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Kia latest Sorento 4WD has bowed to buyer pressure by leaning in the direction of crossover SUV rather than being a pure 4WD as it had been previously. As only a tiny number of buyers are looking for a ‘real’ 4WD, the on-road comfort provided by the new generation Sorento will appeal to many.
The Kia Sorento was one of the first designs of the company’s chief stylist Peter Schreyer. The so-called Schreyer grille and mask-style headlights give a real touch of European elegance to the shape, but the South Korean ancestry hasn't been forgotten.
Better still in the minds of the family SUV buyer is that the dash has been moved forwards and the tailgate rearwards to create space for a third row of seats. Entry and exit from these seats is via a kerbside seat that folds forwards and then flips. The back seats are better suited to children than adults.
With the third row of seats in place there isn't a great deal of luggage space, but keep in mind this is a relatively compact SUV, not a full-on people mover so that’s forgivable. If you do need extra space the load area expands considerably when the seats are stowed into an underfloor area, making a voluminous 1047 litres of cargo space. The spare wheel is stored under the body of the vehicle.
The seats are comfortable and the ergonomics for the driver are very good. The steering has reach and height adjustment and the driver’s seat also has height adjust. The controls are large and easy to use, the instrument cluster is a three-barrel affair and the steering wheel has remote controls for audio and cruise control.
Sorento’s handling is good, it points well into corners and even at speed there's little sign of understeer. The ride is rather on the firm side to suit the handling tastes of Australian and European drivers. But try it for yourself on rough roads as it may be too firm for some tastes.
Kia Sorento comes with a choice between two new fuel-efficient powerplants; a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol and a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. The latter was installed in the Sorento we reviewed and is one of Kia’s new R Series engines. It puts out 145 kW of power, and 436 Nm of torque from just 1800 rpm. That’s a lot of torque from a relatively small engine and it shows in the ease with which Sorento climbs hills with a load on board.
Our Sorento had a six-speed automatic, a six-speed manual is also on the price list, but the auto seems sure to be the bigger seller. Cleverly, the automatic shifts from Drive to Neutral when the Kia is stopped for more than a few seconds. This reduces engine load and trims fuel use. It was never really noticed from inside the Sorento as was the way with some older cars with a similar system.
The engine has a slight diesel rattle at idle and under hard acceleration, but is all but silent when cruising, even at high speed. Kia engineers have also done a great job with the noise intrusion into the cabin. Even at speed it is whisper quiet inside with little intrusion of road or wind noise.
Expect this big torque turbo-diesel to use about seven to eight litres per hundred kilometres in the country or on motorways, and eight to ten litres around town. Off-road and/or when carrying a big load the consumption is likely to increase significantly, but that’s perfectly understandable.
This Kia Sorento has noticeably improved ride and handling when compared with the superseded model because it uses a monocoque (one piece) body. Sophistication is also due to a car-type suspension with MacPherson struts at the front with a fully independent multi-link rear end. Diesel models also have automatic self leveling suspension which compensates for load levels, the number of passengers and towing. |
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