Monday, May 2, 2016

Kia Sorento review: It's a top dog


MY husband calls our Great Dane confused.com. She is, shall we say, challenged in the brain department. Think Scooby Doo and you get the picture.

It didn’t help, too, that her best pal was our incredibly sharp but recently deceased Springer Spaniel, which just made her look even more dopey than perhaps would have been the case.

She barks at nothing, gets herself into pickles and, when she is feeling out of sorts, sports an absolutely spot-on hang-dog expression. Did I say she only has one eye?

So when I heard her barking the other day, I thought nothing of it until I got out to the brand new Kia Sorento sitting on our driveway – and there she was, barking and looking (with one eye) in consternation at the tailgate, which was open.

And then I got it. I had accidentally pressed the key to open the boot while rushing around gathering up everything I was taking with me and confused.com had decided to attack it as it quietly swung up.

I am not sure whether this proves there is some active grey matter between her ears or means that she is even dimmer than we thought but I was impressed by the range and the function of the key.

I often stand behind my own car pressing the “open boot” button in vain. Tick that box, the Kia Sorento automatic tailgate works – and I have the Great Dane to prove it.

The large seven-seat Sorento – and its little brother, the Sportage – have done amazing things for Kia in an increasingly busy SUV marketplace. We had a previous model and we liked it a lot but the new Sorento shows just how far Kia have come.

It is big, bold and impressive, sitting on 19in wheels, with a lovely dark mesh grille surrounded by chrome, privacy glass, roof rails and a wonderful panoramic sunroof. It looks and sounds expensive – with nice soft-click doors.

Inside, the theme continues, with heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats all in leather – often the mark of a more upmarket car.

The driver’s seat had more adjustments than I cared to count but it also had the memory function with it so that, each time I got in, it slid into the correct position for me.

This is a plus because I am small and it means, when I stopped, the seat slid back and it was easy to get out. There is loads of space, nice ambient lights and the whole front deck is very well finished in high-gloss black.

This version, the all-wheel-drive KX-4, is the top of the range, so it comes with sat nav, Bluetooth with music streaming, a reversing camera and a 360-degree all-round monitor.

It drives really well and, of course, you get that nice high seating position giving you a commanding view of the road ahead. It made me feel comfortable and, if needed, I could switch into sport mode for a bit of extra performance.

If it’s the economy you want then there is Eco mode. Indeed, I was continually amazed by the instrument display and how little fuel I was going through.

I have always been a great admirer of the Sorento – it performs so well and is so reliable – and this latest model gives you an even better drive.

It is ideal for drivers in Scotland, with the panoramic roof for the summer and the all-wheel capability for the winter. And even though it has a 2.2-litre diesel engine, it is quiet and refined.

There is no doubt about it, it is definitely now an alternative choice for drivers seeking a quality SUV with looks, comfort and performance. It is a bit of a big smoothie, actually, and, unlike our Great Dane, it has the intelligence to match.

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