Kia Sorento CRDi 2.2 2009 Review

Not so much
>> Soggy suspension
>> Torque steer in 4x2 diesel Sorento
>> Third-row accommodation

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine and Drivetrain: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 2.5/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

About our ratings

OVERVIEW
-- So long to old Sorento
When Kia introduced the Sorento to Australia back in 2003, it was very much the exemplar of a Mercedes M-Class built by Koreans. The PR chap working for the erstwhile Kia distributor said as much, hinting that the Sorento was quite close in size to the German SUV... for a reason.

Times change, however, and the Sorento has changed with the times. No longer is it a cheap knock-off of an M-Class. Now, it's reminiscent of the Hyundai Santa Fe -- and that's as it should be.

Gone is the original Sorento's full chassis, replaced by a monocoque platform shared with the Santa Fe. Both vehicles feature independent suspension all around and the Sorento's packaging is locked into the same ballpark as the Hyundai's.

As we reported previously (more here), the new Sorento -- due Down Under January of next year -- is safer, more comfortable, more refined and more efficient, according to Kia.

Aerodynamically, the new-generation Sorento's coefficient of drag is reduced from 0.425Cd to 0.38Cd. That added slipperiness -- combined with upgraded engines and a kerb mass 215kg less than the superseded model's -- contribute to the new model's fuel economy gains. And with the headstart afforded by its monocoque construction, the new Sorento has a five-star NCAP rating in its sights.

The new model's improved attributes come without significant detriment to its offroad ability, Kia claims. Whether that's so will remain a matter for conjecture until the Sorento is launched locally and we can assess it in the rough.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

Taking into account the economies of scale Kia can find using a shared platform and technology from the Santa Fe, allied with the company's brand position with respect to Hyundai -- and the possibility that the Aussie dollar will remain reasonably stable in coming months -- the new Sorento may sell at a price around the same or lower than the entry-level price for the current car. That may also lead to a lower price point for the flagship model too. We're talking here about 4x4 variants. The new Sorento will add 4x2 variants, which should undercut both the current Sorento and Santa Fe equivalents by a substantial margin. If that's the case, expect Kia to beat the 'added value, lower cost' drum.

It's not only the pricing that's up in the air for the new Sorento. Kia tells us that the new SUV (or CUV as the manufacturer prefers) will be sold in two levels of trim. The entry-level model will be the Sorento LX and the high-spec grade will be the Sorento EX. It's unlikely that these levels of trim, as sampled in South Korea for the launch, will carry over directly to the Australian market.

The Sorento LX in South Korea was equipped with the following standard features: 17-inch alloy wheels, 235/65 R17 tyres, electric windows/mirrors, 60/40 splitfold second-row seat, 50/50 splitfold third-row seat, auxiliary power outlets in centre console/luggage compartment, manual air conditioning, auto-locking doors, three-spoke steering wheel, tilt-adjustable steering, trip computer, woodgrain decorative trim, six-speaker audio, dual front airbags and three-point seatbelts for all seven seats.

Given the competitive nature of the medium SUV segment here, we just can't see even the base Sorento slipping into the country without an MP3-compatible audio system, side-impact/side-curtain airbags and stability control. Furthermore, there's a distinct possibility that Kia will load up the Sorento LX with reach-adjustable steering, dual-zone climate control and power adjustment for the driver's seat.

These features, based on the cars driven in South Korea, are either options or standard equipment for the higher grade Sorento EX, which also adds the reach-adjustable steering already mentioned, plus electrically-heated door mirrors, leather-bound steering wheel and front fog lights.

Other options, which may end up being fitted as standard to the Sorento EX include: 18-inch alloys, leather seat trim, electrically-adjustable driver's seat, dual-zone climate control and MP3-compatible audio with USB connectivity, remote audio controls, cruise control, keyless entry, side impact airbags, side curtain head airbags, stability control and auto-on/off headlights.

MECHANICAL
-- 'R' for refinement
Representing a significant improvement in diesel powerplant refinement, the R Series 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel produces peak power and torque of 145kW at 3800rpm and 421Nm between 1800 and 2500rpm, respectively. In combined-cycle testing, fuel consumption is 6.6L/100km for the 4x4 model with (six-speed) manual transmission or 7.4L/100km for the six-speed automatic variant. Two-wheel drive variants are good for 6.5L/100km (manual) and 7.2L/100km (auto). Kia claims CO2 emissions are 174g/km (4x4 manual), 194g/km (4x4 auto), 171g/km (4x2 manual) and 189g/km (4x2 auto).

Kia's press material neglects to mention fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures for the 3.5-litre petrol V6, which is codenamed 'Lambda II'. The all-alloy engine develops 206kW of power at 6300rpm and 335Nm of torque at 5000rpm. While the R Series diesel can be specified with manual and automatic transmissions, the petrol V6 is only available with the six-speed automatic transmission.

As for the Santa Fe, the new Sorento sports MacPherson-strut suspension at the front and a multi-link independent suspension system at the rear. The rack-and-pinion steering is hydraulically-assisted rack and the brakes comprise ventilated front discs and solid rear discs.

Based on Kia's published figures, front-wheel drive Sorento variants weigh 60kg less than the 4x4 models of equivalent specification and the diesel powerplant weighs around 50kg more than the petrol V6. The lightest variant is the 4x2 Sorento 3.5 V6 (1695kg) and the heaviest is the 4x4 Sorento diesel auto (1810kg).

