Kia’s halo SUV and MPV offerings have always been our favourites with their mature road manners. Our expectations were high in the April 2022 issue of CAR Magazine, when we wrote about getting behind the wheels of the new Sorento and Kia Carnival for a drive from Gqeberha to Cape Town.
We tested the AWD 2022 Kia Sorento model that comes with a 2,2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 148 kW of power and 440 N.m of torque paired to an eight-speed double-clutch automatic transmission. The new-generation Sorento is the most advanced version of the large SUV Kia has built to date. The Sorento and Kia Carnival both use the N3 platform developed by Hyundai and Kia.
Kia has done it again, they managed to impress us with the MPV Kia Carnival as well. The Carnival might be gigantic but from the driver’s seat, the Korean brand has done an exemplary job of making this eight-person barge not only feel just like an SUV but reasonably agile too. The Carnival has a 2,2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, producing the same power and torque as the Sorento, 148 kW of power and 440 N.m of torque paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Kia notes that the engine’s new aluminium block is 19,5 kg lighter than the cast-iron block of its predecessor, and thanks to other tweaks, it is lighter on the front axle overall by more than 30 kg, this aids the driving dynamics.
In the Sorento, the new platform offers almost MPV-rivalling amounts of cabin and utility space. Kia claims a luggage capacity of 616 821 litres and 2 011 litres of utility space. The Carnival serves up to 1 139 litres of luggage space with seats in place, luggage space increases greatly when the middle and rear rows are laid flat, opening up to 4 110 litres of luggage space.
The new generation Sorento strikes out in a new styling direction with a more expressive, tough-looking design with a Bigger interior. The interior includes a 10,25-inch infotainment system that dominates the dash, diamond pattern textures on the dash and doors, a large centre console with chrome trim and a rotary shifter. The practicality and modern tech make the Sorento an instant family hit.
Quick 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: 205 km/h
Fuel Consumption: 6,80 L/100 km
Rivals: Hyundai Santa Fe, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Mercedes-Benz GLC
The Carnival rightfully asserts its place at the forefront of the people-mover market. It might be huge, but it is still brilliantly packaged and put together in such a way that it is surprisingly easy to drive. The Kia Carnival has Good standard safety features, versatile seat options and a roomy interior. Built for big families, the Kia Carnival boats prowess and stance of an SUV. The grille and squared-off A-pillars give it that illusion of toughness, with the LED DRLs intricately and seamlessly lining the edges of its face.
Both feature an impressive array of driver assistand safety technology that help keep the occcupants safe and lift some of the weight off the driver in long trips. An array of camera and radar-assist safety systems, alerting systems for driver fatigue and rear cross traffic all come as standard in the Kia SUV and MPV. Other safety features include lane keeping assist and collision mitigation.
Fast facts:
Model: Kia Carnival 2.2CRDi SX Limited
Price: R999 995
Engine: Front-mounted, turbodiesel, 2 151 cc, inline-four
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 148 kW @ 3 800 r/min
Torque: 440 N.m @ 1 750 r/min
Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive
0-100 km/h: 10,7 seconds
Top speed: 190 km/h
Fuel consumption: 6,8 L/100km
Rivals: Hyundai Staria, Volkswagen Transporter Kombi, Mercedes-Benz V-Class
Find the full story in the April 2022 issue of CAR Magazine.
