Kia confirms new platform for Sorento

Official word from Kia has revealed what motoring.com.au first reported back in June – the next-gen Sorento will be effectively a new vehicle from the ground up.

Kia has chosen to retain elements of exterior sheet metal for the Sorento, but the new SUV will be based on a new platform, understood to be shared with Hyundai’s Santa Fe, which is due here soon. The Sorento, which will be unveiled to the world at the Paris motor show next month, will feature a stronger bodyshell, revised engines and subtle facelift. Changes to the vehicle’s underpinnings will free up interior space, but also lower the ride height. According to Kia, the new Sorento will also ride and handle better than the current model. And those cosmetic refinements have reduced the Sorento’s drag coefficient to 0.34Cd.

The decision to do more with the new Sorento than just a typical facelift is largely a consequence of input received from owners, explained Thomas Oh, Kia’s Executive Vice-President & COO of the International Business Division.

“During the last decade, Sorento has earned widespread media and public acclaim and attracted thousands of customers to Kia who had not previously considered our brand,” Mr Oh was quoted as saying in a press release. “While creating upgraded Sorento we have given very careful attention to owners’ feedback, and the result is a new Kia model which is not just a cosmetic exercise but represents a major step forwards for our popular CUV.”

“Despite the current economic uncertainties in some markets, we are confident that upgraded Sorento with its fresh look and significant improvements will increase Kia’s share of the utility vehicle market, achieving annual global sales of 265,000 units from 2013.”

At a superficial level the new Sorento can be identified by new bumpers, front and rear, which will be complemented by a restyled grille, headlights with LED ‘positioning’ lights and a new tailgate with LED tail light clusters. The car will be available with a two-part glass sunroof with a motorised shade blind to block the sun, although it’s not clear yet whether that will be an option in Australia for select models or standard across the range.

Kia claims that gaining access to the cabin of the new Sorento will be easier, now that the ride height is 10mm lower. The new platform has also facilitated 30mm of extra legroom in the second-row seat. Third-row seat occupants gain 9mm of extra legroom. A host of changes to the interior design include a new LCD cluster for the major instruments, a new centre fascia with an eight-inch LCD screen, and a revised centre console. Comfort and convenience items will number among them Bluetooth connectivity, heated/ventilated front seats and air conditioning for the third-row seating. The manufacturer will promote the new Sorento as one of the quietest in its class, thanks to NVH countermeasures.

Up the front, the new Sorento will be powered by revised versions of the R Series diesel and the Theta II petrol engines. A new cylinder head for the latter, as well as revised cylinder head, pistons, fuel injection and intake systems have borne fruit in the form of a nine per cent power increase (up to 141kW) and a 6.6 per cent lift in torque (to 242Nm). Fuel consumption has been reduced too and the CO2 emissions figure has fallen below the magic 200-gram threshold – 199g/km.

The 2.2-litre R Series diesel, which develops 145kW and 436Nm (automatic), now emits just 153g/km in combined-cycle testing, thanks to a new exhaust gas recirculation system. Manual vehicles produce 421Nm.

Kia also plans to offer the Sorento with the Lambda 3.5-litre petrol V6 – 205kW – and, in some European markets, the 2.0-litre version of the R Series diesel – pegged at 110kW. Whether 2WD or 4WD, all Sorento variants will come with six-speed transmissions, either manual or auto.

New suspension subframes are stronger than before, but support the same basic systems of the earlier Sorento – MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link system at the rear. Kia has specified different mounting bushes to reduce NVH and a longer type of trailing arm for the IRS and high-performance dampers contribute to better ride quality and stability, the company claims.

At 2.95 turns lock to lock, the Sorento’s steering is more direct and Kia plans to offer ‘FlexSteer’ as an option, for customers wanting to set the level of assistance to suit their own preferences. Three modes are available: Normal, Sport and Comfort.

Safety has been improved with the bodyshell now comprising 25 per cent more ultra-high tensile strength steel than most rivals in the Sorento’s market segment. Components formed from the ultra high-strength steel include the front bumper, centre floor and rear floor sides. Kia has also employed a brace bar across the front suspension towers to help boost torsional rigidity – up by 18 per cent. Six airbags also aid passive safety.

Other new technology features aimed at reducing road trauma include larger ventilated front disc brake rotors (now 320mm in diameter), reversing camera with 130-degree lens, xenon headlights and Hill-Start Assist Control. Not certain for Australia yet are radar-based blind-spot detection, lane departure warning system and smart parking assist.

Editor’s note: Specifications and features of upgraded Sorento contained in this press release are for Europe and the General Markets (Central and South America; Caribbean; Asia – excluding China and Korea; Pacific; Middle East; and Africa).  Product information for the North America version of upgraded Sorento will be announced closer to on-sales date.

Kia will launch the new Sorento at the Paris Motor Show from September 27.

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