PACKAGING

Seats were comfortable, well contoured and seemed to be fairly supportive. We'd really like to put the two together before going on record here, but the seats in the Sorento do seem to be better than we recall of the brother-under-the-skin, the Santa Fe. It's not often we single out the driver's footrest for special mention in a review, but the Sorento's is massive.

The second-row seat headroom and kneeroom are both good -- although not in the same league as in Ford's Territory -- but the third-row seat is suitable for kids only. In this instance, the Sorento's Santa Fe heritage is quite apparent. While there's barely enough headroom for average adults, there's just not enough legroom and the floor is too high -- or the seat base is too low -- for anyone with longer legs to sit comfortably. It's a compromise founded on providing enough headroom and enough legroom, but either way, it isn't adequate for adults.

In other seven-seaters, it would be possible to shift the second-row seat forward to make more room in the third row, but this is not an option in the Sorento. On the credit side of the ledger, deployment of the third-row seat is dead easy and it's a lesson for Honda and that company's Odyssey. One yank of the pull-strap for each of the 50/50 seats and they fall flat.

The second-row seating also folds flat easily. Not only will the narrower (40 per cent) section of the split-fold seating fold flat, but it will even tilt forward from the seat base up against the rear of the front passenger's seat -- to facilitate easier access for third-row seat occupants.

According to one of Kia's product development people on the launch, the RHD version of the Sorento, for Australia, will feature a mirror image of the second-row seat's folding split, so the third-row seat access will be via the 40 per cent section on the near (left) side of the car. That's the exact opposite of the LHD example we drove in South Korea and a welcome change for our market.

SAFETY

The manufacturer is confident that the Sorento's five-star rating will be a 'slam-dunk' because of the higher percentage of high-tensile strength steels used in the vehicle's construction (70.4 per cent versus 40 per cent for the previous model), along with an integrated rollover hoop at the B pillars and higher-grade steel for side sills and floor crossmembers.

Kia has a number of other tricks up its sleeve to achieve improved crash-safety ratings for the new Sorento. One is the adoption of an "organ-type" accelerator, which will minimise injury to the driver in the event of a crash. In markets other than Australia, the dual front airbags are the only airbags fitted as standard. Side-impact airbags for the front-seat occupants, side curtains and active headrests are optional for the high-spec Sorento EX, but it's hard to picture the Aussie-delivered Sorentos missing out on these features.

Kia's donor car for the Sorento, the Hyundai Santa Fe, doesn't provide a reversing camera in Australia, but the Sorento will be offered with that facility. That should aid drivers parking and reduce the chance of running down a child behind the vehicle. A host of safety features, some of which (stability control for one) are not standard in foreign markets, are likely to be fitted as standard to the Sorento by the time it arrives in Australia. These include Brake Assist and ABS with EBD. There are also offroad driving aids available in the Sorento, such as Hill Assist Control and Downhill Brake Control.

COMPETITORS

All of these vehicles are also available with 4x4 final drive, but neither the Ford nor the Toyota can match the Sorento with a diesel engine. The Territory remains a formidable opponent in this segment, but rear-wheel drive variants make do with a four-speed automatic transmission, whereas the Sorento has a six-speed box, even in 4x2 guise.

Other SUVs -- 4x4-only -- in the mid-sized segment that could be shopped against the Sorento include: Jeep Cherokee (perhaps a little more offroad-capable than the Kia), the Mazda CX-9, the Nissan Murano and the Subaru Tribeca. The three Japanese vehicles will possibly prove more expensive, spec-for-spec, but it all boils down to how Kia will position the Sorento when it arrives. 

ON THE ROAD

The Sorento is the first application of the R Series engine family in any model -- Hyundai  or Kia. It's quite refined. Aurally it's still a diesel, but it pulls from 1500rpm with none of the diesel detonation and vibration that mark even recently-developed diesel engines for passenger vehicles and SUVs. That six-speed automatic transmission is a good mate for the engine too. It's smooth and responsive, as is the case for the Santa Fe CRDi, which also offers a six-speed auto box.

It was just a tad curious that Kia specified Hill Descent Control for this model, which is, after all, a front-wheel drive model. We would be somewhat surprised should an owner take this car anywhere the downhill driving aid would be required. Anyway, it's Kia's development budget and product planning parameters...

Ride is very soft and there's some slop in the suspension; prompting us to query whether this suspension (a Middle Eastern market spec) will apply to Australian-delivered cars when they arrive. Kia's Aussie PR manager, Jonathan Fletcher, expects that the Sorento's body control will be better in the local versions.

As it was, the ride was an underdamped set-up on the vehicle driven. In that state of suspension calibration, the Sorento tended to float and, while prone to understeer at slower speeds, also felt a bit ‘taily' at one point on a trailing throttle. It felt like a high-riding Camry.

That said, the Sorento's roadholding was good -- it's just the handling that left the seat up. Feedback from the steering didn't fill us with confidence either. It doesn't seem as sharp as we recall for its sibling, the Santa Fe. We'd like to see Kia fix both the suspension and steering before the Sorento arrives in Australia.

With having driven just the one variant of the Sorento -- admittedly the one that is just likely to be the volume seller in Australia -- we can't draw too many conclusions for you. Based on Ford's experience with Territory and Toyota's with the current Kluger, 4x2 SUVs can outsell the 4x4 variants. The Kia shares that model proliferation and adds to it with a modern and refined diesel engine allied to a smooth-operating six-speed automatic transmission.

How the Sorento will fare in the local market when it arrives is very much dependent on pricing, specification and suspension tuning. In the absence of that information, we give the Sorento a provisional thumbs-up anyway.

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