Owner review: 2012 Kia Sorento Platinum Global Circuit

motoring.com.au tests hundreds of cars each year. Most of time we ‘live’ with the cars for a short period – perhaps up to 14 days. Some tests are longer, but even with our long term tests, we can only deliver a snapshot of the ownership experience.

Owners are the true judges of how cars perform, whether to live with they are good, bad or just plain ugly. So here’s your chance to have your say – and help your fellow car buyers and owners!

To kick off we’ve polled members of the wider motoring.com.au/carsales.com.au 'family' and asked them questions on their own cars and the ownership and purchasing process. We’ll publish more of these in coming weeks and encourage you to have your say – direct to motoring or via the Owner Review pages at carsales.com.au.

This week it’s Brett W and his 2012 Kia Sorento

Mike Sinclair
Editor-in-Chief

I am: Brett W

I live in: Berwick, Victoria

My car: 2012 Kia Sorento Platinum Global Circuit

I bought it in: 2013

I rate it as: 4/5

I chose it because: "We'd been looking for about 12 months. I have three teenage boys and we wanted something we could use as an occasional seven seater – picking up mates after school, occasionally taking the in-laws away with us, day trips and so on.

"We looked at the Ford Territory, Toyota Kluger and Mitsubishi Outlander. We hadn't really looked at the Kia or the Hyundai Santa Fe at that stage. In fact my wife had settled on the idea of a Titanium-spec Territory.

"When we finally got to the threshold of wanting to purchase, we went and looked at a Territory and my wife hated the third-row seating. The depth between the seat and the floor was so shallow your knees were rubbing against your chin when you were sitting in it.

"So we went down the road and had a look at the Kia, where we were pleasantly surprised with the third-row seating. It gave you the extra depth – you could even have an adult in there for a short trip in reasonable comfort.

"We also looked at the Hyundai – at that stage the new model had come out and we hated the way the rear window on the third-row swept up. We put the kids in the back seat and they couldn't see out the window. It was just too claustrophobic.

"But they could actually see out the back of the Kia. That's what sealed the deal.

"At the time we first looked at the Sorento they (the dealership) couldn't quite come to the party with the price we wanted, so we walked away.

"When the run-out model came along, we able to get a much more suitable deal."

The good: "It was exactly the model we wanted: The 'Global Circuit Limited Edition' turbo-diesel top-of-the-line model with all the bells and whistles – sat-nav, nudge-bar, side steps, tow pack, roof bars and so on.

"It's been fantastic as a people and luggage-hauler. We often tow a small trailer full of gear and have the back of the Sorento packed to the gunwales with camping equipment. It's amazing what you can cram into the back. And you wouldn't know the trailer was there.

"We've now got a roof pod that we sometimes use instead of the trailer. With that we can carry three teenage boys and two adults while piled up with equipment for camping.

"Typically, for long distance driving, we've found that it's quite comfortable. But the passenger seat doesn't have the same range of adjustment as the driver's, and the rear seats are not really great for sleeping in.

"A lot of our driving is at night so we share the driving – sometimes I'll hop in the back and have a kip with one of the kids in the front to keep my wife company."

The not so good: "We have had a couple of warranty issues.

"We had a problem on one trip when the engine fault light came on. We looked in the service book and it suggested it should be okay to keep driving, so we managed to get it home driving normally and booked into the dealership.

"Two days later, when we got to the dealership, the light had gone out. They couldn't find anything wrong with it so they sent us away.

"A little while later it came back on again and the same thing happened.

"Eventually it (the light) came back on and the diagnostic codes came up. It turned out one of the components in the turbo system had failed and it was going to need a new turbo. That was a bit worrying, but because it was under warranty – and it still is – there was no cost to us.

"They fitted the new turbo and we went off, but the light came back on again.

"Then they had another look at it and discovered the intercooler was damaged as a result of the turbo issues. In the end it took about five trips back to the dealer to fix the turbo, then the intercooler, before the issue was resolved.

"At the same time we reported a squeak from the passenger's seat every time we went around a corner. They looked at that and found the seat base was squeaking but, as it couldn't be adjusted, it needed to be replaced.

"Other than that, the car has been very reliable. There were a couple of niggly fit issues at the start when they fitted the nudge bar as part of the pack.

"One thing I've noticed is that over a few bumps you get a bit of a wallowing in the suspension, whether loaded or not. The ride is comfy, but from a handling perspective it doesn't settle very quickly after a big bump.

"And I've now noticed the front sunroof – this model has the twin sunroofs –squeaks a little bit when it's closed. It could be it just needs lubricating.

"The only other criticism I can think of – and it's probably due to the vehicle being built to a price – is that it took quite a while to get sat-nav updates. Kia promised updates every six months but it took about two years to get our first.

"Bluetooth generally works alright, although sometimes there's a bit of trouble pairing with my phone – my wife's is okay.

"Some of the plastics are hard and a bit scratch-prone. In the loading bay for example there are a few scratches – especially with the stuff we load into it. I can live with that because we didn't pay as much as some other cars."

The dealer experience:
"It had about 1000km on the clock when we bought it. It was the service manager's car and we got a really good deal.

"I think there was a bit of incompetency from the dealership itself, as after they ordered a new seat base it turned out to be the wrong one. They booked us in a couple of times to get that right."

The summary:
"We have used it an awful lot. We've put 75,000km on it in just over two years – well over the usual mileage.

"My wife and I are both heavily involved in the Scout association as adventure activity leaders. We go away probably every month, doing 1000km or so in a weekend.

"It's my wife's daily driver but it's the family car on the weekends.

"Running costs have been good. Cruising on a long trip we once got into the low sevens to high sixes (L/100km) towing a trailer and loaded full of kids as well. It's a two-tonne SUV, so we were quite impressed with that.

"The fixed-price servicing has been generally good – most people are probably doing only one service every year, but with our mileage we've done a few services."

About the Kia Sorento:
The Kia Sorento came to Australia in 2003 as a Nissan Pathfinder-style four-door SUV with full-chassis, dual-range transmission off-road capability.

It was powered by a 145kW/295Nm 3.5-litre petrol V6 and was offered with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.

Like others of its ilk, the Sorento softened over the years to morph into a large, road-oriented SUV offering a 199kW/318Nm 3.3-litre petrol V6 or a 147kW/441Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

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