Kia Sorento 2007 Review

What we liked
>> CRDi's open-road manners and midrange
>> No nonsense 4WD system
>> Monotone exterior improves looks

Not so much
>> Suspension settings
>> Steering feel
>> ESP operation in 2WD only

OVERVIEW
Kia is hoping to reap the benefits of the Aussie medium SUV segment's growing love affair with diesel and 'tougher than most' dual-range four-wheel drive underpinnings with the latest update of its Sorento four-wheel drive.

First unveiled in 2002 and debuted in Australia in early 2003, the Sorento was Kia's top-selling model worldwide in 2004 and 2005. Last year the 'body-on-frame' Sorento was substantially upgraded. Then, along with a mild facelift, suspension and other componentry were overhauled to improve ride and handling.

This time around, the majority of changes are under the bonnet with the CRDi engine coming Down Under for the first time, and the choice of petrol engines rationalised to a single revised 3.3-litre V6 powerplant.

And in a year which sees Kia celebrate the delivery of the 700,000th Sorento worldwide, the Korean carmaker has big plans for the new CRDi version. Kia Australia says the 2.5-litre common-rail direct-injected four-cylinder turbodiesel will account for around 80 per cent of Sorento deliveries Down Under -- at the same time growing the monthly uptake from around 110 sales to a target of 200 units per month.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
Boasting a new 2.5-litre common-rail direct-injected four-cylinder turbodiesel powerplant matched to a choice of five-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, the new Sorento CRDi arrives in dealers this month priced from $34,990.

The five-seat two-row CRDi Sorento boasts ADR 81/01 fuel economy of 8.5lt/100km in its manual variant. The automatic version (add $2000) returns 9.4lt/100km.

Three trim levels will be offered in the new model, all of which offer the choice of petrol or diesel powerplants.

The base model LX kicks off at $34,990 (as noted above) with manual box and diesel power. The auto-only petrol LX is priced from $33,990.

Standard equipment across the LX offer includes manual air-conditioning, power windows, trip computer, five 16-inch alloys and a limited slip rear differential. In addition, the LX's standard safety equipment includes ABS brakes (with EBD) front airbags and active front headrests. The centre rear seatbelt is now a lap sash across the range.

The auto-only mid-range EX level adds cruise control, a leather-bound steering wheel, ESP (only active in two-wheel drive mode), traction control and 17-inch alloys. It is priced from $36,490 for the 3.3 V6, with the CRDi $3000 more.

The new top-of-the-range Sorento, also auto-only, is the leather-pewed EX-L (L for Limited) priced at $41,490 and $44,490 for the petrol and CRDi versions respectively.

As well as an electric tilt-slide sunroof, the new premium trim grade adds side curtain airbags, cabin upgrades including woodgrain-style inserts and dual-zone climate control air. Side curtain airbags are also standard on the EX-L

Unlike previous generations of the Sorento, the new release features "monotone" exteriors for the first time. In addition to a choice of four metallic colours with contrasting bumpers, buyers can choose from Bright Silver and Ebony Black Sorentos compete with colour-matched bumpers and fascia. This change alone has significantly upgraded the appearance of the vehicle.

MECHANICAL
The star of the new Sorento show is the CRDI's new 2.5-litre turbodiesel. With peak power of 125kW at 3800rpm and 392Nm of torque at 2000rpm, the new inline four-cylinder engine features state of the art technology including Bosch common rail direct-injection (hence the "CRDi") and a Garrett variable geometry turbocharger.

Kia says the CRDi boasts better than 290Nm from 1300 through to 4000rpm -- impressive oomph! It also claims the powerplant is class-leading in terms of engine output. Of Kia's chosen comparative same-segment vehicles -- Holden Captiva, Hyundai Santa Fe and Terracan and Toyota Prado -- only the Toyota betters Sorento's the power and torque output.

The base model LX CRDi is the only model in the range available with a manual transmission.  A five-speed automatic transmission with "tiptronic-style" sequential shifting is optional on the LX CRDi and standard on all other CRDi and all petrol-engined Sorentos.

The outgoing Sorento's 3.5 and 3.8-litre V6 petrol engines have been replaced by a new quad-cam 3.3-litre V6 rated at 180kW at 6000rpm. The new 24-valve engine features alloy construction and Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT).

