Kia Sorento

The Kia Sorento is an intelligent all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle than can accommodate large families of up to seven. Don’t be fooled by its pretty face, the Sorento is a capable off-roader and has the ability to tow up to 2.5 tonnes.

The new Sorento offers executive-class space and versatility to match its executive-class style, quality and refinement. It is 95mm longer than the second-generation Sorento, has an 80mm greater wheelbase (now 2,780mm), is 15mm lower and 5mm wider. The significance of these dimensions is that headroom and legroom have been improved in all three rows of seats, and there is up to 90 litres more luggage capacity.

When starting work on the car, Kia had to decide whether to make it even more gentrified and saloon-like than the outgoing model, or to retain that car’s much-valued towing and off-roading capability. In the end, it was able to do both.

The new model preserves familiar Sorento design cues like the shape of the D-pillar, but now has a sleeker profile which disguises its increased size, and deeply sculpted surfaces. The lower roof, rising belt line and more sweeping profile make it look bolder and more muscular, and for the first time there are pronounced rear shoulders in place of a crease line beneath the windows to give the car greater three-dimensionality.

Wrap-around, frame-integrated side doors fit more snugly into the overall profile of the car and allow for a wider opening. They also help to keep the seals completely free of dirt and moisture thrown up from the road, preventing passengers’ clothes and hands from getting soiled.

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The new Sorento features the Dynamax all-wheel-drive system first seen in Kia’s compact SUV, the Sportage. Dynamax is an intelligent, electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system from Magna Powertrain.  It continuously monitors driving conditions and anticipates when all-wheel drive will be needed, rather than simply reacting to changing conditions.

Normally it delivers 100 per cent of engine torque to the front wheels, but the torque can be redistributed up to a maximum of 60:40 front-to-rear to enhance cornering stability or if road conditions deteriorate.  For off-road driving, owners can manually select lock mode, which gives a 50:50 torque split at speeds of up to 25mph.

The Sorento is powered by the 2.2-litre version of Kia’s R-family turbodiesel engine, which now meets EU6 emissions requirements. It features a new, fourth-generation common-rail fuel injection system with increased injection pressure.

The intake manifold, cylinder head cover and oil filter housing are made of plastic to help trim weight, and now the cylinder walls are 1mm thinner, which has helped the engine to shed 5kg. With a new intake manifold featuring electronic swirl control and a revised exhaust gas filtration system that promotes the recirculation of clean, cool, low-pressure exhaust gas, the R-family diesel engine is cleaner and more efficient than ever.