Kia Sorento 2010 review

features performance versatility

tow rating foot park brake

Kia was heading in the right direction with an affordable, durable (in a slightly backyard kind of way) 4WD wagon that made up for Tonka toy styling with stuff that the big LandCruisers got - like a low-range gearbox, full ladder frame chassis and high ground clearance. It was, to families who wanted to inhale the eucalyptus fragrance of adventure, a well-priced, offroad-capable and city and family-friendly car.

And the Kia Sorento - one ‘r’ because Toyota licensed the other ‘r’ in its Avalon Sorrento limited-edition special - did quite well on the sales charts. That was, until the truth came out about what these families actually did with their dirt-capable wagon on weekends. 'Sod all'... because the parents were too busy moving children from one sports oval to the next and fighting with the rest of town for supermarket shopping bays. Which made Kia, and all of its rivals, figure that adding all the off-roady bits was all a bit pointless. So the carmakers simply took the bits back.

Now its Sorento wagon comes with seven-seat room for the kids and their sports gear for Saturdays and a tall riding stance to locate a parking bay in a crowded shopping complex. The suspension is more compliant and the floor level is lower, so you don't show too much leg while boarding. The girls will also appreciate this feature. It's quieter, easier to drive, has better ergonomics, looks a lot - a real lot, in fact – better.

Drivetrain

Thanks to sharing engine development with its parent Hyundai, now comes with an excellent turbo-diesel engine and delightful six-speed automatic transmission. This 2.2-litre R-Series four-cylinder drank an average of 8.7 litres/100km on its predominantly city-suburbs route which - given its size and capacity for load - was pretty good. Even better was its verve. Strong from idle to give it a push away from the lights, it breathed second wind at about 2000rpm for a healthy kick that really dazzled neighbouring traffic.

The engine is also remarkably quiet and this, together with its elastic power delivery and its choice of six cogs, made it surprisingly smooth and almost unassuming. That said, the engine - which is set transverse with a T-drive for the prop to head to the back wheels - isn't just made for the city streets. It cruises without fuss and the only complaint is that it can occasionally be uncomfortable in its top gear and doesn't easily select a lower cog to ease its pain. It does, however, have sequential shift so individual gears can be locked. You can go over firm sand, it'll run a beach or two and enjoys gravel, but rock hopping isn't its bag. So it's not a big adventure machine but it's still a great package.

Driving

The rest of the chassis works without complaint. I was pleasantly surprised with the steering that has, thanks to some reworking, lost a lot of its disconcerting vagueness and lifeless feel. It's no BMW now, but it's a heck of a lot better than before. The third row of two individual seats lifts neatly from the cargo floor and will accommodate two adults for short journeys. Though it lacks windows back there, it does get big airconditioning vents (as does the centre row) with its own fan speed dial, plus a storage bin and cupholders.

There's more room in the centre seat which adds split, fold and tumble modes plus a recline function for sleepyheads. Parents will appreciate the lower floor height if they're loading babies or toddlers. Most of the niceties mentioned here about the Sorento is thanks to its upmarket Platinum trim level. You can buy a Sorento for $36,490 and it's pretty complete. The Platinum costs $48,990 and while that's a lot of money, it's actually better value than most of its peers.

Amongst the Platinum's goodies are two sunroofs - well, a tilt glass with shade-cloth slide at the front and the shade-cloth cove for the rear unit. Kids love it, though, because of the night-sky outlook and airy daytime feel. The audio accepts iPod, other auxiliary appliances and a USB stick. The reverse camera is a beauty with its screen within the rear vision mirror - clever - and the keyless start has a port within the centre console to recharge the key fob.