Kia Sorento 2004 Review

What we liked
>> Pleasing design
>> Uncluttered interior
>> Value for money

Not so much
>> Unconvincing handling
>> Performance hampered by 4sp auto
>> High kerb weight

OVERVIEW
Think Korean, think cheap, cheerful, built to a price and designed for a short life. The 21st Century is witnessing a fundamental shift in how Korean vehicles are perceived, primarily driven by Hyundai with its new troika -- the Accent, Getz and Tiburon. Now Kia's joining the party with a stylish new mid-sized four-wheel drive -- the Sorento -- that's likely to change the way you look at a Korean-built vehicle.

The basics of the Sorento aren't groundbreaking. Dimensionally, it's slightly bigger than a Jeep Cherokee, is built on a separate chassis to improve off-road potential, has comfortable seating for five and a big 3.5-litre V6 engine. On paper it all sounds good.

In the flesh, the Sorento looks the goods also. Marketing hyperbole aside -- c'mon fellas, only Mr Magoo would mistake it for a Mercedes-Benz M-class four-wheel drive (even with that copycat C-pillar) -- the Sorento is a design collaborated on by Kia's Korean, European and Californian studios, and it works well.

FEATURES
Value for money is a Korean strongpoint and the Sorento doesn't stray. The Australian-specification Sorentos are fairly well-equipped for their launch price of $37,950. Remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors, eight-speaker CD player, air-conditioning, alloy wheels and cruise control are all standard on the 3.5-litre, V6 Sorento.

There is also a plenty of storage space with several compartments located throughtout the car, flip up tailgate window, split folding rear seats (60:40) with rear centre armrest, three 12-volt power outlets and underbody skid plates front and rear.

Sorento has a separate body and chassis; the upside of designing this way is supposed to be better off-road ability. It should mean you can isolate the suspension from the body, allowing better wheel articulation and control. The downside is the extra weight that comes from having chassis members separate to the body structure. Which is part of the reason the Kia Sorento weighs a whopping 2027kg. Ouch!

COMFORT
Sorento presents an air of classy competence, a quality that carries over into its cabin, which is really quite impressive. Drivers have little trouble getting comfortable with a seat that's height adjustable, and a wheel that tilts. All controls fall readily to hand, and we particularly liked the cruise-control buttons mounted on the steering-wheel boss.

Rear seat room is good, entertaining the average body easily and comfortably. The cargo area is adequate without being admirable and should fit three to four typical suitcases across. Comfortable, roomy seats front and rear, well laid-out dashboard, and driving controls all in the right place.

SAFETY
Sorento comes with the usual and expected safety features but misses out on all electonic driver aids such as emergency brake assist, stability control and -- importantly as it turns out -- traction control.

The car features ABS-equipped four-wheel disc brakes with twin front calipers, dual front airbags and heated door mirrors. Front seatbelts come with pretensioner and load limiter. The ladder chassis works with the body shel’s front and rear crumple zones to absorb impact.

MECHANICAL
On paper, the Sorento's mechanicals appear up to the task. Australia's only version comes with a 3.5-litre V6 engine -- the same housed in Hyundai's Terracan -- that produces 145kW of power and 295Nm of torque. Not insignificant, but not class-leading by any stretch. The smaller 3.0-litre V6 in Ford's Escape and Mazda's Tribute produces more power, and though it can't match the bigger engine's torque, there is significantly less weight (we're talking 500kg less) to deal with.

Transmission is a choice of a five-speed manual or electronically-controlled four-speed automatic -- and there's no tiptronic-style selector. Kia Australia tells us a diesel version is on the cards for 2004.

The engine's performance when mated to the auto is nothing to write home about. It accelerates willingly enough from standstill, but with a power-to-weight ratio only marginally better than a JD Camira, the Sorento is no straightline screamer, though the manual is significantly better (see 7 Day test below).

If you'll be driving this two-tonne Korean mostly around town and the suburbs, expect the stop-start conditions to wreak havoc with fuel economy. Kia quotes a combined highway/city fuel economy figure of 13.5litres/100km, which is on par for a four-wheel drive of its size.

Sorento is fitted with a low-range transfer case, its four-wheel drive system very easy to use. A simple dial on the dashboard can be swivelled from rear-wheel drive to four-wheel drive high at speeds up to 80km/h. The next stop on the dial is low-range four-wheel drive, but this must be engaged only when the vehicle is stopped and in neutral.

