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There's something contradictory – at this stage – in the pairing of the words Kia and Platinum. Yet, that's we found ourselves driving for the past week. Kia no longer cheap and cheerful – some might consider costly and capable – with a $48,990 price sticker before on-roads. The Kia Sorento Platinum edition is the top-of-the-line Sorento AWD.
We will refrain from using the 4WD term, which the company insists on using for side badging on this vehicle. To us a 4WD is an off-road vehicle with dual transmission with a market of people who live on remote properties, towing horse floats, caravans and trailers and those who go seriously offroad. To us the badging should be AWD – the same as Ford use on the Territory, a more accurate description and less likely to lead to consumer confusion.
Sorento fits into the medium SUV category which alone provides enough consumer confusion. There's been a profusion of AWDs in this segment: Holden Captiva, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Kluger, Nissan Murano and Mazda CX 7 mixing it with 4WD's such as Mitsubishi Challenger, Jeep Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Prado.
If you are unlikely to having heavy towing duties or serious off-road work then there's no point in having a 4WD as you pay a bunch extra for this technology. Genuine 4WDs are also a lot less car-like in handling and ride. Kia is a subsidiary of Hyundai so it's a company that needs to add extra into its vehicles if it is going to step out of the shadows of it's bigger brother.
The Sorento and Hyundai's Santa Fe are close relatives and share a lot in common: 2.2 litre turbo-diesel engine, transmission, general shape and not to mention seven seats. But, there are subtle differences, as if the Sorento was a facelift of the Santa Fe. That Kia would use a name such as `Platinum' is indicative of how far the South Korean motor industry has come in a short time. Put an early model Kia Sportage driver behind the wheel and they'd be pressed to find similarities in build quality, materials, performance, ride and handling.
So, what seemed unlikely not that long ago – that Kia and Platinum could appear in the same name – is now reality. Those accustomed to more up-market European brands will still see a gap in the overall quality and finish ... not to mention price. The Sorento is 25mm longer than Santa Fe, 5mm narrower, has the same wheelbase at 2700mm and sits 16mm closer to the ground. Given the Sorento was launched back in 2002, it is now a veteran SUV.
Like the Santa Fe 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 your weekly shopping, as long as you have no more than two or three kids to feed. With five seats in use this balloons out to 1047 litres and with only the front seats in use it becomes a luggage-eating 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 access to the third row of seats when required. We view Sorento very much as a family wagon. Kia downsized the engine to a 2.2 litre turbo-diesel – 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. If you're currently running around in a six cylinder petrol sedan, even that economy from the Sorento will be attractive. Kia claim 6.7 litres/100 km from the six speed manual variant if you prefer the self shifter.
The best part is also that there's no trade-off for performance. The 2.2 turbo-diesel puts out 145 kW of power and 436 Nm of torque (manual 422 Nm) between 1800 – 2500 rpm. The propels the vehicle to 100 km/h in 10 seconds flat in the auto and slightly quicker at 9.6 seconds in the manual, outperforming the Sorento 2.4 litre petrol-powered variant.
The real essence of the Sorento Platinum is the add ons. The bling and technology that justifies the `Platinum' tag ... as well as the price tag. There's oodles of it too ... in fact too much to detail but as a tease try illuminated alloy door scuffs, powered panoramic sunroof, mood lamps in the door trim, tilt and reach steering adjust, map lamps, MP3 compatible CD and six CD changer, USB audio input with iPod compatibility, six speaker sound system, dual zone air-conditioning with second and third row vents, plus a third row fan control.
Throw in all the usual safety equipment, including six airbags and ESP, rear view camera and ear parking sensors, downhill brake control, hill-start assist, leather seats and trim to the steering wheel and gear shifter, three child restraint anchorage points and the Platinum starts to grow into the asking price of $48,990. It's also an extremely drivable car with no bad habits.
Verdict: Great engine and transmission, bling to burn, practical, stylish ... Sorento Platinum is worth test driving if you're in the market for a medium, luxury SUV.
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/ unlimted km (private vehicles) |
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