KIA Automotive seems to be continuing its resurgence, upsetting the apple cart of the more established manufacturers by scoring favourably in the JD Power quality owner survey recently.
Market appeal seems to be the next weapon in the company’s arsenal of mass appeal products. Firmly in line with the company’s new design language, Kia expanded its lineup with the introduction last week of the Sorento SUV, following the Soul and Cerato sedans earlier in the year.
The launch, which took place in Durban, was also graced by the presence of Kia’s chief design officer, Peter Schreyer. N ext week we will bring you my full interview with this influential automotive designer.
The new Sorento will jostle for position with the likes of the Chevrolet Captiva, Honda CRV, and the Toyota RAV 4 among others. The new model features the new “tiger face” grille, front wrap around headlights and is both longer and lower than its predecessor in the interests of more room, better efficiency and refinement.
It is available in either five- or seven-seat configurations. In the case of the latter, jumper seats can be folded into the floor to yield more boot space, but should the need to commute seven passengers arise, then the young ones will be accommodated for in the rearmost seats .
Overall tactile quality and appointments mark a considerable departure from the previous model, bar for a few plastics on the centre console that look a little out of place. Having said that though, build quality remains good and ergonomics are quite laudable.
I am also glad to report that both seating configurations and the seven-seat in particular are well specified. Anything from climate control, cruise control, rear park assistance, and a radio/CD front loader with MP3, iPod and USB connectivity come standard.
In addition, the seven-seater also counts a rear view camera, keyless entry and drive, and xenon headlights as standard fare over the five-seater. A s you may gather, the vehicle is bursting at the seams with kit.
Safety equipment has not been left by the wayside with acronyms such as ABS, EBD, BAS, DBC (downhill brake control) and HAC (hill assist control) all being in place for added peace of mind. The latter two come in handy when negotiating some relatively steep terrain, which leaves you with nothing but the steering as your immediate concern.
Powered by either a 206kW and 335Nm 3.5l V6 petrol, or 147kW and 421Nm — 431Nm for the automatic — in the case of the 2.2l diesel, both engines have considerably shrunk in size compared to their predecessors, yet have gained in both the power and economy departments.
The petrol-fed model will come with a six-speed automatic when it becomes available here next year while the diesel is available in both manual and automatic six-speed configuration. There are either two- or four-wheel drive (4WD) configurations available on the diesel derivatives, while the petrol model will only be available in all- wheel drive only.
At launch we managed to bag a drive in both the diesel automatic and manual, and found the engine smooth and powerful, but plagued slightly by some turbo lag when setting off. However, as we have come to expect in diesel manuals, the said lag was more negligible with this engine and transmission combination. As powerful and refined as the engine is, the company recommends the use of 50ppm ultra low sulphur, and not using this may result in voidance of the vehicle’s warranty.
Armed with only 4WD at best, and no low range to mention of, it is clear that the Sorento was not designed to conquer jutted rocks or wade through rivers. What it does manage to do however, is to conquer most gravel roads with its 183mm ground clearance. On the road I found the suspension to be compliant and offered a relatively supple ride quality.
Looking at the crop of soft roaders in this segment, the Sorento has its work cut out for it. For while it offers a raft of standard equipment at the price, it has to build an image all of its own to upset the opposition. A feather in the Sorento’s cap stems from the fact that it complies with EuroNCAP’s safety ratings, having achieved a five-star award.
The company has ditched the 10-year/150000km warranty in favour of a five-year/100000km instead. According to a spokesperson, internal research has shown that the former warranty has no direct consequence on either sales or customer confidence!
Pricing: 2.2 2WD manual five-seater R339995 2.2 2WD automatic five-seater R349995 2.2 4WD automatic five-seater R359995 2.2 4WD manual seven-seater R389995 2.2 4WD automatic seven-seater R399995 3.5AWD automatic seven-seater R399995
Armed with only 4WD at best, it is clear that the Sorento was not designed to conquer jutted rocks or wade through rivers