On our first meeting with the Sorento, across 400km of highways, byways and dirt backroads, we never had any problem with the drive system. Four-wheel drive engaged and disengaged properly every time. What we did have problems with -- from a functionality standpoint -- was the Sorento's under-performing suspension.

COMPETITORS
There's plenty to choose from in this segment, including Holden Frontera, Hyundai Terracan, Mitsubishi Challenger, Nissan Pathfinder, Suzuki XL7 and Toyota Prado GX.

Sorento's biggest handicap is dynamics and it is one that's hard to forgive. There's simply too much choice in the Australian marketplace to settle for second or even third best. Sorento's questionable performance, ride and handling conspire to place it in the middle ranks of the medium four-wheel drive contenders.

ON THE ROAD
See below for on road performance relating to both manual and automatic versions of the Kia Sorento 4WD.

In the flesh, the Sorento looks the goods. It is a design collaborated on by Kia's Korean, European and Californian studios, and it works well. Overall, the Sorento presents an air of classy competence, a quality that carries over into its interior. Comfortable, roomy seats front and rear, well laid-out dashboard, and driving controls all in the right place.

It's only when you entice the Sorento into motion that the flaws come to light. On the highways, the four-speed automatic drivetrain is a less than willing overtaking participant. At anything above 80km/h, there's a lack of urgency when you put your foot down, particularly if any kind of upward slope or hill is involved.

Kia's designers may have learnt a thing or two from Europeans, but its chassis engineers certainly haven't. The Sorento feels nervous over inconsistent surfaces, especially on corrugated dirt roads. On the highway the ride is pleasant, but feels just the slightest bit busy thanks to firm springs which subtly transmit every little ripple into the cabin. Rougher suburban roads are more of a problem because the Sorento feels too soft in the damping, and is slow to settle down after each event.

Take it off-road and the Sorento struggles. The vehicle's suspension does not deal well with bumps or irregularities in the road surface. It never feels truly settled -- and consequently neither does the driver. Engaging four-wheel drive on dirt roads does iron out a few of the problems, as all four wheels now deal with the engine's power.

But the fundamental problem remains - the Sorento is less than convincing off the bitumen. And for a 4WD, that's not good enough.

Sorento's somewhat unpredictably-weighted steering is another area that needs addressing. It loads up quite a bit in corners, and seems to bear no resemblance to how much work the front wheels are doing. As for cabin comfort, there's very little road noise or wind noise intrusion even at highway speeds -- however, the vehicle we tested did have some rattles and creaks coming from the back seat anchors and cargo cover.

What a difference a gear makes. The five-speed Sorento is a very different car -- performance-wise -- to the automatic version Editor Butler describes. That difference is grunt, and it is noticeable the moment you embark on your first drive.

Around town, the manual Sorento is an effortless performer, the engine's torque (295Nm) and 4.181:1 final drive combining to push the heavy body with ease. It's the same story on the open road -- rather than being lethargic at 80km/h like the automatic version, the manual has plenty of grunt available for both cruising and quick, safe overtaking.

That performance, together with good brakes and a sporty exhaust note wrapped up in nicely-styled package, you have the makings of a fun car with some character -- not easy to achieve in this market segment.

It's not all good news, however. Our test was run in wet conditions and that showed up some serious shortcomings. With only two-wheel drive (rear) available on bitumen, the Sorento felt very nervous on suburban roads, often slewing when turning, or driving through roundabouts, which necessitated a fair degree of opposite lock to correct. Not something mum wants to be doing as she's driving the kids to and from school.

Another test on tight, slippery mountain roads between Bright and Falls Creek further demonstrated this problem. Going up hill, with the incline knocking the edge off the Sorento's performance and the weight transferred to the rear axle, the car felt safe and secure. Coming downhill (especially through corners with corrugated bitumen), with a light rear end was a very different story -- a nervous car on a dangerous road and a far from happy driver.

And that's a shame, because on dry roads I enjoyed the Sorento, and its problems are seemingly nothing that constant four-wheel drive -- available on luxury models sold in other countries -- could easily remedy.

Inside, it was easy to achieve a good driving position and the seats were very comfortable over very long distances, but the gearstick shift action -- long in the throw and very wide in the gate -- takes a bit of getting used to. The shifter allowed fast changes, though doing so made second and third gear shifts notchy and noisy.

The assistance provided by the power steering meant little effort was required to make the Sorento change direction, but it lacked feel, especially around town.

Overall, the Sorento promised much with good performance and looks, but poor road manners meant it failed to live up to expectations.