Kia Sorento is the larger of two SUVs from the ambitious Korean importer. The smaller Sportage is aimed more at the youth and small family market while the seven-seat Sorento is effectively a crossover people mover with some off-road ability in the AWD variants.
The latest version of the Sorento was launched here in September 2012. Although there were external changes, they didn’t change the overall look of the vehicle.
In people mover mode the management of Sorento’s interior space is critical and the Kia designers have managed to juggle the various passenger/luggage permutations nicely. As is invariably the case with mid-sized seven-seaters the third row is best left to pre-teen children.
The third row of seats folds flat to provide up to 1047 litres of luggage space with the centre seats in place but drops to 285 litres with all seats occupied. The back row seats are split 50/50 to allow some extra seating flexibility. Folding both rows of rear seats opens the rear up to a van-like capacity of 2052 litres.
The choice of two- or four-wheel drive is rapidly becoming the norm in the latest breed of SUVs, something that makes lots of sense because the majority of buyers neither want nor need drive to all four wheels.
Kia Sorento comes with a choice of two engines, 3.5-litre V6 petrol and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. Previous criticisms of the Sorento’s ride and handling have been addressed with the use of ultra high-tensile steel contributing to an 18 per cent increase in torsional rigidity improving ride comfort, handling and crash protection.
The seats are comfortable and the ergonomics for the driver are very good.
On the road both the petrol and diesel versions are surprisingly spirited vehicles and hills and rapid overtaking are dispatched with ease.
Kia Sorento is a neat and attractive SUV that offers plenty of options for a large family looking for a single vehicle that can handle a variety of tasks.
Prices start at $37,490, not including government or dealer delivery charges.
