The Kluger and Sorento are tough-looking SUVs, but to me the Toyota appears relatively simple and conservative in an almost ‘government issue’ way. The Kia is far more extravagant and modern in its styling, inside and out.
Let’s take a closer look at the Kluger first.
The Kluger is about as beautiful as its name, which isn’t very. Still, while it doesn’t have the futuristic face of the Kia Sorento it does look tough and serious.
Having spent time driving it in the suburbs where off-road utes rule, I can tell you it commanded a bit of respect even while I was blocking an entire street with my eleventy-point turn.
The Kluger looks like a larger version of the RAV4 with its moustache-like grille and blade headlights. The Kluger isn’t as angular as its mid-sized sibling and you can see the curves in the rear haunches which wrap around to the tailgate.
The GX is the entry-grade and above that is the GXL – they have 18-inch alloy wheels, but only the top-of-the-range Grande has 20-inch rims and they come with chrome-effect paint, which might be OTT for some.
The cabin is more functional than fashionable with a dashboard dominated by what appears to be one of those big pizza paddles which holds the media screen and climate control dials.
The GX has black cloth-trimmed seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever, the GXL has synthetic leather seats, and the Grande has actual leather upholstery.
There are soft-touch surfaces with stitching, but all grades still have hard plastics galore and styling which lacks the premium look of some rivals.
There are nine paint colours to choose from: 'Graphite metallic', 'Atomic Rush Red mica', 'Liquorice Brown mica', 'Saturn Blue metallic', 'Galena Blue metallic', 'Crystal pearl', 'Silver Storm metallic' and 'Eclipse Black.'
The Kluger’s dimensions show it to be 4966mm end-to-end, 1930mm across and 1755mm tall.
The Sorento is about 150mm less in length at 4810mm long, 30mm narrower at 1900mm wide, and 55mm shorter in height at 1700mm tall.
And while the new Kluger looks a lot like the old version, the new-generation Sorento looks nothing like the last one… n-o-t-h-i-n-g like the last one.
Well, apart from the rear, side window which has the same angle to it, which is an intentional nod to the previous model.
The outgoing version was premium and friendly-looking, but its proportions seem bloated compared to the muscular, angular, new-generation Sorento.
It appears to have had an attitude change, too. Sure, this is a family SUV but there are muscle car traits from the Camaro-style headlights flanking that cliff face of a grille, to the Mustang-esque tail-lights, with everything in between filled with sharp edges.
The cabin is even more striking with its cheese-grater textures in the dash and doors, the large centre console with chrome trim and rotary shifter.
The 10.25-inch media display, standard on the Sport grade and above, is the most interesting I’ve seen on any car I’ve tested.
The level of detail, thought, and styling which has gone into it is obvious with its neon people, fonts and icons, old-school bulb effect for radio frequencies, and even the ‘street light’ mode for the navigation is intriguing. At the same time, it’s also one of the easiest to use systems I’ve encountered.
The top-grade GT-Line steps up the premium look with its fully-digital instrument cluster and Nappa leather seats.
The materials feel high quality, while the fit and finish is superb.
There are seven colours to pick from but only 'Clear White' doesn’t demand the $695 cost of the rest, which include, 'Silky Silver', 'Steel Grey', 'Mineral Blue', 'Aurora Black', 'Gravity Blue' and 'Snow White Pearl.'
Score out of 5
Kluger | Sorento |
3 | 4.5 |