Kia Sorento

By Mark Nichol

September 2009

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £19,209 to £27,556

Nip and tuck is all the Cee’d hatchback needed. But Kia has taken a more radical approach with its Sorento, in an attempt to transform it from a utilitarian 4x4 into a more luxurious SUV.

For starters, it’s now much lighter, thanks to an all-new chassis. This combines with a more frugal 2.2-litre CRDi diesel to give lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Buyers also get the option of a 2.4-litre petrol-engined variant.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Kia Sorento

Our oil-burner was mated to a new six-speed auto box, which transferred power to all four wheels. A two-wheel-drive Sorento is also offered, but our model’s set-up worked well.

The strong powerplant makes light work of pulling the big car along from low revs. Body control is decent, but the ride is flawed, with bumps in the road being transferred into the cabin.

As an overall package, though, the Kia looks quite tempting. There’s plenty of space front and back, while the option of an extra pair of seats adds to the appeal.

Rival: VW Tiguan
strong badge image sets the VW apart from the Kia, and it has a higher-quality feel and better residuals. But it can’t match the new Sorento for practicality.