Mated to a five-speed autobox only, Kia says the new petrol engine delivers improved refinement as well as fuel economy benefits. The outgoing 3.8 and 3.5-litre engines had official fuel figures of 12.0 and 11.9lt/100km respectively. The new 309Nm (at 4500rpm) 3.3 returns a combined economy figure of 10.9lt/100km.

According to Kia's own figures 0-100km/h times have slipped from 8.5 to 9.5sec in the changeover. The CRDi acclerates to the metric ton in 12.4sec (auto).

By way of comparison, the old 3.8 and 3.5 V6 petrols were rated at 196 and 141kW respectively.

The EX and EX-L Sorentos feature Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with traction control for "safety and confidence in all driving conditions including towing". ESP is only operative when in two-wheel drive mode.

The LX base model features a limited slip rear differential (LSD) rather than ESP. Kia says this is to suit the more off-road oriented bent of typical LX customers.

Both diesel and petrol Sorentos retain a part-time four-wheel drive system -- 4WD high or low range are selected via a dash-mounted control. Torque is a fixed 50:50 split and in good old fashioned four-wheel drive style, in two-wheel drive mode drive is to the rear wheels.

Unlike more road-oriented medium SUVs, the Kia retains a transfer case and offers a decent 2.48:1 low range reduction. High range 4WD is selectable on the move but to engage low you must stop and select neutral first.
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The Sorento is also 'old school' in terms of its body-on-frame construction. Kia says this configuration better suits the rigours of heavy-duty offroading, though with four-wheel drives as durable as Mitsubishi's Pajero moving to monocoque construction and the Sorento's cousin under the skin Terracan in run-out, never to return, it's likely the old ladder chassis' days are numbered.

The Sorento's suspension is no less conventional -- though at least it's relatively modern in concept. There are double wishbones with coil springs and gas shock absorbers up front, and a five-link rigid rear axle with coil springs and gas dampers at the rear.

Brakes are discs all round and befitting its 'real offroader' tag, Sorento gets underbody skidplates which Kia say protect the engine, gearbox and fuel tank.

PACKAGING
The five-seat two-row Sorento is a conventional SUV -- read: five-door wagon. No seven-seat option is offered at any trim level, but serial shoppers will note the added versatility offered by the two-piece tailgate.

The second row is a 60:40 spiltfold which when tilted and tumbled boosts available luggage space from around 900 litres to almost 2000. Leg, shoulder and headroom are generous in both rows.

The interior has generally been tidied and sees some materials and trim items upgraded but largely it is recognisable as the same car that was launched back in July 2004 (more here). The upgrade nets LX and EX models brushed-metal dash highlights, with the EX-L getting a black woodgrain flourish that is surprisingly effective.

Charcoal cloth trim is standard on LX and EX models with charcoal leather complete with contrasting stitching featuring on the Limited range-topper. The seats themselves are accommodating if somewhat lacking in lateral support.

Kia makes much ado about the range's "class-leading" 2800kg braked towing capacity. This is substantially more than the likes of the new Kluger, Captiva and Santa Fe (2000, 1700 and 2000kg respectively) and even beats the Prado's 2500kg limit.

In terms of key 'offroad' dimensions, the Sorento's 208mm of ground clearance is par for the course, so too its approach and departure angles of 27.9 and 26.4 degrees.

SAFETY
The Sorento gets a four-star rating in Euro NCAP crash testing and an extra star via the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) program. This is in part due to the Kia's dual structure -- a ladder frame chassis combined with what the maker terms a "box body cell".

Antilock brakes, driver and front passenger SRS airbags, active front headrests and front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters are standard across the Sorento range. As noted above the EX and EX-L models also get Electronic Stability Program with traction control. The EX-L ups the ante with side curtain airbags.

Controversially, the Sorento's ESP functions when the vehicle is in two-wheel drive mode only. Simply, the old school four-wheel drive system with conventional differentials and a 'locked' centre transfer case is incompatible with all-wheel drive ESP. To offer ESP and true all-wheel drive Kia would need to evolve the Sorento to use a brake traction control type all-wheel drive system with a viscous centre coupling and open differentials front and rear.

