Kia Sorento S diesel 2021 Review

Kia doesn’t appear to have held anything back with the fourth-generation Kia Sorento.

Indeed, the Korean car-maker says its new entry into the large SUV segment is its “most high-tech car ever”.

Considering the Sorento’s roots as a pretty basic, ladder-frame dual-range off-roader, a lot of ground has been covered since the first Kia Sorento was launched locally in 2002.

Taking in all that the sizeable new SUV comprises is not done with a quick glance at the specifications, or even giving it a thorough poring-over in the metal.

Based on Kia’s new, larger N3 SUV platform, the latest Sorento is bigger but lighter, easier to drive but more high-tech, rides more comfortably yet handles better and is faster, but cleaner and more economical.

New drivetrains include an alloy-block 2.2-litre ‘Smartstream’ diesel in place of its cast-iron predecessor and a new dual-clutch gearbox replacing a conventional automatic.

Safety tech runs to a swag of newly-adopted technology including a front centre airbag, autonomous braking that detects oncoming traffic when making a turn at an intersection and ‘Safe Exit’ rear doors that are prevented from opening if a hazard is approaching from behind.

There’s also protection against secondary collisions via post-airbag deployment of multi-collision braking and even Remote Smart Parking, which enables the vehicle to be moved, by remote control, out of a parking spot without the operator actually being on board.

There’s little surprise that Kia has hiked prices to reflect the investment in new technology: The base Sorento, the front-drive V6 petrol-engined S, starts at $45,850 (or $46,990 drive-away) and the flagship GT-Line AWD diesel is $63,070 – both before on-road costs.

The AWD Kia Sorento S diesel reviewed here costs $48,850 before on-road costs, which tends to lift it a bit above its similarly-specced, $48,200 AWD diesel Hyundai Santa Fe cousin (with which it’s currently neck-to-neck in sales) and the petrol-only Mazda CX-9 AWD ($49,990 plus ORCs).

Apart from the fact that sat-nav isn’t factored-in, you’d hardly argue the sticker price isn’t competitive.

Standard safety features include many of those mentioned earlier, plus adaptive cruise control, an 8.0-inch colour touch-screen in the centre of the dash along with 4.2-inch colour digital instrument cluster and an MP3-compatible six-speaker sound system with DAB digital radio.

There are also air-vents for mid-row passengers, power-folding rear-view mirrors, roof rails, rain-sensing wipers, auto up/down power windows throughout, three USB chargers, two 12-volt power outlets and no less than eight cup holders and four bottle holders.

The Sorento S also gets 17-inch alloy wheels including a full-size spare under the boot floor – something not common in the large SUV class.

The more time you spend in the new Kia Sorento, the more hooked you become.

The all-new diesel fires up almost instantaneously, even on cold mornings, and is so smooth and quiet you would barely think it’s a four-cylinder.

Though the 1.9-tonne Sorento is hardly a lightweight, it is on par with competitors such as the previously-mentioned CX-9 and Santa Fe, and is down about 80kg on its predecessor.

This helps the 2.2-litre diesel no end. It works in with the more-efficient eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox to provide plenty of thrust when you want it.

The all-important 440Nm of torque comes in at 1750rpm, is maintained to 2750rpm and helps bridge the gap to the engine’s 148kW maximum, which is produced at a leisurely 3800rpm.

Diesels are also aided by a three-mode driveline that can be set to optimise traction in snow, mud or sand.

The alloy-block diesel is hushed and smooth, to the point of being virtually undetectable when you’re under way. It’s obviously fuel-efficient and feels so relaxed you’re not surprised at the quoted consumption of 6.1L/100km.

In fact, we actually managed to beat this on test, with our average 5.6L/100km consumption pointing to a cruising range – even though the fuel tank’s size has dropped from 71 litres to 67 litres – of better than 1000km. Pretty good for a bluff, near-two-tonne SUV.

This lightness of being continues through to the way the Sorento steers: Nicely-weighted and quick, with 2.6 turns required to go from lock to lock, the steering contributes to a handy responsiveness that is testament to the Sorento’s locally-tuned MacPherson strut front, double-wishbone rear independent suspension.

The S variant’s conservative 235/64 rubber aids the suppleness of the ride too, absorbing most of the small, sharp impacts that lower-profile tyres find tricky to deal with.

All this combines with a stretched wheelbase and torsionally-stronger body to produce ride quality that leans more towards cushy than firm, and a cabin that is nicely quiet and unruffled over most types of surfaces.

Most makers of large SUVs undoubtedly like to think of their vehicles as feeling small from behind the wheel: Another thing Kia appears to have nailed with the new Sorento.

A word on the Sorento’s autonomous driving technology: With its combination of Kia’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) combining autonomous emergency braking, radar/camera-informed adaptive cruise control that works a treat with lane-centring and other smart technology mentioned earlier, the Sorento feels savvy, alert and suitably reactive to what’s happening in the world outside.

There’s no question that the Kia Sorento is eminently suited to families, even quite large families.

It slots in, size-wise, somewhere between seven-seaters such as the super-sized CX-9 and the more compact Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.

Accommodation is exceedingly generous: Even adults can travel in the third-row seats – though the enjoyment decreases depending on kilometres travelled – and the maximum luggage-carrying capacity is enormous with the total, all seats-folded volume measuring no less than 2011 litres.

In five-seat mode, the boot is an also-generous 616 litres (mind you, the Sorento starts with just 187 litres available behind the third-row seat if the total passenger-carrying abilities are being employed).

It’s all pretty easy to use too: Access to the rearmost row involves little more than activating the latch atop the centre-row seatback, after which the seat slides forward to provide the space for manipulating into place legs, feet and, for adults, spinal columns.

The seats feel big, well-padded and there’s legroom aplenty, especially in the first and second rows, with heaps of shoulder and headroom everywhere except the third row seat, where the cushions begin to feel a bit skimpy and taller adults find themselves staring straight at their knees.

There’s also the oddments storage normally expected of a big SUV with a large, lidded two-level centre console and numerous nooks and crannies scattered around the interior, including the doors.

The Sorento S doesn’t get the rotary gear-shifter, power seats, leather trim or climate-control that are standard further up the model range but the lack of these, what with adequate soft-touch padding and durable-seeming materials throughout, don’t detract greatly from the ambience of the Sorento S.

The Kia Sorento may have had humble beginnings but over the years it has morphed into a genuinely-impressive large SUV that comfortably rubs shoulders with the segment’s best.

With its combination of a lusty diesel powerplant, efficient dual-clutch gearbox, compliant ride, responsive handling and good all-round visibility the Sorento is resoundingly driver-friendly.

It’s good for the family too, with its spaciousness, seat comfort, plenty of cabin amenities and – whether you are travelling up front, in the middle or even at the back – room to move.

On top of this is the assurance of Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, seven years of capped-price serving and – provided you have your servicing done at an authorised Kia dealer – regular extensions of the roadside assistance program over a period of up to eight years.

As we said, Kia’s new Sorento definitely nails it.

How much does the 2021 Kia Sorento S diesel cost?
Price: $48,850 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 148kW/440Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.1/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 159g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)