were in the manual and Kia claim 6.7 litres/100 km for manual shifter, but our economy was 8.3 litres/100 km. To be fair we did a lot of urban driving. The 2.2 turbo-diesel manual delivers 145 kW of power and 422 Nm of torque (auto 436 Nm) between 1800 – 2500 rpm. The propels the vehicle to 100 km/h in 9.6 seconds in the six speed manual.
SAFETY
The Si does not miss out on the primary safety package for Sorento. Throw in all the usual safety equipment, including six airbags and ESP, downhill brake control, hill-start assist, three child restraint anchorage points. All the passive safety items found in the Platinum are shared with the Si. What the Si does miss out on are reverse parking sensors with dash display, rear view camera with mirror display and parking guidelines and dusk-sensing head lights.
INTERIOR DESIGN/FUNCTION
With all seven seats deployed there's precious little storage space left behind the third row of seats: some 258 litres, or just enough for the weekly shopping. With five seats in use this balloons out to 1047 litres and with only the front seats in use it becomes a luggage-devouring 2052 litres. Both the second and third rows of seats fold quickly and easily: the third row simply folding and the second row passenger side seat using a fold and tumble method. This tumble seat also allows easy ankle-biter access to the third row of seats when required. We view Sorento very much as a family wagon.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
Apart from sports cars you could be forgiven for thinking the days of the manual transmission are numbered. There are still some dinosaurs out there like yours truly who thoroughly enjoy driving manual vehicles - even SUVs - particularly when powered by a high-torque oil burner as found in the Sorento. The shifter is smooth with ratios well suited to the engine. Because of the high amount of torque you are not forever shifting gears and you can putter around the suburbs all day using mainly third our fourth. On the highway in sixth the Sorento simply idles away at a tad under 2000 rpm and guarantees a frugal long-distance trip in the low 6.0 litres/100 km depending on terrain and driving style. In its earlier incarnation Sorento was a full 4WD, but that changed with the car evolving into a more car-like SUV and the handling improved accordingly.
Verdict: Great engine and manual transmission, in a package that is practical for families.
MODEL RANGE AND PRICING SORENTO AWD
Si 2.2 $39,990
SLi 2.2 automatic $45,990
Platinum 2.2 automatic $48,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: standard
Air Conditioning: standard
Automatic Transmission:
CD Player: standard
Central Locking: standard
Cruise Control: standard
Dual Front Airbags: standard
Front Side Airbags: standard
Curtain Airbags: standard full length
Stability Control: standard
Traction Control:
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.2 litres
Configuration: in line four
Head Design: DOHC CVVT 16 valve
Compression Ratio: 16.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 84.5 mm x 96 mm
Maximum Power: 145 kW @ 3800 rpm
Maximum Torque: 436 Nm @ 1800 – 2500 rpm (Manual: 422 Nm)
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: FWD with with part time AWD and lock mode
Manual Transmission: Six speed
Automatic Transmission: Six speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.913
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4685mm
Wheelbase: 2700 mm
Width: 1885 mm
Height:1755 mm (Incl. roof rails)
Turning Circle: 10.8 metres
Kerb Mass: 1959 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 litres
Towing Ability: 2000 kg (kg with braked trailer) (Manual: 2500kg)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: McPherson strut
Rear Suspension: Multi link
Front Brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear Brakes: discs
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.0 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.4 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6.5 /10
Air Pollution Rating: 3/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
5 years/ unlimited km (private vehicles)
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