The ESP system is quite quickly provoked in rear-wheel drive mode and will provide a valuable safety net for many buyers. Kia should, however, make it clear to purchasers that aside from the inherent benefits of all-wheel traction, they are on their own once in four-wheel drive mode.

The Sorento's ABS brakes are not affected by the change in drive modes.

COMPETITORS
Kia Australia is looking to Sorento to make a stronger contribution to the company's overall fortunes Down Under. Director of Sales and Marketing Bill Gillespie told The Carsales Network that at around 110 units per month the outgoing Sorento had performed well in a market that has trended down in terms of petrol-powered volume.

With diesel's share of the medium SUV market up 38 per cent year-to-date July 2007, the maker is now looking for a substantial increase in its Sorento volume. Gillespie says 200 Sorentos per month is "an entirely achievable goal". He says Kia expects around 80 per cent of Sorento customers will opt for the CRDi models.

Kia nominates the Sorento's chief combatants as Holden Captiva, Hyundai Santa Fe and Terracan and the Toyota Prado.

We'd add Jeep Cherokee and another cloud on the horizon, Toyota's new Kluger (more here). Though the Toyo eschews diesel for a new 3.5-litre petrol engine, and is arguably less offroad oriented, the vehicle is very competitively priced (starting from $39,990) and (like the Captiva) offers the added flexibility of seven seats.

As an aside, in terms of assessing the current version's value for money, it's worth considering the price Kia launched the Sorento at in July 2004. At a specification level approximating the current $36,490 EX but with a four-speed auto and no ESP or traction control, the starting price for the V6 petrol then was $37,950.

ON THE ROAD
Kia says it has spent considerable time refining the Sorento and it shows... To a point.

Inside noise levels have been subdued and even after a day of beating the cars up over some pretty average roads in the mountains to the west of Bulladelah there were no trim or equipment related rattles, squeaks or moans. Indeed, the interiors of the Sorentos we drove gave every indication of been bolted together very well.

Less convincing was the dust sealing (it appears 'our' cars may have been NZ spec models sans pollen and dust filters, so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt) and the 'talents' of the chassis itself.

Up front the steering is oddly weighted, loading up in corners and then, curiously, going light as if all traction's been lost. It hadn't. And over bumpy sections on dirt and bitumen the steering rack rattle was frankly appalling.

The suspension set-up itself seemed to be too soft all over -- both springs and damping. It was all too easy for some bumps to crash right through the spring and damper combination and 'award' the chassis with a right old whack.

This is not as hard a fix as it might appear, however. We hear tell of at least one aftermarket house that has a bolt-in suspension solution that improves the Sorento's lot considerably -- on and offroad. Happily it also gives the Kia a couple of extra centimetres of ground clearance.

As noted above, it's pretty easy to provoke the ESP into action in 2WD. Select 4WD high however and suspension issues aside, the vehicle is quite capable. There's plenty of meat to the brakes and traction is limited more by the standard Kumho Road Venture rubber.

The offroad conditions we traversed were only light duty but a steep creek entry and exit or two at least gave us the opportunity to assess the low range engine braking and climbing ability. Again with some attention to the suspension, the Sorento would surprise many.

For the record we managed to puncture one of the Kumhos on a fast rocky firetrail. We can report that though the jacking points aren't obvious, it's easy enough to get the full-size spare into action using the standard equipment.

The CRDi powerplant is the raison d'etre of this update, however. And we're pleased to report that the engine itself is an impressive step up on the civilised but somewhat underwhelming petrol V6.

Though undeniably clattery on start up, the new four-cylinder turbodiesel gets quieter and also smoother as it warms. Like many diesels it's also quieter under some load and once up to the open road limit it's in its element.

Engine-related NVH is good, though we did notice the second CRDi-engined Sorento we drove (back-to-back) was appreciably smoother than the first. Also noticeable was the difference in shift pattern and quality of the two autos bolted on to the back of them (we didn't drive a manual). Our second smoother CRDi was less eager to shift and the changes themselves were slower. This may be a function of adaptive software but we doubt it.

In short, the Sorento -- especially in CRDi guise -- offers plenty of bang, equipment and amenity for the bucks. It's just a shame you also need to factor the cost of an aftermarket suspension upgrade into your value equation.