We’ve always had a soft spot for Kia’s range-topping SUV owing to its mixture of mature road manners and practical packaging, so expectations were high when we got behind the wheel of the new Sorento for a drive from Gqeberha to Cape Town. It didn’t disappoint…
Design & Packaging
Handsome as it was in its own right, the previous-generation Sorento wanted for some visual impact in a segment where many rivals had ditched the smooth-skinned, softly-softly approach to SUV design in favour of more angular, masculine lines. The same certainly can’t be levelled at the new Sorento, drawing as it does from the bluff-sided, tough-looking (and sadly unavailable in RHD markets) Telluride. The Sonata’s international introduction in 2019 ushered in Hyundai-Kia’s N3 platform, which it shares with the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fé and Kia Carnival – a drive of which will feature in the April 2022 issue of CAR Magazine. These new underpinnings equate to a car that’s 35 mm longer in the wheelbase (2 815 mm) and 10 mm longer (4 810 mm) than the previous model.
In this 7-seater model, the new platform affords almost MPV-rivalling amounts of cabin and utility space with Kia claiming a luggage capacity of 616-821 litres and a cavernous 2 011 litre of utility space.
As with many of its stablemates, the cabin of our launch unit was a fairly somber affair when it came to colour scheme – piano blacks, charcoal greys for the softer trim sections and a smattering of chrome-effect garnish for certain facia and door panels – but the cabin’s spaciousness, mood lighting and generous glasshouse means it never feels claustrophobic and the standard of fit and finish is impressive enough to be viewed in the same light as a number of German rivals.
On the road
The new Sorento range is powered by Kia’s new Smartstream 2,2-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel unit coupled with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The new unit is more than 30 kg lighter than the outgoing RII 2,2 engine and features a higher compression ratio (16,0 to 1) and injection pressure has been upped to 2,2 bar. Power has climbed marginally (148 kW versus the previous car’s 147 kW) and torque remains unchanged at 440 N.m; good enough for a claimed 0-100 km/h sprint time of 9,2 seconds and a 205 km/h top speed. It proved an impressively refined and composed performer on our drive between Gqeberha and Cape Town, with just the merest hint of turbodiesel thrum entering the cabin under hard acceleration. The impression of refinement is bolstered by the near-seamless interplay between engine and dual-clutch ‘box, to the extent that the expected kickdown under full-throttle barely announced itself and masked just how much mid-range punch there is on offer. At motorway speeds we saw the 1 800 kg Sorento return an impressive 7,4 L/100 km, and even after some cut-and-thrust overtaking and dirt-road crawling that figure remained comfortably under the 8,0 l/100 km mark.
The steering isn’t the last word in responsiveness but it’s well-weighted and relaxingly geared, making the Sorento an effortless long-distance cruiser. The ride quality is impressive, proving composed on all surfaces – our stint into a game reserve on some seriously rutted roads did little to unsettle the Sorento – and body control doesn’t range into any unnerving degree of floaty vagueness. We didn’t have an opportunity to test the Sorento’s off-road ability, but the 185 mm of ground clearance and now segment-requisite drivetrain management system with on- and off-road presets that tailor parameters such as drive apportioning, stability control, throttle and gear mapping, mean the new car should be capable of tackling some moderate green-laning without too much hassle.
Kit? There’s plenty of it…
While some may baulk at the prospect of a Kia wearing a price sticker just shy of R1 million, it has to be said that the SXL-grade Sorento doesn’t want for much when it comes to standard specification. We won’t go into the full rundown here – that would turn this article into a veritable scroll-fest – but among the SXL’s highlights are powered/heated/ventilated front seats, a 10,25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, power tailgate, keyless entry and ignition, 12-speaker Bose audio system and panoramic sunroof. The price also includes an impressive six-year/90 000 km maintenance plan and five-year/unlimited km warranty.
Smart safety tech
The new Sorento also plays host to an impressive array of active safety technologies that help keep occupants safe and lift some of the burden off the driver on longer trips. In addition to alerting systems for driver fatigue and rear cross traffic, the Sorento also plays host to an array of camera and radar-assisted safety systems that include front collision mitigation (semi-autonomous braking assistance) lane keeping and following and blindspot collision avoidance. Perhaps the neatest of these safety systems has to be the blindspot monitor, which projects a video feed of the vehicle’s blindspot into the 12,3-inch TFT digital instrument binnacle when indicating.
Overall
We’ve always been big fans of Kia’s halo SUV and the new Sorento, with its eye-catching design, spacious and beautifully appointed interior and refined road manners only reinforces this stance. Factor in plentiful standard specification (even the lower-grade EX+ and SX models are generously equipped) impressive levels of perceived quality and a solid aftersales support package and even those whose radars would normally be set on premium European rivals would do well to consider the Sorento.
Fast facts:
Model: Kia Sorento 2,2 CRDi 8DCT 7-seater SXL AWD
Price: R988 995
Engine: 2,2-litre, 4-cylinder, turbodiesel
Transmission: 8-speed, dual-clutch automatic
Power: 148 kW @ 3 800 r/min
Torque: 440 N.m @ 1 750-2 750 r/min
0-100 km/h: 9,2 seconds
Top speed: 210 km/h
CO2: 177 g/km
Rivals: Hyundai Santa Fe, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Mercedes-Benz GLC
