2004 Kia Sorento Reviews

Ewan Kennedy reviews the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 as a used buy.

A budget alternative to the established 4WD brands, the Sorento has most of their features. The big bonus is it leaves the buyer enough change to be well on the way towards putting a new Kia Rio runabout in the garage for other family members.The 4WD market segment is in boom mode, with the iconic brands building sales on the back of a long history of development.While Kia is a recent addition to the market, its compact Sportage has earned a good reputation.The Korean company has had several decades of experience building a 4WD workhorse for military application in the Asian subcontinent, so it knows what it's doing. There's nothing workhorse-like in the Sorento, though.Especially in the optional metallic silver paint, it has a crisp Euro look. From waist height down, the body flares over its stylish alloy wheels in a muscular stance. The 3.5-litre V6 engine gives the Sorento almost car-like acceleration, although it doesn't quite have the power and torque of some of the big 4WDs from Japan. Nonetheless, its 145kW of power at 5500rpm and 295Nm of torque at 3000rpm pulls its 2027kg kerb weight along briskly.Towing capacity of 2300kg (braked) compares well with many of its more expensive rivals.Visibility from the driver's seat is good. The clutch, power-steering and gear change (five-speed manual) operation are light and clean. A simple knob to the right of the steering wheel takes the Sorento from rear-wheel-drive to four. The gearbox has high and low ratio. High can be selected "on the fly" up to 80km/h. Low ratio also locks the diffs.You'd expect some compromises in a large 4WD costing $35,950, but the Sorento has just one. Its suspension feels a generation behind most of its more expensive rivals. With 10,000km up, the test vehicle exhibited little bodyroll under extreme cornering. Of concern was the way the suspension tackled undulations on bitumen and corrugations on dirt roads. The force of the bumps was transmitted through the chassis, rather than being absorbed by the suspension. The set-up is coil springs all-round, double wishbones up front and a five-link rigid rear axle. Perhaps the spring and shock rates need revising.Although handling is fine on sealed roads, it feels nervous at speed on rough roads in the way many family 4WDs did 10 years ago. Back then, some buyers were prepared to spend extra at aftermarket suspension specialists sorting this out. Today it's expected the factory will do it.For everyday use, the Sorento is as good as anything around, despite fighting with the big boys in a league above its price range.There is excellent headroom in the front and three adults fit comfortably in the rear. Those passengers are cosseted in airconditioning, have an eight-speaker CD system to listen to, adjustable headrests, plenty of cupholders and storage pockets, along with power sockets for laptops, phone chargers or DVD player.Up front, the driver has cruise control, fog lights, heated rear-view mirrors, full instrumentation including compass, body-angle-lean and altitude gauge, remote-operated rear window for easy cargo access, power windows and keyless entry.A large storage box under the front passenger seat, split-foldable rear seats, rear cargo cover and net, flip-up tailgate window and a roof rack with adjustable cross-spars gives many loading options. Kia claims 900 litres of rear storage expands to 1960 litres with the rear seats folded.Safety features include ABS brakes with ventilated discs and front airbags. The Sorento has a ladder chassis but crumple zones are built into the body and the doors have impact beams.For the money, the Kia Sorento offers a lot. Build quality is good, comfort excellent, performance adequate for most drivers and it looks classy.Drive one and you may find the Sorento is all you need in an all-rounder off-roader.

