We review the Kia Sorento from price to economy and all its features
THE Kia Sorento has already been a huge hit with global sales of 900,000 since 2002 and now Kia believe this new version increases the firm's emphasis on quality and performance.
The Sorento has been completely redesigned and now has a far more aggressive look. It has an all-American brawn and gets Kia's latest signature front-end and wraparound black bezel headlights, all sitting on an ultra-mean huge, deep honeycombed grille. It's also a little longer - meaning it can now seat up to seven people - and wider. And, at the back, it gets a clean tailgate with larger LED lights.
Kia has also ditched the body-onframe structure of the old model in favour of a monocoque bodyshell, weighing 215kg less than the previous version and providing improved handling and fuel efficiency. The extra length also means slightly more interior space with headroom up 64mm and legroom up by 102mm. Luggage space is up by 15 per cent too. There's plenty of space in the first two rows - the rearmost seats are mainly for kids.
It's well finished with a pleasant dash and console layout, but the touch and feel of some of the trim lacks the class of recent Opels and Fords, though it's very close. Overall, it's a very nice place to be, with red backlit dials and reddishglow illumination in the cockpit. On European models, tons of gadgetry is standard, including iPod compatibility, and there is loads of stowage space. There will be a choice of three engines in other markets but Ireland will probably only get the 2.0- and 2.2-litre diesels.
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With 195hp 2.2, it delivers a decent 6.6L/100km and produces just 174g of CO2 per km, putting it in tax band E ('630 per year).
The Sorento comes with frontwheel-drive as standard but there is a four-wheel-drive option, the former offering better economy and lower weight over off-road ability. It lacks the sophistication or cornering precision of a Ford Kuga or Audi Q5, and doesn't like being pushed too hard, but this is compensated by impressive.
Two trim levels will be offered and because it is available in twowheel-drive for the first time, improving the economy and lowering its CO2 output, the base price should be considerably less than the current model's '41,725.