This year should be remembered as the year Kia became ambitious. In the last 12 months they’ve introduced three new cars in major segments, each of them more impressive than the last.
The Soul is a combative, attentiongrabbing little hatchback with a lot to say for itself when it comes to practicality.
The Cerato is a handsomely styled sedan that ticks all the right boxes for durability. However, as refreshing as both of these Kias were to look at, they were both disappointing to drive.
A bit like being jettisoned out at sea in a rubber dingy — very soon into the experience you realise you’d have been better off going for any other floatation device.
And that for me showed up Kia’s recent design-driven ambitions. Because let’s be honest here, Kias have always been middle-classed — a big box of Glen tea next to the little sachets of Earl Grey.
And that’s no bad thing. In the way the world needs carbon fibre BMW M3s and the people who drive them, it also needs people who don’t care one bit about driving and therefore find themselves in a Kia dealership.
Kia has been able to get away with products that their customers didn’t care to question. But with fresh ambition must come heightened scrutiny. Enter Kia’s new Sorento, volume segment SUV, or ‘urban highline cruiser”, as is Kia’s wont to ornately label things.
And let me tell you, it’s an absolute phenomenon. Without a doubt, the Sorento is the best car Kia has ever made.
The fact that the Sorento is a brilliantly styled car goes without saying. The design shows Kia’s new selfconfidence, and despite my scepticism it shows how far the brand has come over the past year.
The styling is bang-on for a soft roading SUV, or any SUV really. Most soft-roaders have an air of durability, simplicity and value-for-money to them whereas this Kia is just downright desirable.
Kia’s American design team was responsible for the Sorento and the robust, American look it carries off is hard to miss. The two engines in the Sorento range are the 3.5-litre petrol V6 (arriving next year) and the 2.2-litre, R-family, turbo diesel. And the new, all aluminium, high pressure, direct injection, diesel engine appears to be a little gem.
Listen to these figures: 146kW and 436Nm, Euro4 compliant, 171g of CO2 per km and 6.5-litres per 100km. The Sorento gets to 100kph in less then 10 seconds and has a top speed of 190kph.
For the most part the Sorento feels impressive on road — except for the typically minute torque band associated with any diesel engine, that is.
Maximum torque runs from only 1 800rpm to 2 500rpm, so flooring it feels a bit like when your little brother used to push you in a trolley around the mall carpark.
After a brief bout of violent enthusiasm, you’re left shouting ‘Faster, faster!” Don’t get me wrong, it’s a brilliant engine that is more than capable of getting the job done.
It puts me in mind of VW’s 1.4-litre petrol TSI, but owners will have to adapt to the foibles inherent to smaller engines that have been made to produce bigger power. Those wanting longer legs on the open road should wait for the petrol model.
The diesel Sorento comes in both a sixspeed manual or automatic and either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
The system splits torque 50/50 front and rear, but downhill brake control and hill start assist control is standard throughout the range.
The seven-seater option in the diesel does come at a premium, but also includes tweaks such as bigger wheels, a selflevelling suspension system and a reverse camera.
The petrol Sorento is only available as a seven-seater with four-wheel drive.
I believe, for the money, this is the best soft-road SUV on the market at the moment. It’s something new and enthusiastic in a sector filled with products that are much of a muchness.
Pricing for the Kia Sorento ranges from R339 995 to R399 995 and includes a five-year/100 000km service, and warranty.