Survival of the fittest and a natural process of subsequent generations being superior to their forebears are two clauses which suit the 4WD to a tee.Ever since the Land Rover pioneers, the brothers Wilkes, decided in the mid-1940s on a multi-purpose, all-wheel drive to bring relief to English farmers, there's a new species bred each year.One of the latest, however, takes a slight step backwards.Introduced as an automatic, the Kia Sorento now gets a clutch and five cogs beneath the floor to make us work a bit harder, and pay a little less. In fact, $2000 less.Given that the range of automatic 4WDs on the market is pretty damn good, the release of a manual transmission model seems pointless.But Kia insists some of you – not me – like manuals.However, I could be lured to the other side because the Sorento's clutch is light and the gear action smooth and positive. The 3.5-litre V6 is naturally torquey, so the vehicle is as easy to drive as some passenger cars.I'm a fan of a manual gearbox in a 4WD when climbing and descending – whether it be gravel-strewn hills, shale mountains or sand dunes.The manual can be held in a low gear to use engine braking when descending.In comparison, some autos let the engine run amok and it requires a lot of delicate braking to safely slow the vehicle.But on the beach and for general off-roading an auto takes the cake.I'd agree that a manual gearbox is also better for towing and, to split hairs, is likely to out-accelerate its automatic counterpart.Kia – and Hyundai – both use an electronic transfer case. It's controlled by a twist knob on the right side of the steering wheel and allows the driver to simply dial up the drive.Just hit the clutch and the switch from 2WD to 4WD High can be taken at up to 80km/h.For 4WD Low the vehicle has to be stationary – yet it's just as painless.This system is also used by Volkswagen and Nissan and will soon be used by other makers, including Suzuki.Other than the transmission swap, there's not much difference between this and the auto.There's not a lot – at least outwardly – that's wrong with the Sorento.It shares many mechanical components with the Hyundai Terracan, yet is a better vehicle. It looks sharper, sits higher and has a less fussy interior.On the road it has a well-sorted suspension that doesn't shiver on its tyres at low speeds.It works well in the dirt as well. But despite having a transfer case and full ladder chassis, the suspension has relatively small travel, so on rutted tracks it can get caught with its wheels in the air.Back on the bitumen, the Sorento will crank up to the speed limit with ease, sitting on 100km/h at modest engine revs in fifth gear, and return a reasonable fuel economy for a range of about 600km.It sits well on the road though its height and broad flanks easily capture side winds.The steering is light and while there's a lot of turns lock-to-lock, the turning circle is brilliant to make it an easy machine to punt around the city.Comfort rates high, with a supple suspension and seats which are cushy if not a little flat and unsupportive on the cushion.The Sorento even gets decent features such as CD player, electric windows and mirrors, airconditioning, two airbags, lots of Tupperware on the sides and big alloy wheels.Rear seats fold flat for storage, there's a handy curtain over the rear cargo area, lap/sash seatbelts all around and a couple of cup-holders in the back for kiddies.It's a very good all-round vehicle and the price is unbeatable. So what's the hitch?Well, now that Kia has got a good-looking product, it's about time it turned its attention to quality.There's been a few Kia products with minor hiccups that need to be addressed at the factory.Other than that, I rate the Sorento very highly and I suspect that the new Sportage will get similarly high reviews.

The chiselled Kia off roader has a sharp purchase price, strong engine and medium off road ability. Oh, and did I mention it's also well equipped.Earlier this year, the range was augmented with a five speed manual version supplementing the four speed auto.It's a good thing, retailing for $35,950.The manual is pretty well exactly the same as the auto except for the gearbox.It's powered by a 3.5-litre, V6 engine with 145 kW/295Nm.Sorento is built on a separate ladder chassis unlike the majority of so called "soft road" vehicles that use car-style monocoque chassis. A ladder chassis is favoured for heavy duty 4WDs.A shift on the fly 4WD system is standard with a full low ratio gearbox as well as high range 4WD and 2WD. Drive mode is selected by turning a knob on the dash. Underbody protection is provided for off road excursions.The extensive standard equipment includes alloy wheels, airconditioning and cruise control, power windows, locks and mirrors, CD player, cupholders front and rear, power points front and rear, twin airbags, digital temperature, compass and altimeter, 60/40 split fold rear seats, opening rear window and underfloor security storage area.Happily, Sorento's designers were mindful of the need for proper ventilation in a vehicle bound for Australia. A host of vents ensures comfort at all times.Suspension is by double wishbones up front and a five link system down the back. It is biased towards comfort and could do with a little firming up for sealed road work – at the expense of off road comfort. The four wheel disc brakes deliver strong stopping power thanks in part to twin piston calipers up front.Vents are also positioned under the front seats to cool rear seat passengers.The safety package includes ABS and dual front air bags that work in league with pre-tensioning front seat belts.The manual is handy to use and performance is brisk for such a weighty (1966kg) vehicle. It's competent off road too but likes a drink if you drive it hard.