The Sorento lays claim to being the new
family SUV benchmark.
Call it
the class ceiling. Some brands, no matter how much they've improved over the
years, can't seem to make it on to shopping lists.
The
cabin feels upmarket, with an imitation leather finish on the dash, modern
looking faux-wood inserts on the doors and centre console and frosted alloy
surrounds on the aircon vents. Two-tone, perforated leather seats and a leather
and timber steering wheel complete the look.
Active
cruise control keeps a safe distance to the car in front, while adaptive
headlights follow the curve of the road, improving vision at night.
Kia doesn't quite have the
resale strength of some of its Japanese competitors but compensates with an
industry-leading seven-year warranty that includes seven years of roadside
assistance if you service at a Kia dealer. There is also capped price servicing
for seven years, although you need a VIN to be able to cross-shop costs with
rivals.
Call it
the class ceiling. Some brands, no matter how much they've improved over the
years, can't seem to make it on to shopping lists.
Kia is among them.
The Korean brand has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years but still
finds it hard to attract interest in its larger, more expensive cars and SUVs.
The Rio
and Cerato small cars sell well, the Sportage compact SUV is slowly building a
following but the Optima sedan and Sorento SUV struggle to make an impact.
The
all-new Sorento
could be the car that makes the breakthrough. At its starting price of $40,990,
it's a compelling proposition. But what about the top-of-the-line Platinum
model, which costs more than $60,000 on the road?
DESIGN
The Sorento is going to win over
plenty of people in the showroom, especially the Platinum model.
The
cabin feels upmarket, with an imitation leather finish on the dash, modern
looking faux-wood inserts on the doors and centre console and frosted alloy
surrounds on the aircon vents. Two-tone, perforated leather seats and a leather
and timber steering wheel complete the look.
Apart
from the leather trim, the main visual difference between the Platinum and the
cheaper Sorentos are bigger
19-inch wheels, daytime running lights, privacy glass on the rear windows and
tailgate and the panoramic sunroof. Look a little closer and it also gets
power-adjustable, heated front and rear seats (and steering wheel), a better
10-speaker stereo and sun blinds for the second row.
The new
Sorento is also noticeably
bigger than its predecessor, which has liberated more leg and head room for
second and third-row passengers.
ABOUT TOWN
The
Platinum has a couple of city-friendly features that are sadly not available on
cheaper models, most of them safety-related. The arsenal of driver assistance
technology includes blind spot warning, lane departure warning and rear
cross-traffic alert, handy for backing out of driveways or parking spots.
It also
has a tailgate that opens automatically when it senses you're at the back of
the car, arms full of shopping bags. All Sorentos get a reversing
camera and front and rear sensors.
Getting
the kids in and out of the third row is also reasonably easy, with the second
row seats sliding forward on the passenger side to widen the entry to the back
seats, which have their own aircon controls. It's also well prepared for the
modern family, with two USB chargers and three 12-volt power outlets.
The diesel engine is
reasonably quiet at idle and taking off from the lights, although there's no
fuel-saving stop-start technology and fuel consumption hovered around 11L/100km
on our city loop. The increase in the Sorento's size has also meant a
penalty at the fuel pump, with the new model thirstier than the one launched in
2009.
ON THE ROAD
Active
cruise control keeps a safe distance to the car in front, while adaptive
headlights follow the curve of the road, improving vision at night.
It's
not a hardcore offroader, though the Sorento is capable and assured
over broken surfaces, with a comfortable ride and little wallowing over bigger
bumps.
The steering
isn't a strong point, though. It feels a little lifeless and slow through
corners, with an artificial feel that takes some getting used to.
PERFORMANCE
The
diesel engine in the Sorento
is an impressive thing on the open road. With 441Nm on tap, it makes light work
of hills and overtaking manoeuvres, barely raising a whimper when you put the
foot down on the freeway.
The
six-speed auto is a smooth-shifting job and it holds on to higher gears to save
fuel, using the abundant torque to amble along at low revs.
The
official average fuel-use label says 7.8L/100km, but you will do better than
that on the open road.
VERDICT
Arguably
the new benchmark in the mainstream, family-sized SUV class, the Sorento is not
perfect but it is generously equipped, comfortable and well presented inside.
WHAT IT'S GOT
Blind
spot and lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, rear cross traffic
alert, automatic opening tailgate, satnav, rear camera and sensors, heated
front and rear seats.
WHAT IT HASN'T
Stop-start
technology for saving fuel, a snobby badge on the nose, autonomous low-speed
braking.
OWNERSHIP
Kia doesn't quite have the
resale strength of some of its Japanese competitors but compensates with an
industry-leading seven-year warranty that includes seven years of roadside
assistance if you service at a Kia dealer. There is also capped price servicing
for seven years, although you need a VIN to be able to cross-shop costs with
rivals.
PICK OF THE RANGE
The SLi
is $6000 cheaper than the Platinum if you can live without the driver
assistance technology. Apart from the latter's sunroof, there's not a lot of
visual difference between the two.
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