Kia SORENTO
Women's view
(2005-01-04)
As a compact 4x4 that isnt well compact, Kias Sorento makes a lot of sense. June Neary tries it.
Ive always been quite attracted by those compact 4x4s. You know, the type of
Land Rover Freelander/
Toyota RAV4/
Honda CRV machines you see clogging up the school run. I even went to test drive one once and discovered the Achilles heel that many families come across: space. Ever tried to sit three adults in the back of one of these things over a long journey? I have and I can tell you, based on the disgruntled comments from my passengers, that its not a pleasant experience. To solve the problem, its necessary to buy one of those larger family-sized 4x4s of the Land Rover Discovery ilk. The problem is that theyre up in the £25,000-£30,000 bracket.
I dont want to buy used with something as complicated as a 4x4, so where does that leave me? Looking for a compact 4x4 with the space of something larger. Fortunately one exists and Ive been checking it out this week.
Kia Sorento has been well received as a spacious yet inexpensive and stylish addition to the Freelander/RAV4/CRV ranks. Will it suit me? Id say that for around £19,000, it cant go far wrong.
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Its a
Kia, so I was expecting an interior full of cheap grey plastic and chintzy trim. Instead, I found soft touch materials and a quality feel. Only the slightly cheesy veneer trim fitted to some luxury models can be called into question and even then, the clean overall feel of the rest of the cabin design redeems it. As already suggested, rear
seat space is far better than youll find inside other comparably priced cars in this class.
Up front, my other half and I both enjoyed the high up driving position which gives a super view of the road (as well as enabling you to look down on other road users...).
Lets get this straight: this is not the best car in its class to drive. But then you dont buy a 4x4 if what you want is a sportscar or a GTi. Beneath this Kias well-executed lines lies something of a hardcore philosophy. Rather than pretend to build a 4x4 a la
Honda CRV, the Koreans have decided to try and do the job properly, sticking in a ladder-framed separate chassis and a solid rear axle instead of independent rear suspension.
I say try because I still managed to get the thing stuck ridiculously easily off road due to the cars lack, so I was told, of a locking differential. Still, the Sorento makes a better fist of the muddy stuff than a
Land Rover Freelander or a
Nissan X-Trail: the flip side is that it cant hope to rival their on-road nimbleness. Two engines are offered - a 192bhp 3.5-litre V6 petrol range-topper and one that may be more pertinent to UK buyers, the 2.5-litre CRD common-rail diesel.
I tried the diesel and wasnt knocked sideways by the performance. Having said that, any 138bhp engine that has to propel something the size of a Sorento isnt going to generate headline-grabbing performance figures and this one is no exception. Still, you do get an average of 36.2mpg with a manual gearbox or 33.
6mpg in H-Matic automatic form. Of the two gearboxes, go for the automatic rather than the clunky manual unit. Opt for the V6 and the auto is standard.
Equipment levels are good, with all models being fitted with anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, twin front and side airbags, air conditioning, electric windows and self-levelling rear suspension. As well as a limited slip differential, there are neatly integrated front fog lamps, some respectable alloy wheel designs and blade-profile roof rails. Top end models feature some quality electronic options such as in-car DVD and satellite navigation. Two different 4x4 systems are offered, depending on which of the three trim levels are chosen.
Upspec models get a full-time all-wheel drive system whilst budget models feature a system whereby drive to the front wheels can be selected manually. Either way both have a proper low ratio gearset for serious off-roading. All this for just under £19,000 is pretty impressive unless you compare Suzukis Grand Vitara V6 which costs about the same. Equally so is the range of accessories on offer at local dealers.
Easily, though I might tire of the rather ponderous handling and leisurely performance. As a compact 4x4 that gets the job done with stylish space however, the Sorento hits the mark.
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