Kia Sorento

Expert Rating:

What is it?

It's the all-new mid-sized SUV crossover from Kia. At present the Sorento is a plain old SUV, but when this new version comes out in February 2010 it will officially be a crossover on account of now being available with front-wheel drive.

And that means Kia is trying to tap into the lucrative urban family SUV market, which was essentially created when Nissan released the Qashqai. The new Sorento really is different to the current car too, having been re-drawn from the ground up, including a totally new, more modern chassis. It's available in both five- and seven-seat forms, which has the advantage of leaving the former version with a gargantuan boot. And being a Kia, it shouldn't be too expensive to buy and run. It's all sounding very promising...

Is it any good?

Let's start by saying it's much better than the current car, although it's still more of a gamble than it may seem at first. Kia has shifted 900,000 Sorentos to date, largely on account of the fact it's really good off-road and pretty well priced. A car for farmers and photographers, basically, rather than image conscious suburban families. So, there's a chance it could alienate its strong existing customer base while not quite hitting the realms of credibility required to make it as a city dwelling SUV.

It is good, though. But not brilliant. Kia has certainly tried hard to make it compete with the best, ditching the current car's old-school body-on-frame chassis and replacing it with a monocoque that sets the foundations for a much better car. It's stronger and lighter which makes the Sorento safer, more fuel efficient and more dynamic to start with. Add to that a new 2.2-litre diesel engine, new six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes and a much-improved interior, and the newcomer has all the right ingredients.

Sadly, they all come together to produce something rather bland. Not bad, but a bit, well, beans on toast. We drove a four-wheel drive version (front-wheel drive is standard) powered by the 194bhp diesel and linked to the new auto 'box. The engine and gearbox combo certainly do the trick, with the 'box shifting down quickly when a burst of acceleration is required, yet always settling into an appropriate gear for cruising. There's plenty of torque too (322lb.ft from just 1,800rpm), so despite its bulkiness it feels sprightly. A 2.4-litre petrol will be available at launch, though it will account for a slim proportion of sales.

And the Sorento is comfortable, mostly, with a good driving position and a ride that, although surprisingly firm and prone to rattling over harsher surfaces, is largely composed - a big improvement over the current model. However, at motorway speeds there's a cacophony of wind and road noise, hampering its cruising ability. But the most disappointing thing is the quality of the plastics. Every surface is fashioned from the type of hard stuff usually consigned to the very bottom levels of a cabin (i.e. the places that are rarely touched). Even against Kia's own considerably cheaper cee'd, they're below par.

Should I call the bank manager?

Kia hasn't confirmed prices and exact specification yet because it could be up to six months before the Sorento hits UK showrooms, but we're reliably informed that prices will remain very similar to the outgoing car's. Equipment will be fairly comprehensive too, with base models getting alloy wheels, air conditioning, six airbags as standard and a new Downhill Brake Control system that helps get the car down steep off-road inclines safely.

To sweeten the deal for safety conscious family buyers, it has already had its five-star Euro NCAP rating confirmed, thanks partly to achieving a very favourable child occupant protection score. Add that to Kia's seven-year warranty and running costs not unreasonable for a seven-seat SUV (171g/km and 43.5mpg for a front-wheel drive version), and it's a compelling choice.

Summary

The Sorento is an appealing package, but a nonetheless flawed one that you'll probably buy mostly for financial reasons ahead of similar cars. Harsh ride and poor plastics aside, it drives well enough on normal roads and is certainly good enough to consider. We can't comment on its off-road abilities for the time being, but Kia assures us it's improved in that respect too. If it's priced as reasonably as Kia suggests it will be, it promises to be a good alternative to the handful of urban crossovers it's made to mix with - if not at the top of the tree. We'll report further when we get it on UK roads.

Mark Nichol